Housing: 7sqm London flat on offer for £50,000

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7sqm London flat on sale for £50,000

The British capital London is an expensive place. Photo: Aaron Chown/PA Wire/dpa

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Living in major European cities is becoming more and more expensive. A so-called micro-apartment is currently going viral on the highly competitive market in the British capital.

In London, a seven square meter apartment is to be auctioned off at a starting price of 50,000 pounds (a good 60,000 euros).

However, the one-bedroom apartment is expected to go under the hammer for a much higher sum as the flat was bought in 2017 for £103,500 (more than €124,000), the Guardian reports. The micro-apartment includes just space for a bed with some storage underneath, a microwave, a fold-out table, toilet and shower. There is no room for visitors, extensive cooking or hobbies.

Currently, the recently refurbished flat in East London’s Lower Clapton is used by a commuter just one or two days a week, for which the report says she pays around £800 (around €960) a month in rent.

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The sellers assume that it is the smallest apartment in the British capital’s competitive market. Julia Rugg, an expert on housing from the University of York, described the offer as a symbol of a “worrying development” in the “Guardian”. Micro-apartments should not be seen as a way out of the housing crisis because they are not a sustainable place to live. For example, people there are increasingly dependent on disposable products because there is no kitchen equipment.

dpa

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