A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
This £1.75 million flat might be in a bougie area, but it doesn’t scream characterful (Picture: Rightmove)

Owning a flat in London is the dream for many — but they’re becoming increasingly difficult to sell.

Statistics show many now go for less than they were bought. So far this year, more than a third of sellers with larger flats in London have accepted a lower price than they paid — even if that was 15 or even 20 years ago.

But amid this backdrop, a one-bedroom flat has hit the market with an eye-watering price tag of £1.75 million, dramatically higher than the average price for a flat in London of £500,867.

The listing, marketed by Coopers, promises a ‘home rich in architectural pedigree and royal provenance.’

The Grade I-listed property, designed by John Nash, a famous Georgian and Regency era architect, is certainly in a premium area, on the edge of Regent’s Park, with its own private entrance.

But on the popular r/SpottedonRightmove Reddit thread, many commenters have all pointed out the same property ick: the flat is really boring.

A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
The interiors are less than inspiring (Picture: Rightmove)

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It’s a sea of landlord white and millennial grey, seriously giving IKEA showroom. For almost £2m, you might expect hidden doors, a free standing bath — or at least some fancy wallpaper.

Redditor @CypherGreen said: ‘What gets me more isn’t the price or one bedroom alone.

‘It’s the fact for that price, in that area, in that building, you would expect and hope for more than the most boring grey, white and black clinical boredom.’

A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
Could we not have tried even a mere pop of colour? (Picture: Rightmove)

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Meanwhile, @kimsala, said: ‘I get the address is prestigious and the exterior is impressive, but walk in and you’re in a friggin’ new build.’

‘Bland as bland can be,’ was the scathing description from @EnterpreneurFast7772, while @RelativeCelery2844 wrote: ‘The outside may be [a period property], but the inside is ugly new build white,’

It’s particularly meh when you consider the financial commitment involved, even after you’ve bought the flat.

The details of the leasehold show the ground rent alone is £1,100 annually, which might not seem like too much, but the annual service charge is an absolute hole-burner for any wallet, at £14,000.

A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
The annual service charge is a painful £14,000 (Picture: Rightmove)

Andy Morrison, director of UK Property Development, tells Metro this flat is indeed expensive, even by London’s prime standards.

He says: ‘The asking price is some 73% higher than the average asking price across the NW1 postcode.’

However, he adds that it’s ‘far from an ordinary one-bed’.

A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
‘The inside is ugly new build white’ (Picture: Rightmove)

‘Cumberland Terrace is one of the great John Nash terraces surrounding Regent’s Park and its Grade I-listed status reflects just how architecturally significant it is,’ says Andy.

‘Nash designed these terraces to have the grandeur and presence of palaces, and that sort of heritage carries a considerable premium.’

Plus, it comes with five car parking spaces which, as Andy points out, can individually sell for ‘tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds in their own right.’

A one-bedroom flat for sale in Regent's Park, London.
Outside, the property looks fairly regal (Picture: Rightmove)

‘I’ve been trying to sell my one-bed for more than a year’

Louisa Conlon has been trying to sell her one-bedroom flat in Woolwich since January 2025, without much luck.

In fact, things are so dire that she’s had to reduce the price three times.

The 39-year-old, who works in healthcare IT, bought her home in 2017. She tells Metro: ‘We want to upsize, and move outside London to have a little bit more green space.

‘But there seems to be a huge supply of one-beds, particularly in southeast London.’

One 2026 study from property data firm Bricks & Logic found nearly half of the small flats on the market in London are selling for less than they were bought for, a figure which stretches back as far as 20 years in some cases.

The data found the typical price of a flat in the capital has fallen by 6.2% over the last year, approximately £35,000 on average.

This is anything but good news for homeowners like Louisa, who just want to sell up and move on with their lives.

Instead, they’re chained to homes they no longer want to live in.

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@metro.co.uk

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