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Judith Wilson is the wife of Fergus Wilson. Between them, they run the largest property empire in the UK. The Wilsons have come under fire in the past for discriminatory letting policies. But Mrs Wilson is now the subject of a very costly court case.
Ashford Borough Council took her to court after tenants in one of her properties alleged that she had left them with no hot water upstairs for five months. She denied the allegations, but the judge found her guilty anyway. Mrs Wilson faces a large fine because one of the tenants is a disabled wheelchair user.
Landlord Accuses Tenants of Causing Problems
Mrs Wilson’s defence lawyer claimed that she had tried to gain access to the property to fix the problem with the water heater. The lawyer also claimed the tenants had caused damage to the water heater, which had led to a flood inside the property. However, the prosecution lawyer poured scorn on these claims and Judge Barron told Mrs Wilson she was facing a punitive fine.
“I find the reason the hot water wasn’t fixed was because Mr and Mrs Wilson did not address the problem,” he told the court.
Judge Ruled Mrs Wilson had No Reasonable Excuse
He added that evidence showed Mr Wilson had refused to cooperate with the council when an enforcement notice was served. As a result, he judged that Mrs Wilson had no reasonable excuse for not carrying out the work required to fix the problem.
The council is delighted that the judge has found in their favour.
“This successful prosecution against a high-profile landlord shows that we have teeth and we are not afraid to fight for the rights of tenants who live in our borough,” Councillor Gerald White tells the press.
He reminded tenants that they can always speak to their local housing department if they are having trouble with their landlord.
