Picture this: you’re on a holiday, thoroughly enjoying yourself, only to return and find that your home of nearly three decades has been sold unbeknownst to you.
This may sound far-fetched, but it’s the reality for Reverend Mike Hall, whose trip to North Wales didn’t have a happy ending.
Reverend Hall, who has been a resident of Luton, about an hour from London, since 1990, discovered in August 2021 that his house had been sold without his consent.
The property was sold for $170,180, quite a bargain for a home so near to London, irrespective of its condition. Given that it was happily occupied by the reverend, it likely wasn’t in bad shape.
While taking a break in the beautiful landscapes of Wales, Hall received a call from a neighbor informing him that lights were on at his house and, unfortunately, someone was inside.
Understandably, Hall hastened back to his residence, only to find the new ‘owner’ conducting renovations—after the house had been sold without his approval.
In an interview with the BBC, Hall recounted: “I tried my key in the front door, it didn’t work and a man opened the front door to me – and the shock of seeing the house completely stripped of furniture, everything was out of the property.”
One might initially think that a family member owned the house, perhaps his parents, and that his siblings decided to sell it while he was on holiday. However, this assumption couldn’t be further from reality.
Homeowners and aspiring buyers, brace yourselves for a new worry.
The property sale was orchestrated by a con artist, with phone recordings as proof. The fraudster successfully convinced solicitors that they were the legitimate homeowner and sought a quick sale.
What’s next for Hall? Was he left homeless, or were the new buyers the real victims?
After a drawn-out legal struggle, Hall was finally reinstated as the property owner in official records, and the buyer received compensation.
Yet, his ordeal didn’t end there. During the two-year legal proceedings, squatters had taken residence in his home, according to the BBC. Whether this situation has been resolved remains unclear.