Flat 7, 33 St Stephens Road, Cheltenham, GL51 3AB

Flat 7 is a one-bedroom semi-detached house in Cheltenham (GL51 3AB). It has a recorded floor area of 52 m² (around 562 sq ft), construction records dating it to before 1900 and council tax band B. At 52 m² this is the smallest unit on EPC record across the building (52–68 m²). The building's EPC ratings span E to C, with this unit at the bottom. On EPC score it ranks last in the building (52 versus a best of 70). The latest certificate (January 2011) shows an E (score 52), well below the UK norm with real room to improve. Earlier certificates rated it D (December 2008); the latest reading is one band lower. Between certificates, window efficiency went from Very Poor to Poor and lighting went from Very Poor to Average; while hot-water efficiency dropped from Very Good to Good and main heating dropped from Very Good to Good. The recommended improvements would push it to D (score 59). The latest certificate is from January 2011, so improvements made since then won't be reflected.

It hasn't traded since November 2007, a hold of 19 years that's notably long for the area. That sale landed at the peak of the pre-credit-crunch market, which is a useful reference point when interpreting the price. At 52 m² it's 22.7% smaller than the typical home in the postcode (68 m² median across 18 EPCs). On energy efficiency it sits in the bottom 10% of properties in this postcode — significant headroom for improvement. Across 1998–2007, sale prices on this property compounded at 9.1% per year. Today's modelled estimate of £186,000 is 37.8% above the 2007 sale price.