Is this Britain's cheapest flat? One-bedroom apartment costs less than a car - but comes complete with its own parking space 

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A £15,000 one-bedroom flat in Preston is thought to be one of the cheapest homes available to buy in the UK and it even comes with its own parking space.

This second-floor, one-bedroom apartment in Lancashire costs just £15,000 - making it a tenth of the price of the average home in the UK and £5,000 cheaper than the average wedding.

It is one of just four properties across the country which are currently on the market and which cost the same amount as a one-off luxury trip to the Maldives.

The one-bed flat, which comes with its own parking space, is in a block of 40 and has shared outdoor space.

And while the decor might not be to everyone's taste it has been described as the perfect first home to do up to the new owner's satisfaction.

The second-floor apartment in Preston £15,000 property would be a steal for those struggling to get on the housing market in Lancashire

Unusual: While the apartment's decor might not be to everyone's taste it has been described as the perfect first home to 'do up'

Another is in the village of Hawick, a town on the Scottish borders and another one located in a traditional two-storey villa in Dunoon.There is also a third floor flat based in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria.

At £2,000 less than the cost of a brand-new Mini, the value of these homes is half that of the average deposit in the UK, which now stands at more than £31,000.

Online estate agents HouseSimple.com carried out a survey to find the cheapest homes in the UK as the average UK house price is now just under £300,000.

Alex Gosling, from HouseSimple.com, said: 'They may not be much to look at, and they may need a little TLC, but it does seem crazy in this day and age, when the average UK house price is so high, that you can still buy a property for a tenth of that price.'

He added starting off in the cheapest property the UK has to offer may not be a bad idea as you could make money on these properties by doing them up.

He said: 'Even if you decide these properties are not to your taste, £20,000 could be a very nice deposit towards your dream property.' 

Loud: The bathroom featureesa striking orange floral tile patterns - and even comes with a handy cove to store your cleaning products

Floral: The second-floor property in Preston, Lancashire, is on the market for just £15,000 - which is £5,000 less than the average wedding

Surprisingly spacious: The one-bed flat in Preston, which comes with a parking space, is in a block of 40 and has shared outdoor space

In December it was revealed there are now only two areas of London where you can buy an average home for less than £300,000.

Househunters can still grab cheap property in Barking and Dagenham and Bexley but the dream of owning a house is fast disappearing for the majority of people in the capital.

To get on the property ladder in the cheapest boroughs buyers are likely to need at least a £45,000 deposit for a house worth almost eight times the average London salary of around £35,000-a-year.

Kensington and Chelsea in West London has been named Britain's most expensive place to live.

Just one square metre of property in the Royal borough now costs on average £12,000, according to a report.

This is nearly six times the national average of £2,033, and some £2,000 ahead of the area in second place, Westminster.

With an average price of £11,635, Kensington and Chelsea tops a list compiled by Halifax of Britain's most expensive place for property on a square metre basis.

Might need an update: This compact home costs half of the average deposit in the UK, which now stands at more than £31,000

Worth it: The £15,000 apartment costs just a a tenth of the average UK house price, which is now just under £300,000

One square metre of a property in Kensington and Chelsea costs nearly six times the national average of £2,033.

All of the top 10 most expensive areas were in London, with Camden, Hammersmith and Fulham, Islington, Wandsworth and Hackney also on the list.

Outside southern England, Altrincham in Cheshire is the most expensive town, with properties costing around £2,446 per square metre.

Solihull, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Harrogate and York were also among the most expensive towns for property outside London on a square metre basis.

Home buyers looking to buy more space with their cash might want to consider Aberdare or Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales, Wishaw or Airdrie in Scotland, or head for Accrington or Blackpool in Lancashire, the research suggests.

Last year two crumbling terrace houses in the same street went on the market at a combined guide price of £12,000 for both.

One of the houses went up for sale at a guide price of £7,000 - and was soon followed by a second just a few doors down in the mining village of Tonypandy in the South Wales Valleys, which went for £2,000 less.

The properties on Oak Street - one of Britain's cheapest streets - both had three bedrooms, an entrance hall, lounge and a dining room.