BBC Home Under The Hammer's Martel Maxwell details 'struggle' in 'uninhabitable' flat

Home Under The Hammer's Martel Maxwell shared some "struggles" when visiting an "uninhabitable" flat on Thursday's episode of the show. She and host Martin Roberts were at the helm of the BBC property show as they checked out a number of homes.

They visited a small flat in Edinburgh's Haymarket, a three-bedroom terrace in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and a grand detached house with an annexe and walled garden in Carlisle. All of the properties were sold at auction, as the show's presenters caught up with the buyers to find out what they planned to do with them.

The first property shown on the BBC show was an "uninhabitable" one-bedroom apartment, bought for £117,000 at auction by property developer Amir. The unloved home was clearly a work in progress.

While the building had unfinished decor and missing floorboards, it did have a brand-new boiler and some freshly plastered walls. Martel explained that it was in a busy area and "had a lot going for it".

She said: "As locations go, this one is pretty handy because we’re around half a mile from Haymarket station, a mile and a half from Waverley station, so within walking distance to both and you’ve got all the amenities of the West End pretty much on your doorstep."

However, the presenter went on to explain some of the "struggles" that come with an unfinished home. She reeled off some of the property's issues including missing elements in the bathroom, not much space for a kitchen and lack of floorboards.

Martel said: "Because you don't have a working bathroom or kitchen you may struggle to get a mortgage here and they may only be open to cash buyers. The plus side is it's a blank canvas and you could make it really nice."

However, the presenter went on to explain some of the "struggles" that come with an unfinished home. She reeled off some of the property's issues including missing elements in the bathroom, not much space for a kitchen and lack of floorboards.

Eight weeks later, Martel and the Homes Under The Hammer team returned to the run-down property to see if Amir had worked his magic. The whole flat had been completely made over, and it now appeared clean and welcoming.

Amir had added an open-plan kitchen, fully complete with accessories. He said: "It was very important to make the space very homey and bright and positive. I believe we have done that and showcased that."

An expert came to value the transformed property, as they said: "I believe this flat would achieve somewhere in the region of £165,000 to £170,000."