THE UK’S smallest flat – an old janitor’s cupboard – costs an eye-watering £250,000 because of its prime location.
Its owner has lived in the 11.7sq m property for four years, though he has admitted it makes dating difficult.
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Cesar Mendez says that he has millionaires for neighbours, in his snug flat situated in plush Kensington, London.
He can see the Natural History Museum from his window – and says the Royal Family regularly drives by.
The 47-year-old insists the space – which includes a bedroom-cum-lounge-cum-kitchen, a minuscule hallway and a tiny toilet and shower room – warrants spending around £1,400 per month in rent (including bills).
However, because of the flat’s location – one of the capital’s most desirable areas – it was recently up for sale with a guide price of £230,000.
The flat is now under offer from a prospective buyer and is due to be sold in the coming weeks by estate agents Purplebricks.
Despite the lack of room the flat offers, Cesar – who works in admin in the banking industry and is originally from Tenerife – says it’s the perfect size for him.
“The rents in London are crazy,” he said. “I love the location, it’s great. It’s very convenient.
“For me it’s fine. I’m not very tall, so it’s OK. The only problem is you have to keep it clean all the time.
“If it’s not tidy, there’s no space and you go crazy.
“Have you seen any other flat under 12 square metres? If I had a girlfriend, we would fight all the time because it’s such a small place.”
Cesar, an avid runner vying to run an astonishing 100 marathons across seven continents for charity Water Aid, says the flat’s proximity to Hyde Park is also a major plus.
And he added that, due to its centrality in the capital, he regularly sees members of the Royal Family driving past, escorted by police motorcades.
“Having Hyde Park five minutes away from the flat is amazing,” Mr Mendez continued. “I work in Mayfair, too, and it takes me 10 to 15 minutes to cycle to work.
“I have seen King Charles, Prince William and Queen Camilla around the area. Police stop the cars for them to go through.
“I see them a lot – maybe once every two weeks.
“It’s very central. The location is incredible – but there are pros and cons – there’s no washing machine so I have to take my clothes to get washed.
“But it’s still an amazing flat. It’s very quiet here.
“My neighbours are really nice; some of them are Chinese and some other neighbours are Italian – I think there’s eight flats in the whole building.”
On his rich neighbours’ homes, Cesar added: “They are massive. A one-bedroom flat sold for £1m, two bedrooms for £1.5m.”
Mr Mendez hopes to continue living in the flat he loves once it’s sold.
Nick Minns, who is selling the flat that used to belong to his mother, harbours fond memories of the flat himself from when he lived in the tiny space for six months.
He said he once even had a party – but held the main festivities in the hallway and used his flat as a ‘booze cupboard’.
On another occasion he had a tall friend stay over and says he had a limb ‘in every part of the flat’.
“We had a party on the stairwell once,” Mr Minns explained. “The flat was just the booze cupboard.
“We had a friend stay over and he had a different body part in every room.”
Nick Gaunt, a Local Property Partner at Purplebricks, admitted it was ‘unusual’ to have a property at a guide price of £230,000 in the area.
“To find any property, however small, with such a prestigious postcode and at this price is very unusual,” he said.
“As such, we’re not surprised that it has got snapped up very quickly, especially given its location, investors are likely to see beyond its square meterage and to the fact it makes a smart investment for any buyer.”
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