Barely room for a broom: tiny flat in former caretaker's cupboard for sale in Kensington

A motion of the depressing authorities of the London property marketplace oregon an affordable pied-à-terre successful an unbeatable location?

If ever determination was a spot to disagreement opinion, this 2.5ft-wide workplace level successful Kensington is it. The miniature abode measures a specified 9 metres squared, oregon 96 quadrate feet, and is conscionable 75cm (2.4 feet) wide successful places, but has gone connected the marketplace for an eye-watering £250,000. In fact, the location is truthful tiny that, whoever its proprietor ends up being, volition beryllium capable to basal successful the mediate of it and comfortably interaction some walls astatine the aforesaid time.

The spot was primitively a caretaker’s broom cupboard and is located, on with 7 different apartments, successful a Grade II-listed, 1871 gathering connected Queen’s Gate successful Kensington. The exterior boasts a achromatic stucco frontage and doric porches, and there’s nary question that you’re paying for the determination – it’s conscionable a stone’s propulsion from the Natural History Museum and V&A. It mightiness consciousness similar you’re surviving successful a container but, fortunately, the level besides has a azygous window, from which you tin spot views of the surrounding area, with its museums, galleries and Royal Parks.

Undoubtedly 1 of the smallest homes successful the UK, the studio’s surviving abstraction presently contains a sofa, thorax of drawers, array and TV — and there’s a tiny room too. The chamber is connected a mezzanine area, measuring 1.5m by 3m, portion there’s a ablution country which is 1m x 0.5m. There’s besides an introduction strategy truthful you tin easy let guests successful and retired of the flat.

The level was bought for £80,000 implicit 20 years agone and has much than trebled successful worth since. Its £250,000 terms tag means that you’re paying a whopping £27,777 for each quadrate metre of level space. The mean spot terms connected Queen’s Gate past twelvemonth was £2,224,464, while, for the borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the mean level would acceptable you backmost £1 million. While small, it conscionable astir comes successful nether the mean UK spot terms of £293,000 and is much than fractional the mean spot terms of London arsenic a whole, which presently sits astatine £531,000.

“With landmarks specified arsenic the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum connected its doorstep, what it lacks successful space, it makes up for with its sought-after location,” says existent proprietor Nick Minns, who is assured the level won’t beryllium connected the marketplace long. “It’s a abbreviated locomotion to South Kensington tube, which has fantabulous transport links into and retired of cardinal London. The spot would marque a large bolthole for idiosyncratic who possibly lives extracurricular London, and conscionable needs determination to remainder their caput for a nighttime oregon 2 during the week.”

Alternatively, you mightiness similar to rent it out, arsenic Minns has done. “It besides would marque for a dependable rental investment, commanding a rent of implicit £2,000 a month. In each the years I person owned it, it has ne'er erstwhile been empty.”

The level is presently for merchantability with Purplebricks and Nick Gaunt, Purplebricks’ Local Property Partner, adds: “To find immoderate property, nevertheless small, with specified a prestigious postcode and astatine this terms is precise unusual. As such, we ideate it is apt to get snapped up precise quickly, particularly fixed its location, investors are apt to spot beyond its quadrate meterage and to the information it volition marque a astute concern for immoderate buyer.”