Feedback for London flat

To live in it, you would be better carving up bedroom 1 into a small bathroom and small office which could fit a spare bed if needed. But obviously not going to do that if selling. Amazing location though but that bathroom off the then tiny kitchen means it's a tiny market who would like that. I'm guessing anyone who needs a flat in central London for work doesn't need two bedrooms.

Fab location, very dated inside primarily the carpets which are a 1990’s throwback. The configuration will also not work for a lot of people.

I would pull it off the market and update the layout and the decor, form a straight wall between the bathroom and the kitchen so that both open into the lounge rather than a bathroom opening into a kitchen which presents so many issues. Then there would be a galley kitchen and a compact bathroom. Or if they don’t want to do the work at least get quotes as to how much the work will cost and reduce the asking price accordingly.

I’m looking for a flat at the moment and wouldn’t touch anything with less than a 110 year lease. Basically anything less than 90 years is problematic mortgage-wise so she should extend that and avoid that pitfall.

It’s definitely the kitchen. Great price point for the location but will cost another £50k to get a decent kitchen in place.

And the lease. I didn’t notice that. She should get it extended before selling.

All that money and it's front door into the living room.
It doesn't appear to have a proper fitted kitchen, over three quarters of a million pounds and it's got a few very old kitchen cabinets. I'm wondering where there's space to prepare food etc. I
Using the washing machine top for a worktop, I think there's worktop either side of the cooker but it's not shown, adding that would show there's space to cook. It's giving in need of refurbishment/ modernising to me.

The bathroom layout as mentioned. The lack of storage.
I wonder if it would be worth turning the bedroom one into a the kitchen and having a bigger bathroom and storage.
The bits and pieces by the front door would put me off for start. It's giving student vibes. It would have the be the cheapest flat in an area I wanted to live in for me to try and make it work. Good luck to her.

Plus as I'm reading in the news there's too many flats for sale in London, it's surely a buyers market.

Agree with @PancakeCloud- I’d avoid a property marketed Foxtons as a buyer regardless of how much I liked the look of a place, they hound you (and overprice properties)

The carpets are so oppressive and dark. Decluttering is needed. The layout would also be an issue for me but nothing can be done about that.

The floorplan makes it look as though there's a shower in the kitchen when it's actually the kitchen sink. For that money I'd want something a lot more appealing in terms of layout. Your friend needs to cast a critical eye over the place and move/remove things for photos. The black carpet in the living room, red carpet in the bedroom and awful yellow in the kitchen are unappealing and harsh.

The whole place looks grim. Get rid of the carpets and curtains-clean,de-clutter - redecorate and some lighter looking new furniture. ( new furniture can be used for next property).

Was going to say this exactly. At these prices it's well worth doing this work. I would have the kitchen be open to the lounge to make it feel bigger and the bathroom use the current door. The flat feels like it doesn't have a kitchen at all currently just an after thought.

Alternatively send the floor plan to Cliff at dear modern on youtube maybe he'll do a clever layout for you.

Agree the decor isn't doing and favours here. Some interior design changes will help a lot.

It looks like a student HMO and is not going to sell at that price, try 600k and maybe some complete mug will buy it.

@onpills4godsake the layout is awful and not practical for most people.
Also the overall floor area is small for 2 bedrooms. A lot of 1 beds are bigger.
I can see why it's not getting much interest given how saturated the London flat market is at the moment.

The bathroom inside the kitchen is just weird.
Im from the north so completely clueless but it’s just not that nice? Decor is questionable and furniture looks rubbish. She would be well off to get rid of everything imo

That’s the reason your friend cannot sell @onpills4godsake , short lease

price is not bad at all for that area it’s good investment

It’s tiny, odd kitchen/bathroom arrangement and I assume a communal garden? And lease of only 89 years? Any one of those is a deal breaker for me.

Nowhere near a buyer"s market, mortgage debt is too expensive now for the silly asking prices, but search "Oversupply of flats for sale in London" and you will see that it certainly isn"t a seller"s market!

Dark, very little natural light, tiny bedrooms, cramped kitchen.

Service Charge
£1,850 per annum (2026)

Stamp Duty
£30,000

Council Tax
£2,697.59 per year band E

Christ. At nearly a million Id want more than that.

Out of curiosity, how does leasehold work? We don't have leasehold in Scotland. What happens when the lease is up on the land? Do you then have to purchase the land? And who owns the land? The crown?

"it’s good investment"

It really isn"t.

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-16016563/trapped-unsellable-flat-prices-collapsing-city.html

DH and I lived between zone 1-2 in a 2 bed/1 bathroom flat for 18yrs and only recently moved out. Some of the issues she can't change- some she can.

-I likely wouldn't bother even viewing as its listed with Foxtons. Not as bad as purple bricks, but myself and friends had issues with them so would avoid
-The angles in the flat make it tricky to fit regular furniture
-The short lease is an issue and conservation area might mean you have to stay with wooden, sash windows only
-The front door opens straight into the lounge
-Some areas don't allow or restrict resident parking permits so I'd want to know if I could get one and availability of parking
-The decor could be thinned out and tidied up
-The biggest issue is having a toilet INSIDE the kitchen! 😕

People are so brutal OP. The flat is in an absolutely amazing central location. Yes it would be better modernized but that can be priced in.

Flats in London are really not selling at the moment. Lots of spot on observations about the flat are already mentioned but the EPC of E is a shocker, makes it unsuitable to rent out if a proposed rule change comes in.

Lease has only 89 years left and the EPC rating is E. Definitely 2 big issues & would put me off, along with the price.