A first-time buyer was left 'speechless' after discovering a secret room that led to a hidden space, nearly doubling the size of her new home. Phoebe Irving, 26, was told by estate agents that a locked door on the corridor of her four-bedroom flat was 'just storage'. Ms Irving, from Liverpool, assumed the space was a cupboard. However, on the day she moved into the £105,000 property, she opened the door to find a huge area the size of three double bedrooms.
Almost doubling the size of the flat, Ms Irving, who works as a photographer, said she hopes to turn the area into a dressing room or cinema room. She noted that the flat, which has four bedrooms, was already a 'ridiculous' size for her alone. 'When I went for my first viewing, there was a room that was locked. The estate agent said it was just for storage. I asked if they could bring the keys for it to my next viewing, but they forgot. I assumed due to the price of the flat, it wouldn't be anything. On the day I moved in, I opened the door and there was a huge room inside it. I was so shocked, it was a lot bigger than a cupboard. It's basically like a whole other flat, I was so overwhelmed, as I now have double the amount of space, and I don't even have the budget to do up the rest of the flat, never mind this!'
Purchase and Renovation
Ms Irving purchased the property as a solo buyer in April 2026, after saving for two years using a Lifetime ISA. She paid £105,000 for the flat, securing it with a deposit of £10,000. Despite having a survey completed on the property, surveyors did not go into the locked room and it was not on the floor plan either. The discovery of the extra space has left Ms Irving in shock. 'It's not even a room, it's basically whole floor,' she said. Now, Ms Irving is renovating the space, including installing a new bathroom, with a budget of £5,000. 'It's been empty for a while, so it needs quite a lot doing to it,' she added.
