'I live in £250k former caretaker cupboard in London - daily task stops me going crazy'

Meet Cesar Mendez - the proud occupant of one of London's teeniest abodes.

For four years now, Cesar, 47, has called this 11.7 sq m former janitor's closet his home, which carries a hefty price tag of nearly £250,000 thanks to its fancy Kensington postcode. Despite his humble abode, he rubs shoulders with wealthy neighbours and has a view of the Natural History Museum from his window - plus the Royal Family regularly cruises by.

The tiny digs might not amount to much – a bedroom-lounge-kitchen hybrid, a minuscule hallway, and a compact loo and shower room – but for Cesar, it's well worth the £1,400 monthly rent (including bills).

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This modest space was up for sale with a £230,000 guide price courtesy of estate agents Purplebricks. A potential buyer has made an offer, with the sale scheduled for completion within weeks.

The banking administrator, who hails from Tenerife, stands by his compact home, insisting it's perfect for his needs despite the limited space. "The rents in London are crazy," he remarks.

"I love the location, it's great. It's very convenient." Managing the space poses no issue for Mendez, who quips: "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."

Maintaining order is non-negotiable; Mendez warns: "If it's not tidy, there's no space and you go crazy." He cheekily adds: "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."

Cesar, an enthusiastic marathon runner aiming to tackle an impressive 100 runs across seven continents for Water Aid, cites the close distance to Hyde Park as a key advantage of his flat. He also mentioned that the flat's central position in London means it's not uncommon for him to witness Royal Family members whizzing by, police escorted convoys in tow.

"Having Hyde Park five minutes away from the flat is amazing," Mr Mendez remarked. "I work in Mayfair, too, and it takes me 10 to 15 minutes to cycle to work."

He shared sightings of royalty: "I have seen King Charles, Prince William and Queen Camilla around the area. Police stop the cars for them to go through. 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."

Despite some downsides, Mr Mendez has high praise for his dwelling: "But it's still an amazing flat. It's very quiet here."

Describing his neighbours, he says, "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."

Commenting on nearby properties, Cesar said: "They are massive. A one-bedroom flat sold for £1m, two bedrooms for £1.5m."Eying the future, Mr Mendez is keen to remain in the beloved flat after its sale.

Nick Minns, who is putting up the property which once belonged to his mother, cherishes his own memories of residing in the intimate apartment for half a year. Mr Minns recalled hosting a party, albeit unconventionally, by holding the main celebration in the hallway while utilising his compact flat as a makeshift 'booze cupboard'.

He also shared an amusing anecdote about a tall friend who stayed over, humorously noting that his friend's limbs seemed to be sprawled across every part of the flat. "We had a party on the stairwell once," Mr Minns explained. "The flat was just the booze cupboard."

He chuckled, "We had a friend stay over and he had a different body part in every room." Nick Gaunt, Local Property Partner at Purplebricks, acknowledged the rarity of finding a property in the area with a guide price of £230,000. "To find any property, however small, with such a prestigious postcode and at this price is very unusual," he stated.

Gaunt wasn't surprised by the swift sale, given the flat's prime location. "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."