'Cheapest House in Chiswick' Up For Sale

Vacant Council property on market for under a million in prime road

The five-bedroom Grove Park property which lost Hounslow Council almost £12,000 in rental income from lying unoccupied for over two years has gone on the market for just under £1 million.

One local agent described it as "the cheapest house in Chiswick" but a spokesman for Whitman's which is selling the house said it was put on the market at that price because of its position right beside the busy A4.

The house which is offered for sale for £995,000 has five bedrooms, three receptions and two bathrooms and an area of 1,883 sq ft. It is described as a well-presented semi-detached period house on a "prestigious residential road", with off-street parking, and in close proximity to Chiswick House gardens and the mainline station.

The property is on Park Road, close to the A4, and has undergone a six-figure sum renovation. It has been lying void, without tenants, since 2011. The rental income missed by LBH was estimated at £11,947.

Christian Harper of Oliver Finn said it would probably sell for over the asking price, possibly up to £1.5 m but at £528 per square foot it was a "true bargain" and probably the "cheapest house in Chiswick." He said the house at that price would probably attract a good deal of interest.

Whitmans said they had over fifty viewings already and expected to sell the house very quickly. It would probably be used as a family home.

Asked whether the valuation was low compared to other properties in the area, a spokesman said it was difficult to compare as this property was close to the A4 (it has recently installed triple-grazing) and other properties on sale in the area could have bigger gardens or be closer to the park and would thus be on the market at a higher price. He expected the house to sell for over its asking price.

An example of current Chiswick prices include a five-bedroom house in Park Road (described as a premium listing) on the market at £2.9 million, two semi-detached four-bedroom houses a short distance away in Burlington Lane and Staveley Gardens on at £1.4m. A typical three-bedroom terraced home in the Glebe Estate will cost £1.1million.

It was recently estimated that over 230 properties across the borough are lying 'void' at a revenue loss of over £1 million to LBH. The Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee is to look into the matter of vacant Council properties across the borough.

We have asked LBH for comment. A council spokesperson said: “We are currently investigating this query so we can establish the facts and give a full response as soon as possible.”

May 9, 2014