Brixton house abandoned for decades goes to auction for £400,000

A derelict Victorian house on a famous south London street has gone on the market with a guide price of £400,000.

The property, 316 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, has stood empty for decades and is due to be sold at auction this month “in shell condition” and requiring a “full programme of works”.

A video produced by Auction House London, which is overseeing the sale, shows ceilings supported by scaffolding poles, in addition to boarded-up windows, and part of the ground floor that has collapsed into the basement.

The auction house describes the property as a four-storey mid-terrace house with potential for conversion into three flats. “The seller wishes to remain anonymous,” it adds.

The local council has said that, because of the length of time the property has been empty, building works will attract zero VAT.

According to the Rightmove property website, a one-bedroom flat on Coldharbour Lane changed hands for £510,000 in March 2019.

Former residents of the street include Conservative prime minister John Major, who lived in a flat at No.144 between 1955 and 1959.