Famous landlord to pay £166,000 legal costs after losing court claim

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Multi-millionaire landlord Judith Wilson (main picture, inset) has been hit with a £166,000 court bill after losing a legal battle against Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

Wilson, wife of the controversial Fergus, who was once dubbed ‘Britain’s worst landlord’ by the national press, claimed her Victorian property in Wateringbury village, Kent, became an eyesore after the authority carried out safety repair works on an external wall, removing large sections of brickwork.

She said workers re-inserted the original bricks “any old how”, resulting in an odd multi-coloured effect which sparked complaints from disgruntled village residents, reports The Daily Mail.

The property tycoon sued the council for £100,000 at Central London County Court.

Took control

The authority’s lawyer said it took control of the project to make it safe, denied all liability and had counter-sued to cover its costs. He told the court that Wilson had accepted the property was in a dangerous condition in 2019 while a risk assessment pinpointed the building as, “likely to collapse – and with the potential consequence of fatalities”.

District Judge Samuel Rippon threw out Wilson’s claim, saying the works had been necessary for safety reasons. He added: “She admitted that both she and her husband are control freaks who generally controlled every part of a project.”

The pair carved out a huge real estate empire and were once thought to have owned 300 homes before selling most of them off in recent years. Last June, Fergus Wilson was banned from selling off his houses in a bid to avoid paying a £250,000 legal bill. It came after he was banned for life from contacting Ashford Borough Council after a 10-year campaign of abuse against its staff. 

Read morea about the Wilsons.

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