Pink Floyd’s Dave Gilmour.
Pink Floyd legend Dave Gilmour is desperately trying to sell a UK £10 million ($A19 million) mansion – but an admin error is blocking the sale.
The iconic guitarist and hit maker, 78, was shocked to discover that his six-bedroom property in Hove, East Sussex, is actually owned by the Crown, according to The Sun.
Gilmour, who has lived in the home with wife Polly Samson for years, is now reportedly suing the government, the Daily Mail reports.
MORE: Celebrity real estate ruins: Homes left to decay lead to multimillion-dollar losses
David Koch’s Miley Cyrus-inspired tip on how to save $8k on home loan
David Gilmour (left) is suing the government after his home was revealed to be property of the Crown.
Gilmour purchased the mansion in Hove in 2011. Picture: Google Maps
The star purchased the coastal Medina House in 2011 through his former firm Hoveco Ltd, which he directed.
In 2014, the company was dissolved, but due to an oversight — ownership was not transferred to the musician.
Under UK law, if assets of a business aren’t transferred before a company is dissolved, they automatically become ‘bono vacantia’ [vacant goods] and belong to the Crown instead.
Gilmour is now turning his attention to the High Court, where he reportedly plans to sue the Attorney-General.
“Imagine thinking you own a house for over a decade, particularly one worth £10-15 million, but then when you want to sell it, you discover you can’t because in fact technically legal ownership may have passed to the State,” Nick Brett, Partner at Brett Wilson LLP told MailOnline.
“It must have come as a huge shock when he found out.
“It’s an extraordinary situation that is also incredibly rare.”
The Gilmours put the home on the market in 2022 for £15 million but lowered it to £10 million. Picture: Pereds Independent Property Consultants
According to its listing on Pereds Independent Property Consultants, Medina House boasts a courtyard, four bathrooms, a gym, and a covered garden.
The seaside paradise sits close to Hove’s ‘Millionaire’s Row’, a plush area which has welcomed star-studded residents including Adele, David Walliams and Fatboy Slim.
The Gilmours put the home on the market in 2022 for £15 million ($A29 million) but subsequently lowered it to £10 million ($A19 million).
Gilmour and his wife previously spoke proudly about the way they transformed the property.
“It is a beauty, and sad for us that it took so long and was then completed during the pandemic,” Polly said of the house last year.
MORE: Rudy Giuliani accused of emptying $9.7m NY pad of valuables
Celia Sawyer wins to keep sunroom in $7.7 million home
“Our children were still children and living at home when we first bought – and thought we could save the building.
“Now they’ve flown, so Medina House never got the chance to become our family home. We have a one-bedroom flat [also in Hove], which is enough.
“Now there’s just the two of us.
“We’ve had so many memorable parties here. It’s amazing to run across the beach for a swim and then hop back to the house for a sauna.
“Sometimes we’d hop across the beach with our fishing rods, bring back the catch and then cook it on the fire in the winter garden.”
Parts of this story first appeared in The Sun and were republished with permission.
English (US) · 