A £2,650-a-month flat in Walthamstow, east London, has been condemned as a 'death trap' after images showed a bed seemingly dangling over a hole in the floor. The 'three-bedroom' property, listed by OpenRent, featured a bed located in a hatch in the kitchen ceiling, accessible only by a ladder.
Pictures of the flat went viral on TikTok, where viewers expressed horror and anger. The bed appears to hover over the open hatch, with a ceiling so low that most tenants would not be able to stand up. The room appears to fit only the bed and a couple of lamps.
The TikToker who shared the images said: 'Number one, you can't stand up. But number two, you actually have to get a ladder from the kitchen to go upstairs. When you get to the top of the ladder, this is what you're greeted with. You can actually see the hatch at the bottom of the bed. Imagine falling through there?'
When contacted, the landlord claimed there was 'an error in the ad' and that it had been 'corrected' with an image of a third bedroom added. However, this 'third bedroom' only appeared to contain a single bed. The images of the bed over the loft remained in the listing before being removed, and the entire listing was subsequently taken down.
Online commenters speculated over the safety of the setup, with one branding it 'diabolical'. Another wrote: '£2,650 it's got to be a joke.' A fifth added: 'Death trap.' OpenRent declined to comment but directed inquiries to their website.
