A couple who purchased a £32 million mansion in Notting Hill have been granted a refund after discovering the property was infested with moths. Iya Patarkatsishvili, daughter of a Georgian billionaire, and her husband Dr Yevhen Hunyak bought the seven-bedroom Victorian home in May 2019, complete with a pool, spa, gym, wine room, library, cinema, and a 'snoring room'.
Shortly after moving into Horbury Villa, the couple noticed signs of an infestation that destroyed clothing and ruined their wine. They sued the seller, property developer William Woodward-Fisher, seeking to reverse the sale. At the height of the infestation, Dr Hunyak reported swatting around 100 moths daily, with insects landing on children's toothbrushes, cutlery, and meals, forcing him to discard glasses of wine containing floating moths.
High Court judge Mr Justice Fancourt ruled on Monday that Woodward-Fisher had given 'false' answers about the property's condition and failed to 'honestly disclose' the 'serious infestation'. Although the judge acknowledged the developer had not deliberately deceived the buyers, he noted Woodward-Fisher 'simply wanted to sell the house and move on' and knew disclosure would jeopardise the sale.
The court ordered the sale to be rescinded, with Woodward-Fisher required to reimburse the purchase price minus approximately £6 million for the couple's use of the property. He was also ordered to pay an additional £4 million in damages, including £15,000 for ruined clothes and £3.7 million in stamp duty. Chris Webber, the couple's solicitor, stated: 'The couple hope the case will serve as a warning to unscrupulous property developers who might seek to take advantage of buyer beware to sell properties by concealing known defects.'
