Cesar Mendez has lived in the 11.7 sq m property in plush Kensington for four years and has millionaires for neighbours, can see the Natural History Museum from his window, and says the Royal Family regularly drives byAdam Cailler Senior reporter and Reddit team lead and SWNSJamesGamble (James Gamble)
11:11, 30 Jun 2025Updated 11:11, 30 Jun 2025
Big man, tiny place
A bloke lives inside one of London’s tiniest flats – a former janitor’s cupboard that still commands a hefty price tag of nearly £250k due to its prime location.
Cesar Mendez has called the 11.7 sq m property in posh Kensington his home for four years. His neighbours are millionaires, he enjoys views of the Natural History Museum from his window – and claims the Royal Family often pass by.
The 47 year old is adamant that the compact space, which comprises a bedroom-cum-lounge-cum-kitchen, a minuscule hallway, and a tiny toilet and shower room, justifies shelling out around £1,400 per month in rent (including bills).
That’s not a kitchen
However, thanks to the flat’s enviable location – one of the capital’s most sought-after areas – it was recently on the market with a guide price of £230,000.
The flat is now under offer from a potential buyer and is set to be sold in the forthcoming weeks by estate agents Purplebricks. Despite the limited space the flat provides, Mr Mendez, who hails from Tenerife and works in admin in the banking sector, insists it’s the perfect size for him.
“The rents in London are crazy,” he commented. “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.”
Like sleeping on a train
Mr Mendez, a keen runner who is aiming to complete an impressive 100 marathons across seven continents for the charity Water Aid, highlighted the flat’s close proximity to Hyde Park as a significant advantage.
He also mentioned that due to its central location in London, he often sees members of the Royal Family driving by, accompanied by police escorts.
“Having Hyde Park five minutes away from the flat is amazing,” Mr Mendez shared. “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.”
Not enough room to swing a cat
Commenting on his affluent 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 adores once it’s sold.
Nick Minns, who is selling the flat that used to belong to his mother, also holds dear memories of the flat from when he resided in the compact space for six months.
He once even threw a party, using the main hallway for festivities and his flat as a ‘booze cupboard’. On another occasion, he hosted a tall friend who ended up occupying every corner of the flat. We had a party on the stairwell once,” Mr Minns shared. “The flat was just the booze cupboard. We had a friend stay over and he had a different body part in every room.”
Nice exterior, to be fair
Nick Gaunt, a Local Property Partner at Purplebricks, acknowledged that it was ‘unusual’ to find a property listed at £230,000 in such a prestigious area.
“To find any property, however small, with such a prestigious postcode and at this price is very unusual,” he commented.
“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.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.