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Banned! Outrageous landlord slapped with permanent injunction

Outspoken landlord Fergus Wilson, who has reportedly become a millionaire through his buy to let investments, has been hit with a permanent injunction by the High Court.

The case was brought by Ashford council in Kent, where Wilson has the bulk of his investment properties.

Wilson can now only contact staff or councillors through a named legal advisor.

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The earlier part of the case was heard in February, when - according to the Kent Online news website - the court heard that Wilson repeatedly told councillors to kill themselves. 

The council's representative presented to the court a file of 454 pieces of correspondence sent by Wilson to council officials in the space of just over four years, between February 2016 and July 2020.

Kent Online reports: “[The representative said] Mr Wilson's behaviour had made workers feel harassed and intimidated, with some receiving emails from him on a daily basis. Officers, employees and councillors felt bullied and distressed, being unable to respond properly to allegations, some of them being reduced to tears, he added.”

Now Daryl Allen QC has he had "no hesitation" in setting the permanent injunction.

"The defendant’s conduct repeatedly went far beyond merely irritating and annoying, it was deliberately offensive," he said.

“It included numerous unfounded allegations of professional misconduct and criminal conduct. It included multiple threats of criminal or other legal proceedings which were never pursued."

Wilson has for some years been a controversial figures, seemingly championing landlords against red tape but often being accused of racist comments, which he has denied.

Wilson and his wife Judith managed their own properties - all in and around Kent - until the year 2000, at which point they instructed agents.

In the late 2010s they said they started selling some of their buy to lets and in late 2018, during a court appearance over a dispute with a disabled tenant, Judith Wilson said she still had a portfolio of some 300 units around Maidstone.

In June of last year the business online publication Insider Media put the couple’s joint wealth at around £140m.

Three years ago Wilson have an interview to our sister publication Letting Agent Today - you can see that here.

Want to comment on this story? If so...if any post is considered to victimise, harass, degrade or intimidate an individual or group of individuals on any basis, then the post may be deleted and the individual immediately banned from posting in future.

  • George Dawes

    400 properties ? Good grief , what a load of hassle .

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    BUT! Its OK to abuse intimidate and threaten landlords even attacking them in their own homes and terrorising children

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    Unbelievable and twisted public sector workers. Whilst I dont agree with telling people to kill themselves, councils are the most irritating bunch of parasites to deal with. always passing things from pillar to post and never wanting to help the people that are in essence paying their bills and keeping them in jobs.

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    I always thought they were too strict too severe there has to be a bit of give and take, understand the Tenants situation. I believe they couldn’t take that on board being ex-school teachers bringing the discipline they had over pupils into lettings but Tenants are not their pupils.
    I think this is the kind of thing that happens when people from completely different walks of life becomes LL’s and expect the model has to be their way. We were grass roots LL’s and former Tenants so we lived and breathe it with a passion.
    Anyway Big Banks & Corporate Companies will be doing the same with hundreds of
    properties in they portfolio, the reason they want us out, did he not he a Company to hide behind.

  • girish mehta

    Councils and their staff want to drive him out of business knowing that he has most exposure in their borough. Collectively making life difficult for him. When he reacts then they prosecute him. Need an enquiry tint council conduct. They have too much power.need to curb their powers. If this trend of bullying continues against the landlords then landlords will leave the market.

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    I've worked for councils, a thankless job. Remember WE pay for this time wasting via our council tax. Someone has to read and deal with all those 454 pieces of correspondence from Fergus Wilson - and no doubt a lot of phone calls - when they could be helping other people. People like Fergus Wilson shout very loudly and people who shout loudest often get the most time spent on them, at the expense of the quieter ones who don't like to make a fuss.

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    Unfortunately Fergus has let himself get played by the ineptitude of council employees compared with his business way of ‘getting things done’
    This is what this business can drive us to sheer frustration from the interference from third parties who have an agenda

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    I don't think there is any excuse for being so rude and abusive as to warrant an injunction. This gives all landlords a bad name and makes officialdom have a bias against us before we even start. There is enough anti-landlord sentiment already without this kind of behaviour or other landlords defending it.

  • Algarve  Investor

    The very worst face of landlords - and other landlords shouldn't be afraid to call out people like Fergus Wilson to improve the sector's reputation as a whole. He's the modern-day Rachman.

    I get the need to be defensive of landlords, but I think in this case he is completely in the wrong and it's not exactly the first time he's landed himself in hot water.

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