Fashion Director Denies Deceiving Barrister Over £5.5M Notting Hill Home Dispute
Former Harvey Nichols fashion director Paula Reed has firmly denied allegations of "deceiving" the prominent barrister who purchased her £5.5 million Notting Hill home. The 64-year-old fashion consultant is facing a High Court lawsuit from top barrister Tom Grayson Ford and his wife Jessica, who claim the trendy London terraced property was secretly "plagued by mice and flooding" that were not disclosed before the sale.
Allegations of Concealed Property Faults
The Grayson Fords allege that the six-storey Westbourne Grove home, which had been renovated decades earlier by Reed's ex-husband, architect Alfred Munkenbeck, contained numerous faults they were not warned about. The couple claims that soon after moving into the seven-bedroom property near Portobello Market, they discovered significant issues including basement flooding following heavy rain, a mouse infestation with "alive and dead" rodents, numerous droppings throughout the kitchen and ground floor, and a leaky kitchen roof.
They argue that during the sale, they were promised the property was "well-renovated" and in "move-in" condition. The couple maintains that the problems they encountered must have existed previously and that Reed must have known about them, accusing her of deliberately or "recklessly" failing to reveal the issues. They are seeking either the right to return the property or claim over £1 million in damages.
Defence Arguments and Counter-Claims
In her defence, Reed has categorically denied any knowledge of the alleged problems. Her barrister Faisel Sadiq told London's High Court that during Reed's residence at the property, "there was no flooding at the property, and it did not suffer from any infestation of vermin." He further stated that after 2020, when the house was rented out, no complaints or reports of flooding or vermin were received from tenants.
Regarding the basement flooding claims, Sadiq explained that the room in question was actually a "pump room" for a former swimming pool in the garden, now converted to a pond. He described it as "not tanked and was, when constructed, not intended for habitation," noting it was "always damp" with the level increasing significantly following rainfall. On "a few occasions, following very heavy rainfall, a few small patches of water could be found on the floor."
Reed had used the room as a storeroom and placed "damp absorbers" on the floor to manage the moisture. Her defence maintains these were visible when Grayson Ford and his building surveyor viewed the property before purchase, denying any attempt at concealment.
Kitchen Roof Dispute and Property History
Addressing the alleged kitchen roof leak, Reed's defence noted that the roof extension originally featured soil, ferns, and ivy that she had placed there in the late 1990s/early 2000s. The roof was designed by Munkenbeck to be impermeable and support vegetation. Recent photographs showed the soil and vegetation had been entirely removed, and Reed's defence questioned whether proper precautions were taken during this removal that might have caused damage.
The Grayson Fords claim they discovered flooding on January 5, 2025, after returning from a New Year's break, with evidence suggesting it had "plainly occurred previously." They pointed to "a significant number of rodent traps - both spring and poison - left in the property" as proof of the mouse infestation, along with gaps and crevices allowing rodent entry.
Legal Proceedings and Property Background
The case was heard last week for a pre-trial hearing before High Court judge Master Katherine McQuail, who directed that an expert building surveyor should investigate the property to determine "what state the property was in on the date of completion and was there evidence of flooding." Unless settled out of court, the case will return for trial at a later date.
Reed, a well-known fashion writer and consultant who has appeared on television shows including Project Catwalk and 10 Years Younger, sold the Westbourne Grove property in December 2024. She has since moved to Morwenstow in Cornwall, where she is renovating a £1.2 million listed vicarage, which she wrote about in a column for Good Housekeeping magazine.
The Notting Hill area has been home to numerous celebrities over the years, including Damon Albarn, Stella McCartney, Robbie Williams, Sir Elton John, David Cameron, Lindsay Lohan, and Harry Styles. The property dispute highlights the complex issues that can arise in high-value London real estate transactions, particularly involving historic properties with unique architectural features.
