ESTATE agents estimate that a downstairs family bathroom takes some £13,500, or six per cent, off the value of the average property in the UK.

Research has found that some 23 million people would not consider buying a property if the main bathroom was downstairs.

Londoners are most likely to be deterred by a downstairs bathroom, taking £27,000 off the value, while those in Scotland are least likely to have an issue with it, according to the study from Direct Line Home Insurance.

British people prefer an upstairs bathroom, with 44 per cent saying that a downstairs bathroom would put them off buying a property.

Furthermore, downstairs bathrooms have reportedly directly contributed to the loss of millions of property sales, with 7.4 million people deciding against buying a property in the past because the bathroom was located downstairs.

The lack of desirability of downstairs bathrooms and the apparent negative impact on property prices, may also be contributing to the increase in home owners choosing to move them upstairs, with 45 per cent of estate agents reporting there are fewer properties with downstairs bathrooms listed now compared to five years ago.

Some 25 per cent of estate agents are advising home owners that if a property has a downstairs bathroom they should consider relocating this upstairs prior to listing. Although this would be dependent on the cost of moving a bathroom versus the potential value, it would add value to a property at the point of sale.