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Family Area Report

SW12 Balham — Family Area Report

Balham · Wandsworth

Council Tax Band D · 2025/26Wandsworth£991/yrLambeth£2,030/yrThis postcode straddles 2 boroughs, so the exact rate depends on the street.
Family densityVery low · Under 16%14.8% of households have dependent children
71
Family Score

Ranked against every London postcode we cover.

SW12 is the London postcode area covering Balham in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It scores 71/100 on our family-life index. It's strongest on safety (86/100) and weakest on green space (50/100). The Met recorded 0 incidents in 2026-05, and there are 3 parks within walking distance. The nearest central London hub is Waterloo in 31 min on the morning rush. 14.8% of households here have dependent children — very low.

What borough is SW12 in?

SW12 is in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Its representative postcode sits in the Balham ward. On our family-life index, SW12 scores 71/100 against every other London postcode we cover.

Safety86
Amenities65
Green space50
Family density3
Commute72

Safety

0 incidents in May 2026

SW12 is one of the safer London postcodes we cover, scoring 86/100 on safety. The Met logged 0 incidents here in May 2026.

    Counts cover a single calendar month (May 2026) — the latest released by data.police.uk.

    Family life

    Within 1km

    Parks
    3
    GP surgeries
    6
    Libraries
    0
    Supermarkets
    11

    Sources: NHS ODS (GPs) · FSA (supermarkets) · OpenStreetMap (parks, libraries)

    Commute

    6 central London hubs · Morning rush

    Good · 25–35 min
    WaterlooFastest
    31 min
    via Northern + 1 bus
    King's Cross
    40 min
    via Northern & Victoria + 1 bus
    Liverpool Street
    42 min
    via Northern & Metropolitan + 1 bus
    Canary Wharf
    50 min
    via Northern & DLR + 1 bus
    Paddington
    46 min
    via Southern & District
    Victoria
    32 min
    via Northern & Victoria + 1 bus

    Door-to-door, arriving by 08:15 on a weekday. Source: TfL Journey Planner. Nearest hub: Waterloo in 31 min.

    How this is built.

    Scores are percentiles within our London cohort: your score is relative to other London areas, not absolute. School catchment guidance is powered by School Owl. Crime is from data.police.uk, latest available month.

    Family density is drawn from ONS Census 2021 household composition data at LSOA level. We map each postcode to its representative LSOA and rank it against the 32 London postcodes in our cohort.

    Commute times are pre-calculated via the TfL Journey Planner API for a weekday arrival at 08:15, from the centre of each postcode to Waterloo, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf, Paddington and Victoria.

      SW12 — frequently asked questions

      The things families ask us most about Balham, answered from the same data behind the scores above.

      What London borough is SW12 in?
      SW12 is in the London Borough of Wandsworth. Its representative postcode falls in the Balham ward. SW12 scores 71/100 on our family-life index against every other London postcode we cover.
      Is SW12 a good area for families?
      SW12 (Balham, Wandsworth) scores 71/100 on our family-life index, making it a solid pick among the London postcodes we cover. Safety 86/100, amenities 65/100, green space 50/100 and commute 72/100.
      What are the schools like in SW12?
      Wandsworth's most popular primaries in Balham and Earlsfield routinely cut off under 400 metres. Published admission distances are available on School Owl; proximity does not guarantee admission.
      How safe is SW12?
      The Metropolitan Police recorded 0 crime incidents in SW12 in May 2026 (the latest month released by data.police.uk). On our cohort-relative scale, SW12 scores 86/100 for safety.
      How long is the commute from SW12 to central London?
      Using the TfL Journey Planner for a weekday 08:15 arrival, the fastest of our six central London hubs from SW12 is Waterloo in about 31 minutes. We benchmark commute times to Waterloo, King's Cross, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf, Paddington and Victoria.
      Do many families live in SW12?
      14.8% of households in SW12's representative LSOA have dependent children (ONS Census 2021), which we band as very low (Under 16%) versus the rest of London.

      Areas near SW12

      The closest postcodes to SW12 we cover are SW4 (Clapham East, ~1.9km), SW17 (Tooting Bec, ~2.0km), SW2 (Brixton Rush Common, ~2.1km) and SW11 (Shaftesbury & Queenstown, ~2.7km). Families weighing SW12 usually shortlist one or two of these — open a full report or compare them side-by-side below.

      Nearby reports

      SW1VPimlico North· 63SW2Brixton Rush Common· 75SW3Stanley· 76SW4Clapham East· 79SW5Earl's Court· 73SW6Walham Green· 81

      Head-to-head

      SW12 vs SW1VSW12 vs SW2SW12 vs SW3SW12 vs SW4SW12 vs SW5SW12 vs SW6

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