Britain’s highest-priced beach hut hits the market for £300,000

A humble beach hut on a remote sandbank has gone on the market for a record £300,000 – just months after another sold for £295,000.

The timber cabin, which has no mains electricity or toilet, is on the exclusive Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, which is home to the most expensive huts in the country.

Huts there have previously sold for £280,000 but the one now for sale is the first that is tipped to break the £300,000 mark.

For the same price you could buy a new four-bed house in Hambleton, North Yorkshire, or a five-bed detached property with waterside views in Argyll, Scotland.

Hut 475, which has no mains electricity or toilet, is on the exclusive Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, which is home to the most expensive huts in the country

Despite not having a toilet or running water, hut 475 can command its especially eye-watering price tag because it is last on a row of cabins which mean the new owners will have extra space to the side of it

Despite not having a toilet or running water, hut 475 can command its especially eye-watering price tag because it is last on a row of cabins which mean the new owners will have extra space to the side of it

The kitchen has a sink with a tap but the water comes via a pump. For shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to share a communal block

The kitchen has a sink with a tap but the water comes via a pump. For shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to share a communal block

It comes after Hut 413 – situated on the same exclusive sandbank – sold for an astonishing £295,000 in January.  

The sums are largely down to the huts’ stunning location on the desirable sandbank, set just yards from the water’s edge, with spectacular and uninterrupted views across Christchurch Bay towards the Isle of Wight and the Needles. 

It is thought hut 475 can command its especially eye-watering price tag because it is last on a row of cabins which mean the new owners will have extra space to the side of it.

The hut measures about 18ft by 11ft and can sleep six people with a mezzanine floor that has room for two single mattresses and one double and a seating area that converts into a bed for two.

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof and the oven runs on gas bottles and a fridge powered by battery.

The hut measures about 18ft by 11ft and can sleep six people with a mezzanine floor that has room for two single mattresses and one double and a seating area that converts into a bed for two

The hut measures about 18ft by 11ft and can sleep six people with a mezzanine floor that has room for two single mattresses and one double and a seating area that converts into a bed for two

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof and the oven runs on gas bottles and a fridge powered by battery

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof and the oven runs on gas bottles and a fridge powered by battery

The isolated Mudeford sandbank can only be accessed by a 20 minute walk, a ride on novelty land train or a short ferry crossing.

The isolated Mudeford sandbank can only be accessed by a 20 minute walk, a ride on novelty land train or a short ferry crossing.

The kitchen has a sink with a tap but the water comes via a pump. For shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to share a communal block.

The owners can only stay overnight from March to October due to local bylaws.

The isolated Mudeford sandbank can only be accessed by a 20 minute walk, a ride on novelty land train or a short ferry crossing.

It has about 350 beach huts that look out over Christchurch Harbour on one side and Christchurch Bay and The Needles on the sea side.

Many of the huts have been in the same family for decades and when one becomes available it is generally snapped up very quickly.

The prices for them have shot up by as much as £100,000 in the space of just six years which is thought to have been driven by the increase in people holidaying at home.

As well as the steep purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £2,500 a year.

Many of the huts at Mudeford Spit have been in the same family for decades and when one becomes available it is generally snapped up very quickly

Many of the huts at Mudeford Spit have been in the same family for decades and when one becomes available it is generally snapped up very quickly

Mudeford sandbank has about 350 beach huts that look out over Christchurch Harbour on one side and Christchurch Bay and The Needles on the sea side

Mudeford sandbank has about 350 beach huts that look out over Christchurch Harbour on one side and Christchurch Bay and The Needles on the sea side

The prices for the huts have shot up by as much as £100,000 in the space of just six years which is thought to have been driven by the increase in people holidaying at home

The prices for the huts have shot up by as much as £100,000 in the space of just six years which is thought to have been driven by the increase in people holidaying at home

Andy Denison, from Denisons estate agents, said: ‘This is the last hut before the headland so it’s got a nice bit of space beside it and it’s not cramped.

‘It’s a little bit individual.

‘We’ve put this beach hut for offers in the region of £300,000.

‘It was a joint decision between ourselves and the client in view of the popularity of the beach huts at Mudeford at the moment.

‘There seems to be more of a demand at the moment, one sold for £280,000 recently but that needed a lot doing to it.

‘The owner feels there’s a market for it and people have mentioned to him it should be going for about that number.

‘The family have owned it for about 10 to 12 years but their kids aren’t using it anymore and they’ve decided it’s time to move on.

‘It has prime views out front, it’s almost like having your own private beach right in front of you.

‘The popularity of these beach huts doesn’t seem to be waning at all.

‘More and more people are looking at stay-at-home holidays – you can get a good chunk of the year down there.

‘That’s what drives the popularity – the good old English summer holidays. It’s a different way of life there and kids love it.

‘And with this one you can drop anchor with your boat just outside that hut..’  

Last summer a beach hut went on the market for a record £280,000, then Hut 413 has now smashed that figure with £295,000, at a price which could buy a six-bedroom detached town house elsewhere in the country

Last summer a beach hut went on the market for a record £280,000, then Hut 413 has now smashed that figure with £295,000, at a price which could buy a six-bedroom detached town house elsewhere in the country

 Unlike many of the huts at Mudeford, Hut 413 does have running water in the kitchen, provided from a standpipe and heated by a gas hot water cylinder. But for shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to go to the nearby communal block

 Unlike many of the huts at Mudeford, Hut 413 does have running water in the kitchen, provided from a standpipe and heated by a gas hot water cylinder. But for shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to go to the nearby communal block

Hut 413 has a mezzanine floor that currently sleeps three people but could sleep four and the sofa pulls out into a double bed. There is also space for a dining table and four chairs

Hut 413 has a mezzanine floor that currently sleeps three people but could sleep four and the sofa pulls out into a double bed. There is also space for a dining table and four chairs

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof, the full-size domestic oven runs on Calor gas bottles and there is a solar-powered fridge freezer

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof, the full-size domestic oven runs on Calor gas bottles and there is a solar-powered fridge freezer

Britain's most expensive beach hut cabin is on the exclusive Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, which is home to the most costly beach huts in the country

Britain’s most expensive beach hut cabin is on the exclusive Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, which is home to the most costly beach huts in the country

The sandbank, which can only be accessed by a 20-minute walk, novelty land train or by ferry, has about 350 beach huts, some of which have been in the same family for decades.

Hut 413 has a mezzanine floor that currently sleeps three people but could sleep four and the sofa pulls out into a double bed. There is also space for a dining table and four chairs.

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof, the full-size domestic oven runs on Calor gas bottles and there is a solar-powered fridge freezer.

The record sum is largely down to the hut's stunning location on the desirable sandbank, set just yards from the water's edge

The record sum is largely down to the hut’s stunning location on the desirable sandbank, set just yards from the water’s edge

As well as the eye-watering purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £4,500 a year

As well as the eye-watering purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £4,500 a year

The beach hut has spectacular and uninterrupted views across Christchurch Bay towards the Isle of Wight and the Needles

The beach hut has spectacular and uninterrupted views across Christchurch Bay towards the Isle of Wight and the Needles

Owners rent the huts out for more than £1,000 a week in the summer with guests happy to pay the money to stay at the luxurious beach resort

Owners rent the huts out for more than £1,000 a week in the summer with guests happy to pay the money to stay at the luxurious beach resort

Hut 78, which has similar features, pushed the record sale up to £280,000 in July last year, but hut 413 has now surpassed the record with £295,000

Hut 78, which has similar features, pushed the record sale up to £280,000 in July last year, but hut 413 has now surpassed the record with £295,000

As well as the eye-watering purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £4,500 a year

As well as the eye-watering purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £4,500 a year

Hut 413 also has a hard-wearing solid oak floor, inner walls built from ash, solid wood worktops and double glazed windows. There is also a large sun deck looking out onto the beach.

The same money could buy a variety of properties across the country, ranging from small flats above a shop to luxurious town houses. 

In Exeter, Devon, £295,000 could buy a spacious three-bedroom detached house with a large garden, while in Maidstone, Kent, the same money would cover a well-kept three-bedroom terraced house. 

Further from London, a keen buyer in Durham, County Durham, could pick up a five-bedroom town house with balconies for the same asking price, while a six-person family could move into a similar property in Carlisle, Cumbria. 

In Colliers Wood, London, however, the same money would only take the buyer as far as a one-bed maisonette above a shop on the High Street.  

The huts rarely come on the market and generally sell very quickly. Owners can only sleep in the huts from March to October but can visit any time of year

The huts rarely come on the market and generally sell very quickly. Owners can only sleep in the huts from March to October but can visit any time of year

A partner at the estate agents said the beach huts at Mudeford Spit were unusual because owners could sleep in them 

A partner at the estate agents said the beach huts at Mudeford Spit were unusual because owners could sleep in them 

The sandbank, which can only be accessed by a 20-minute walk, novelty land train or by ferry, has about 350 beach huts, some of which have been in the same family for decades

The sandbank, which can only be accessed by a 20-minute walk, novelty land train or by ferry, has about 350 beach huts, some of which have been in the same family for decades

The same money that bought the beach hut could buy a variety of properties across the country, ranging from small flats above a shop in London to luxurious town houses in the North

The same money that bought the beach hut could buy a variety of properties across the country, ranging from small flats above a shop in London to luxurious town houses in the North

And even a parking space in central London, near Hyde Park, would cost just £5,000 more than the beach hut with its luxury location. 

The record for the most expensive beach hut was beaten twice in 2017, both times at the popular Mudeford location. 

A hut went for £275,000 last March, while another sale in July, this time for Hut 78 which also has no running water, pushed the record up to £280,000.  

Owners rent the huts out for more than £1,000 a week in the summer with guests happy to pay the money to stay at the luxurious beach resort.  

Miles Tarpey, partner at Slades Estate Agents, said: ‘These huts are incredibly popular and tend not to stay on the market for very long.

‘The beach huts are unusual in that you can sleep in them overnight. Ultimately this is what makes the price higher.

‘There are other parts of the country where you can get beach huts with sleeping facilities, but with the brilliant views of the Isle of Wight and of the harbour, the location stands out as a real beauty spot.

‘This one was popular because it fronted onto the beach and there are some locations people look for. 

‘If you are looking to buy a holiday retreat in bricks and mortar to sleep four or five people you are looking at a lot more money than the cost of the beach hut. With these huts you have such an amazing location and the prices are probably going to continue to rise.’ 



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