Flats to Rent or Houses For Sale in Clapham London & SW4

A hugely popular area with virtually everyone, Clapham contains a wide mix of people and properties. Upmarket yet funky and fashionable, with a marvelous green space in the Common - one of the most famous in London - Clapham contains everything its choosy, but accepting inhabitants look for.

Property in the area is led by the beautiful Georgian houses that fringe the Common itself. These are kept to a very high standard, some as single homes and others converted into flats. This wonderful selection is complemented by the little network of Victorian terraces known in the Clapham Park area to the south and west of the common. The integrated and planned nature of these streets makes it feel enclosed and separate and leads to its other name, the Abbeville Village - a very sought after place to live. Other areas include the Grafton Square, where some magnificent mansions are found, and the more affordable Victorian and Georgian terraces in Clapham Old Town.

Clapham has been called the new Fulham but in truth its character is more open, accepting and far less urban, and tries less hard to be fashionable. This is a relaxed surburban space in which couples and the more upmarket first time buyer mix with reasonably well off families and longterm locals. Greenery is everywhere, not just in the form of this common but down the hill in Battersea Park, and just a little to the west in Wandsworth Common - a great concentration of greenery within 20 minutes of London Bridge from any of the three tube stops which alight here.

The area is a huge mix of little local stores, many only just off the common, and more usual shops a little further to the east towards the rest of Lambeth. Excellent bars and restaurants mix every culture and cuisine you can imagine, and Clapham is known for its nightlife, with clubs, cinema and bars catering to any taste.

This is a hugely multicultural and lively area, but with quiet backstreets and fantastic properties everywhere you look. Living on, or near, Clapham Common is a privilege and a joy for its locals, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better urban village to live in.

Clapham is in the Borough of Lambeth which holds the responsibility for delivering services in your area.
For specific information on this borough, or to contact individual departments please click here to visit their website.

Borough of Lambeth website: Borough of Lambeth

In General:
The London boroughs are administrative centres responsible for collecting local taxes (Council Tax and Business Rates) and then spending the funds received on local services. They are run by Borough Councils who are elected by borough residents on a four year cycle. The totals that they spend will depend on the rates of tax that they levy plus funds allocated from central government and other sources.

While many of the services (schools, roads, planning, rubbish collection and social services) are standard, levels of provision will vary according to the overall political will as expressed by the voters.

Your tax liability (as a resident) will be based on the council tax band of your home. These bands are set by Valuation Officers and there is scope for appeal. The rate bands are then used to determine the amounts of tax levied. So, while the bands will remain largely constant the levels of tax can go up and, in theory, down.

You may claim discounts or exemptions based on your circumstances. For example, as the only adult in a property you can get a 25% reduction on your bill. Other reductions are available for qualifying second adults and Council Tax Benefit claimants.

There is more information available at the HM Customs & Excise website.

Borough of Lambeth Council Tax

Borough of Wandsworth Council Tax