5 Ashby Court, Hemel Hempstead, HP2 7QL

5 Ashby Court is a one-bedroom semi-detached house in Hemel Hempstead (HP2 7QL). It has a recorded floor area of 40 m² (around 431 sq ft), construction records dating it to 1967-1975 and council tax band B. The latest certificate (September 2025) shows an F (score 31), near the bottom of the EPC scale. The rating has held steady at F across 2 certificates since August 2015. Between certificates, roof efficiency went from Very Poor to Poor and lighting went from Very Poor to Good; while window efficiency dropped from Average to Very Poor and hot-water efficiency dropped from Poor to Very Poor. The recommended improvements would lift it to C (score 75), a 3-band jump. Main heating runs on to be used only when there is no heating/hot. At 40 m² this is the 4th smallest of 35 units on EPC record in the building, where floor areas span 38–72 m². The building's EPC ratings span F to C, with this unit at the bottom. On EPC score it ranks last in the building (31 versus a best of 69). Our model identifies extension potential, subject to local planning policy.

It hasn't traded since January 2007, a hold of 20 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 40 m² it's 20% smaller than the typical home in the postcode (50 m² median across 34 EPCs). On energy efficiency it sits in the bottom 10% of properties in this postcode — significant headroom for improvement. 1 bedrooms is on the smaller side for this postcode, where 3 is the typical count. Across 2001–2007, sale prices on this property compounded at 12.1% per year. Today's modelled estimate of £159,000 sits 51.4% above the 2007 sale of £105,000. On a £-per-square-foot basis, the last sale (£244/sq ft) was about 25% above the typical sold price in the postcode.