This happens almost every week: a student is placed in Balham, Brixton or Clapham. Everything’s confirmed. Then their parents find a blog from 2006 or a forum post from 2012 saying the area is dangerous. Panic follows.

The information is wrong. But it stays online forever, and families searching in Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese or French keep finding it.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, parts of South London did have problems. Higher crime, less investment, genuine safety concerns. That history explains why older posts sound alarming.

Then London transformed. Property prices rose sharply. Young professionals and families moved in. Investment followed: better transport, new cafés and restaurants, improved parks and schools. Areas dismissed as “rough” in 1995 became expensive family neighbourhoods by 2010.

What these areas look like now:

• Balham (Zone 3): Victorian houses worth £800,000+, Saturday farmers’ markets, families everywhere.
• Brixton (Zone 2): So desirable that locals complain about gentrification. Independent restaurants, busy markets, high rents.
• Peckham (Zone 2): Art studios, rooftop bars, young professionals. Rents have climbed steeply.
• Clapham (Zone 2/3): One of London’s most popular areas for young professionals and families. Expensive for a reason.

The London described in 2006 blog posts doesn’t exist anymore. But those posts do, ranking high in search results and misleading families.

The internet remembers everything but doesn’t tell you what’s out of date.

Old posts stay online indefinitely. Nobody updates them. Nobody removes them. A warning from 2006 about Brixton looks just as current as a post from 2024 – until you check the date.

Your parents search in their own language, find the only available information (which is ancient), and reasonably conclude the area is unsafe. They’re making careful decisions based on terrible data.

Meanwhile, people living in these areas now write very different things – but usually in English and on newer platforms your parents might not see.

If your parents find something worrying, use multiple current sources:

• Check the date. No date shown? Assume it’s very old. Anything before 2020? Treat it with extreme caution.
• Ask your language school. They place hundreds of students annually and know exactly which areas work well. They’re honest because their reputation depends on student safety.
• Contact your accommodation provider. We can explain why we use specific areas and share recent student experiences. Our business depends on safe placements.
• Check recent English sources. Instagram location tags from the last year. Reddit threads from current residents. Google reviews of local cafés. These show everyday life now, not 20 years ago.
• Look at property prices. Search “[area name] house prices” on Rightmove. If typical homes cost £600,000+ with consistently high rents, the area is considered desirable. Places locals truly see as rough rarely command premium prices long-term.
• Compare them all. If your school approves the area, your accommodation provider uses it regularly, recent posts show normal life, and prices are high – you’re looking at a neighbourhood that’s moved far beyond that 2006 blog post.

• Japanese student almost refused her Balham placement because her mother found a 2006 blog calling it dangerous. Two months later: “This is a typical expensive family area. My mother worried over very old information.”
• Saudi father was concerned about Brixton based on 2012 forum posts. He visited before his son’s course. After walking around the markets and restaurants: “Completely different from what I read online.”
• French parents worried about Clapham based on a 2010 travel forum. Their daughter’s been there four months. When they visited: “We wish we’d trusted current information from the start.”

This pattern repeats constantly across different countries and languages.

Show them the verification method above. Then add context:

“We’re judging 2025 London using 1990s information. That’s like judging São Paulo, Paris, or Tokyo today by what they were like 35 years ago. It makes no sense. Here’s current evidence: [recent Instagram posts from the area, property prices, statement from my school].”

Most parents relax once they see reliable, up-to-date evidence. They’re not being difficult – they’re working with the only information they could find.

When families rely on ancient forum posts, students doubt good placements and parents lose sleep over streets they’ve never seen. Meanwhile, genuinely useful information gets buried.

Check dates. Ask current sources. Compare multiple pieces of evidence. Don’t let a 20-year-old blog post decide where you live.

London in 2025 is not London in 1995.

Questions about a specific area? Email us for current safety data.

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