Living and renting in Balham, London: travel links, parking, schools, best streets — and the average cost of monthly rent

This Zone 3 spot is popular with home buyers looking for smart Victorian terraces and period flats.
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Ruth Bloomfield3 April 2019

Once rough and ready, a couple of decades of property price rises and a ripple of affluent family buyers fleeing more expensive parts of south-west London have transformed Balham into a middle-class “Nappy Valley” full of revamped Victorian houses, four-wheel drives and designer-clad babies.

Edward Burchett, director of Jacksons estate agents, said the area is particularly popular with settled-down couples in their late twenties and early thirties who are moving from slightly more expensive SW postcodes in order to save up for a deposit.

The lowdown

Balham is five miles from the West End, with Clapham on one side and Tooting on the other and its crime rates are pretty average for this tranche of south-west London, at 8.56 offences reported per 1,000 population, and reports are concentrated around the High Road.

For keep-fit fans Balham Leisure Centre has a pool, gym, fitness classes and squash courts. There are also several smaller gyms and yoga clubs, or vent your frustrations at Balham Boxing Club.

Parking on the street requires a residents’ permit. Buying them online is the cheapest option with the first car per household charged at £146, and subsequent permits at £201. Low-emission cars get discounts.

Average cost of renting in Balham

Property size Average monthly cost
One-bedroom flat £1,421
Two-bedroom flat £1,803
Two-bedroom house £2,196
Three-bedroom house £2,983
Four-bedroom house £3,192

Source: Rightmove.co.uk | April 2019

Best streets in Balham to live on

According to local rental agents, key locations include the Hyde Farm Estate, a network of Edwardian maisonettes near Tooting Bec Common, and the Telford Park conservation area, just into SW3, with similar but slightly larger homes.

At the top end of the market, the Nightingale Triangle, stretching from the High Road to Nightingale Lane, has smart Victorian terraces and period flats and is close to Clapham and Wandsworth Commons.

Balham travel links and accessibility

On the Northern line in Zone 3, the Tube from Balham station gives easy access to both the City and the West End in about 25 minutes. There are also trains to Victoria that take from 12 minutes. Local buses go south towards Tooting and Streatham, or north to Clapham and Brixton.

Best schools in Balham

A big plus for parents with a strong choice of primaries including Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School and Henry Cavendish Primary School, both awarded top marks by the government schools watchdog.

For seniors the very multicultural Chestnut Grove School specialises in arts and modern foreign languages, and is rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, as is La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School, also for senior pupils.

Supermarkets and food markets in Balham

There’s a Waitrose on the Clapham side of Balham, a Sainsbury’s near the station and a Lidl on the Tooting borders so all budgets are catered for.

At foodie mecca Hildreth Street there are lots of lovely delis to browse through: Brindisa Cheese & Charcuterie is good for posh Spanish nibbles, and We Brought Beer does what it says on the tin. At weekends there’s a farmers’ market at Henry Cavendish Primary School.

Downsides?

Insiders tell us that, though there are plenty of good places to eat and drink, and this is a big plus, the shops, by contrast, are a bit boring. And Balham’s smug middle-class vibe can get wearing after a while, leaving you longing for more urban edge.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
'Balham is really nice. There is a lot of green space, it’s very quiet.'

Returning to the UK after studying in the Netherlands, Ellie Birkhead teamed up with two old school friends to rent a three-bedroom flat over two floors of a Victorian house in Balham.

Balham base: Ellie Birkhead shares a flat with friends 
Adrian Lourie

The south-west London neighbourhood wasn’t the most obvious choice for the freelance designer, who can turn her hand to anything from prop making to costume design (elliebirkhead.com).

Decades of gentrification mean Balham residents are more likely to work in the City than as creatives.

“It was not my immediate choice and there are not many studios in the area because it is expensive,” says Ellie. “Camberwell or Tooting would have been more obvious choices.”

But she and her flatmates liked the flat and could afford it. Ellie’s share of the £2,150 a month rent is £650.

“Balham is actually really nice. There is a lot of green space, it’s very quiet — we all like cycling and it’s good for places like Richmond Park,” she says. Ellie, 26, and her friends moved into their home in the new year and are enjoying discovering Balham’s excellent range of restaurants and delis.

Shopping in Balham

Balham has most of the high street staples, and Lark is good for gifts and homewares. Up the road is Tooting Market, good for fruit and veg.

Eating and drinking in Balham

Ellie recommends the brunch at Milk in Hildreth Street, Balham’s foodie heartland, and finds the local outpost of Gail’s Bakery a good place to work online.

Franco Manca’s sourdough pizzas are also a hit, and Ellie is looking forward to sampling the highly recommended South American tapas menu at Piraña in Bedford Hill.

Balham’s cultural scene

Try The Exhibit for events from swing dance classes to movie screenings with a difference, including dog-friendly events and screenings of sporting specials such as the Six Nations Cup. The Bedford is an absolute Balham institution, an award-winning boozer in Bedford Hill, with a comedy club and live music. Catherine Tate, Eddie Izzard, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith all performed there early in their careers. The Bedford reopened after Christmas following a swish refit.

Balham’s green space

Balham itself is not desperately green, but it is ringed by three London commons: Clapham, Balham and Tooting.

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