Locals have dubbed a £500,000 home for sale as the ‘worst house in Britain’, comparing it to the Bibby Stockholm migrant barge.
The three-bed detached home has also been described as a ‘garage with a shipping container on top’.
The imposing property certainly stands out among rows of 1940s and 1950s terraced properties in Dagenham, east London.
Despite being described on the estate agent website as ‘beautifully presented’, local residents and those leaving online reviews have opposing views.
It is listed for sale on Rightmove at £500,000 – well above the average house price in the area of £360,000 to £385,000.
One stinging online commenter observed: ‘Who were the architects – Lidl? I’m surprised there’s not a load of trollies all locked together outside.’
Robin Hague, 45, lives in the next street and described it as ‘hideous’.
He even compared it to Bibby Stockholm, the large barge used by the Home Office to house migrants from 2023 until early 2025.
The Dagenham property (pictured) has been likened to the Bibby Stockholm barge – but is on sale for £500,000
An aerial view shows the slim design of the house and surrounding patio
Pictured: the allotment space before and after the construction, described by some as ‘a garage with a shipping container on top’
The painter and decorator said: ‘I wouldn’t even know where to start. It looks like the Bibby Stockholm. It’s dreadful.
‘It’s the worst house in Britain. Was the planner on drugs when he designed it? It just is totally out of place in this area. I thought it was going to be offices when it first went up. Then when I realised someone would be living in there I thought it was bizarre.
‘It’s like a school classroom from the 1980s on top of a garage. It just makes no sense.
‘I wouldn’t pay £50,000 to live there, never mind £500,000.’
Martin Reid, 55, described the home as a ‘breath of fresh air’.
He said: ‘At least it’s something different. I wouldn’t live there though.
‘It’s only when you properly look that you realise how different it is.’
Jenny Weston, 49, said it was ‘horrible’.
The property certainly stands out amidst the rows of 1940s and 50s terraced properties surrounding it
Pictured: the real Bibby Stockholm used by the previous Government to house migrants while they awaited asylum outcomes
Many Reddit users reacted with horror at the design
Another described it as ‘a garage with a shipping container on top’
The mum-of-four said: ‘It’s the strangest house I have ever seen. It’s so out of place.
‘I don’t know why it ever got planning permission. It’s ludicrous from the outside.
‘I wouldn’t pay anywhere near £500,000. The area is terrible as well. It’s so rough around here. I want to move out.’
Alex Summers, 32, said it was ‘grotesque’.
The shop assistant said: ‘You’d be better knocking it down and starting again. I think it’s dreadful.’
Student Aviel Murphy, 19, did stand out by saying he would ‘love’ to live there.
He said: ‘It’s very different. Everything else looks the same but that does stand right out. If I could afford it, I would live there.’
Another resident said: ‘I don’t mind if people want to break with tradition and do something different. But if they are then they should at least make it look decent.
‘That looks poor. It’s like a giant porter cabin, on top of a storage depot. I’d hate to live there.’
The owner of the property, who did not want to be named, defended the home and said it was ‘very spacious’ and ‘very different’.
He was shocked at online comments which thought otherwise.
One said: ‘This is not some sort of weird conversion, someone actually chose to build that.’
Another added: ‘That’s grim. Half a million to live in your own budget airport hotel.’
Others described it as a ‘lego house’ and another said it looked like a public toilet.
The home also comes with off-street parking and a garage.
