Insect plague in new dream home: couple receives millions in compensation

By Jan Mies

London (England) - It's already difficult to find an apartment or house in a metropolis of millions like London . But if you're going to spend several million pounds, it should at least be free of vermin , right? A couple from London were in for a nasty surprise.

The flying insects quickly turned the dream of living in London into a nightmare for the couple.
The flying insects quickly turned the dream of living in London into a nightmare for the couple.  © Fotomontage: Andrea Warnecke/dpa-tmn/dpa, Andrew Matthews/PA Wire/dpa

Moths in the closet, in the wine glass and even on the toothbrushes: a couple in the UK experienced an unappetizing surprise after buying a multi-million pound property in west London - but are now getting a lot of money back.

A court ruled that the couple must be reimbursed a large part of the 32.5 million pounds (around 39 million euros) they invested due to the "severe moth infestation". The seller claimed not to have known about the moth infestation or other defects. The judge did not accept this argument.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs said that the couple had killed 100 moths a day during peak periods of infestation.

Around 6 million pounds (7.1 million euros) will be deducted from the refund for the years of use of the property.

The couple bought the seven-bedroom villa in May 2019.