The OWO Residences by Raffles

A leasehold flat in the residential building at The OWO, held on a lease that expires on 12 February 2268, so roughly 241 years are unexpired. Ground rent is a peppercorn, which means nothing is collected. What transfers is the leasehold title to that flat, registered at HM Land Registry in your name, with the rights the lease grants over the residents' amenities and the shared parts. It can be sold on, mortgaged, let or left in an estate, subject to the lease terms. Savills sells for the developer on the residences still unsold.

There is no allocated time and no usage calendar. A residence is a private home and an owner may use it for the whole year. Priority booking at the hotel's restaurants, spa and bars comes with the residence, subject to availability. Owners do let on the open market through agents, subject to the lease terms and to any consent the lease requires. Short letting in London is limited: beyond 90 nights in a calendar year it becomes a material change of use needing planning permission from Westminster City Council. Heating and cooling run on a communal system for which separate charges apply.

The service charge is quoted at approximately £19.73 per sq ft a year, assessed on the area of the residence, so a larger flat pays proportionately more. Savills gives the figure as approximate and does not state the VAT treatment, so the current charge and whether VAT applies are confirmed for the specific residence before you commit. Ground rent is a peppercorn. Heating and cooling are billed separately through the communal system. Council tax is payable to Westminster City Council, band G on a one-bedroom and band H on a two-bedroom residence here.

Raffles runs the residential service and the residents' amenities. 30,000 sq ft sits behind the residents' own lobby and is reserved for owners and their guests. Access to the hotel's Guerlain Spa and its 20-metre pool is on a membership basis across 4 tiers, and the joining fee and annual rate are held at the Raffles desk rather than published. Savills says the full schedule of inclusive and a la carte residential services is released on request. The list below is drawn from the operator's and the selling agents' own published schedules.

The Old War Office opened in 1906 for the British Army, Edwardian Baroque in Portland stone, designed from 1898 by William Young and completed by his son Clyde Young with Sir John Taylor after Young's death, with 1,100 rooms, 7 floors and 2.5 miles of corridors. Historic England lists it Grade II*, entry 1224143, first listed on 5 February 1970. The Hinduja Group took the keys in 2016 and restored it with its joint venture partner Onex Holding over 8 years, EPR Architects leading the work. The 85 residences sit in their own building across the courtyard from the hotel.

The 85 residences were laid out from studios to 5 bedrooms and include lateral flats, duplexes, penthouses and 2 turret residences raised into the building's corner cupolas. Interiors are by 1508 London, with ceiling heights of 3 to 4.5 metres, Smallbone of Devizes kitchens, Perla Venata stone worktops and Gaggenau appliances. 6 show residences were fitted by separate studios, among them Sims Hilditch, Accouter Design, Lucarna, RJP and HBA, from a 1,156 sq ft one-bedroom on the fourth floor to a 3,324 sq ft four-bedroom on the third.

The building faces Horse Guards across Whitehall, with Downing Street to the south and Trafalgar Square at the north end of the street. St James's Park begins beyond the trees and Buckingham Palace stands at the far end of the Mall. Charing Cross is the nearest mainline station and the letting agent counts 5 Underground stations within about half a mile. The developer gives driving times of 20 minutes to the London Heliport, 30 to London City, 40 to Heathrow, 60 to Farnborough and Gatwick and 70 to Biggin Hill.

There is no restriction on a foreign buyer owning a leasehold flat in England. On the residences Savills still sells for the developer, a reservation fee takes one off the market: £10,000 below £5m, £20,000 from £5m to £15m, £50,000 from £15m to £50m. Payment is 10% on exchange and the balance of 90% on completion. Stamp duty land tax is the main transfer cost, charged at 12% on the slice above £1.5m, with 5% added where the purchase means owning more than one dwelling and a further 2% where the buyer is not UK resident. Take UK tax advice before contract. Avory does not give tax advice.

Avory deals with Savills New Homes at 33 Margaret Street, who sell for the developer, with the resale agents holding private instructions, and with owners directly. After you enquire we send the residence, its floor and area, the lease expiry, the service charge rate and the reservation fee in writing before anything is signed. The full schedule of inclusive and a la carte Raffles services is released by the developer on request and is not published. Owner stays are arranged with owners, subject to availability. Request access.