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The “self-contained apartment” overlooks Harrods in London’s most exclusive postcode but at 88sq ft is smaller than the average car parking space

A flat opposite Harrods department store in the heart of Knightsbridge has come on the market for just £175,000 — but there is a catch.

The ‘self-contained flat’ is in actual fact a single 88sq ft (8.1m2) room which, according to a floor plan posted alongside the listing, has no bathroom, toilet, or kitchen.

The microscopic property is located on the ninth floor of Princes Court block in Knightsbridge, an area where the average home sells for £3.3 million.

It is being marketed by Knight Frank as a flat in “shell condition”, which the agent said “can be easily fitted out to the buyers’ taste”.

It comes with a Westminster parking permit, and heating and hot water included in the service charge, though with no bathroom it is unclear how future residents will be able to wash their hands or take a shower.

At just 88sq ft, the apartment is smaller than the average car parking space, and comes in far below the UK building space standard of 400sq ft (37m2) for a new build one-bed flat.

The listing reads: “The property comprises a self-contained apartment with a 165-year unexpired term.

“The property benefits from a Westminster ‘A’ parking permit, 24hr on-site security with a dedicated building manager, is located on the ninth floor away from traffic.”

The flat is going to auction with a guide price of £175,00.

It is not the first mini apartment to come up in the block, a 1930s building which is currently undergoing renovation works.

Earlier this year a different, but equally small, room came on the market on the eighth floor for £150,000, also with no bedroom or toilet.

And last year a ‘micro-penthouse’ in the block sold for £325,000 despite only measuring 128sq ft, a staggering £2,539 per sq ft. A team of space-saving architects were brought in to squeeze in a bed and a kitchenette.

London’s sky-high property values and lack of supply has accelerated demand for tiny houses and micro-flats.

In February, a poky 75sq ft flat in Hackney, dubbed a ‘posh cell’ on social media, was sold at auction for £90,000.

It consisted of one room and adjoining wet room carved out of a Victorian corner house. It had no kitchen or separate living space, just a microwave, a cupboard, and four shelves beneath a single captain’s bed.

Originally listed for 50,000, the seller raised the price after intense media interest.

Retrieved from：https://www.standard.co.uk/homesandproperty/property-news/micro-studio-knightsbridge-no-toilet-b993063.html (8 April, 2022)

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