Bonkers for bunkers: how London's billionaires are prepping for an emergency disaster

So, you’ve been stocking up on cans and bottled water and watching old Ray Mears clips. Think you’re ready for any apocalypse coming your way? Bless. Have you got passports for multiple countries, a seaplane licence or an off-grid panic room in your basement?

As with any trend, London’s super-rich are managing to outdo us mere normies in both paranoia and actual preparedness.

For starters, many of the capital’s ultra-high net worth residents have been lightly prepping for decades. “I had one eccentric client who had a nuclear shelter built under any property he bought, fully equipped with food, water, filtered air and so on,” says luxury estate agent Trevor Abrahmsohn of Glentree Estates. “A number of mansions and super-mansions have basements and sub basements lying 30-40 feet underground. These might ostensibly be used as a cinema, a gym — I even have a client who has a subterranean ballroom — but they are also going to be much safer in the unlikely event of a nuclear attack, for example.”

Many of those who work with ultra-high net worth individuals report that luxury prepping is on the rise and becoming turbocharged. Supersized pantries — as large as a small room, with storage for dry and tinned goods — are in demand. “We’re building floor-to-ceiling joinery with deep pull-out drawers for the heavy things, a second fridge or freezer tucked behind matching doors, and shelving that makes it easy to keep track of what’s there,” says Greg Dauly, senior designer at bespoke kitchen and joinery studio Cor Domi.

Safe rooms are becoming more mainstream

Safe rooms have always been a popular feature of some of London’s finest addresses, but they are becoming more mainstream. Paul Weldon from The Panic Room Company says he has been inundated by enquiries for secure rooms and bunkers since events such as the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and no longer just by the super-rich. Whereas people’s main motivation for getting these rooms installed was previously to prevent kidnap, nowadays there are multiple dangers prompting even those with a few million pounds to invest.

Panic rooms are increasingly being equipped for longer stays with air filtration, independent power and water, medical supplies, safes full of cash, tinned and dried food, and communications that don’t rely on smart tech, according to buying agent Sara Ransom.

Wealthy homeowners are also taking steps to protect their homes from environmental disasters, whether flood-proofing with sump pumps and storm shutters or getting tree surveys after our long, hot summer and ahead of a stormy winter.

Meanwhile, should they need to “bug out” in prepper parlance, you can forget the Cotswolds. Today’s security-conscious second home buyers are looking for something far less sceney.

“High-end London buyers are buying remote properties as second homes and equipping them in such a way that they can be used as self-sufficient escapes in the face of future disasters,” says James Greenwood of Stacks Property Search.

“We represented a buyer who wanted a remote property surrounded by its own land. They were anxious to keep the location very low profile. They bought a farmhouse with 17 acres, they sunk a bore hole, installed solar panels and a generator, and turned the cellar into a shelter equipped with LED lighting, a store of water, dried and tinned food, and an array of batteries. The land is used for extensive vegetable growing and a small flock of sheep — all of which is managed in their absence.”

“The ultimate luxury is having a home that doesn’t need to rely on anyone else”

Self-sufficiency rather than apocalyptic thinking can often be the draw when installing renewable energy, says Adam Arya, co-founder of design studio Arya Douge. “These are people who are accustomed to a certain level of comfort and convenience, and increasingly that extends to the infrastructure behind their homes. Being able to generate your own electricity, reduce your dependence on the grid and ensure your home can continue to function during a disruption is an attractive proposition. The ultimate luxury is having a home that doesn’t need to rely on anyone else.”

Jess Simpson, a super-prime buying agent, reports that one of her clients is learning how to fly a seaplane in case he needs to leave the country urgently, although planning your escape can be more prosaic. Ed Lucas, a buying adviser at Property Vision, says one London client was looking for a home anywhere in the capital as long as it was within a full petrol tank of their country property so they could leave town without stopping for fuel. “Ten years ago, nobody would have asked us that,” he says.

Those who can afford it are also looking at ways to maximise their passport and citizenship options, “so they have a back-up plan in place if there’s a war, a major climate event or tax changes that would prompt them to relocate”, says Jo Eccles, managing director of prime central London buying agent Eccord. “One entrepreneur client whose mother is from New Zealand has just gone through the process of applying for New Zealand passports for her husband and two children, which took about 30 hours of admin, in case they need to relocate at short notice.”