For £1.3 million you could buy a four-bedroom detached house in Putney, a three-bedroom Victorian semi in De Beauvoir, or an impressive three-bed flat conversion in the heart of Belsize Park.
Or you could rent a house in Mayfair for one year.
To be fair, the property, currently to let for £25,000 per week, was built for royalty and is Grade II* listed, with a blue plaque to King William IV who lived there when he was Duke of Clarence.
Built in 1753 the then-Duke moved in to 22 Charles Street 70 years later and even hosted a seven-year-old Queen Victoria for a visit.
Astonishingly, despite the jaw-dropping price tag, the historic six-bedroom mansion is by no means the most expensive property to rent in London at the moment.
While the £108,333 per month rent (about the price of the average London first-time buyer deposit) might seem like ‘money down the drain’, Peter Wetherell, founder and chairman of Wetherell estate agents, says with stamp duty for foreigners buying such high value properties at 19 per cent, many ultra high net worth individuals might consider it money well spent.
Brits too, he says, might be drawn to it if they want to try out Mayfair for a couple of years before committing or simply like the idea of such elaborate upkeep being taken care of on their behalf.
The house is currently available for a two to three years tenancy, and Wetherell says it is “one of the finest townhouses in Mayfair”, not to mention a unique letting opportunity in the area.
King William IV ruled for seven years from 1830 until 1837, but he lived at 22 Charles Street a decade earlier while his brother was King. He was last of the Hanovers and the third son of “mad king” George III.
The six-bedroom house has many original features, as well as those added when the King (then Prince William) took it over, such as the cast-iron first floor balcony, marble fireplaces, ornate coving and ceiling mouldings.
Of course, describing homes like the 9,305 sq ft mansion as six-bedroom is slightly misleading.
It does not factor in the two drawing rooms, the dramatic double-height glass-roofed atrium, formal and informal dining rooms, the sculpture gallery, panelled library, the wine cellar or the gym – not to mention the passenger lift.
There is also an attached mews house, “which would have been for the horses, but [is] now for the limousines”, Wetherell says.
It contains a triple garage, kitchen, bedroom, shower room, sitting room and laundry room.
The house also offers a grand, glass-floored roof garden and a separate roof terrace on the top floor.
“This magnificent former Royal home at 22 Charles Street is one of the finest luxury lettings opportunities currently available on the rental market in Mayfair and the wider West End,” says Matthew Huybrechts, lettings director at Wetherell.
“Ideal for a large family or a business person wanting a grand London base ideal for entertaining.
“This impressive former Royal residence offers substantial luxurious accommodation including spacious reception rooms, a spectacular double-height atrium, a passenger lift from basement to third floor, and generous outside living space provided by the first floor balcony and two spacious roof terraces.”
