Marsh & Parsons

Area Profile - Balham Lettings

HAS Balham got it all?

From trendy boutiques, buzzing bars and even a golf course, there's enough to keep everyone busy – and rents are relatively affordable too, even though they have risen as Balham's charms are being discovered.

The Balham branch of Marsh & Parsons has houses and flats for rent throughout Clapham South, Balham, Tooting Bec, Tooting Broadway and Wandsworth Common. "The attractions of the area," says lettings manager Cathy Evans, "are the wide open spaces – the commons of Wandsworth, Clapham and Tooting. You can also be in the West End and City in 20 minutes via the Northern Line and Thameslink trains."

The area is also blessed with excellent schools, including Aldebrook Primary, Holy Ghost and Henry Cavendish, as a well as a French Lycée, all of which are a big draw for growing families, and it has the second lowest council tax rates in London.

The most exclusive – and expensive – houses to let by Marsh & Parsons are between the commons, Abbeville Village and the Nightingale Triangle, says Cathy. And on the Heaver Estate there are large double fronted houses with big gardens.

"The area is like Fulham was 20 years ago," says Cathy. "It is becoming very trendy and now has branches of Waitrose and Marks and Spencer as well as a growing number of trendy bars and restaurants."

As one of the premier estate agents letting properties in the Balham area, Marsh & Parsons prides itself on its local know how. From the best schools in the area to the finest boutiques, bars and restaurants and the cost of a resident's parking permit, estate agents at Marsh & Parsons have their finger firmly on the local pulse.

So, what will you get for your money in Balham?

Marsh & Parsons has studio flats to let in Victorian conversions with prices starting from £200 a week. Rents for a one-bedroom flat start from £250 to £325 a week, although ex-local authority flats to let are slightly cheaper. For two bedroom flats tenants can expect to pay between £295 and £500 depending on the location and specification.

As one of the area's most popular estate agents, Marsh & Parsons are renting houses from £550 a week for three bedrooms, rising to between £625 and £700 for four bedrooms, but in the most popular roads in the Abbeville Triangle SW4, a four bedroom house will let for £850 a week, rising above £1,000 in Nightingale Square SW17. Although many houses in Balham come with parking spaces, resident's permits are cheap and cost just £75 for 12 months.

What else can you expect from Balham?

Balham and its surrounds have a buzzing and trendy nightlife and is home to London's longest-running brewery, so it is only right that it has excellent pubs, which include: Gigalum, overlooking Clapham Common, which has a wonderful beer garden; The Duke of Devonshire, on Balham High Road SW12, which serves delicious Sunday roasts; The Nightingale, a great traditional pub with good food in the heart of Balham's Millionaires' Row; The George with leather sofas, pub grub and a TV showing Sky Sports; and The Grove, a recently refurbished pub with a dining room on Oldridge Road SW12. Balham's social scene has always been at the cutting edge and the Banana Comedy Club was the springboard for the careers of Al Murray, Eddie Izard, and Mark Thomas.

For more formal dining, there is Newtons on Abbeville Road, which serves European cuisine with a hint of Thai; Double Espresso on Station Parade SW12, serves probably the best pizzas in London; Nanglo on Balham High Road is Nepalese – not to be confused with Indian, which is served by the ever-popular Bombay Bicycle Club on Nightingale Lane SW12. For fans of belly dancing and Persian food, Dish Dash holds classes every Wednesday night as well as a stylish bar. Restaurant critics have piled gushing praise on Exhibit near Balham Tube station and it is home to the stylish twentysomethings and media types who flock there most nights for the food, cocktails and DJ. Every Tuesday, it shows a movie and a dinner and film package costing just £15.95.

Shopping in Balham has improved dramatically, not only with the arrival of Waitrose and Marks & Spencer but also a host of independent boutiques, which include Fifi Wilson's women's fashion shop and Josephine Ryan interiors. There are also three street markets in the area at Hildreth Street SW12, Battersea High Street SW11 and Northcote Road SW11. For the more active pursuits there are of course the three commons, as well as cricket pitches, angling ponds, Australian Rules football, tennis courts, cycle paths, leisure centres and gyms. Tooting Lido is the biggest open-air pool in Europe and is open between May 26 and September 30. The Central London Golf Centre in Wandsworth has a nine-hole course, driving range and golf shop. Balham it seems really does have it all!