Forest House, Flat 4, Catherine Road, Benfleet, SS7 1AR

Forest House is a two-bedroom semi-detached house in Benfleet (SS7 1AR). It has a recorded floor area of 54 m² (around 581 sq ft), construction records dating it to 1950-1966 and council tax band B. The latest certificate (February 2026) shows a D (score 63), on the cusp of jumping into the C band. When first surveyed in February 2025 the rating was F, the property has climbed 2 bands since. Between certificates, wall efficiency went from Poor to Good and main heating went from Very Poor to Average; while window efficiency dropped from Good to Average. Main heating runs on electricity. This certificate was lodged in the last six months, so the rating reflects current condition. At 54 m² this is the 2nd smallest of 4 units on EPC record in Forest House, where floor areas span 49–70 m². The building's EPC ratings span D to C, with this unit at the bottom. On EPC score it ranks last in the building (63 versus a best of 72).

Held since July 1998 — that's 28 years off the open market, well above the local norm. Only one transfer is on record with HM Land Registry, suggesting it has stayed in the same hands for a long time. Today's modelled estimate of £183,000 sits 490.3% above the 1998 sale of £31,000. On a £-per-square-foot basis, the last sale (£53/sq ft) was about 75.6% below the postcode norm. At 54 m² it sits well below the postcode median (111 m² across 10 EPCs), making it one of the more compact homes locally.