Judith and Fergus Wilson – the couple believed to be Britain’s most successful buy-to-let landlords – have reportedly sold their portfolio of over 900 properties to a foreign consortium for an estimated £250 million.

The pair started investing over 30 years ago when house prices and interest rates were at an historic low. They made their fortune buying hundreds of houses across Kent and waited for values to rise. In 2009, the Sunday Times Rich List named them the 34th richest couple in Britain.

Describing his house buying as a ‘hobby that got out of control’, Mr Wilson said there’s no way he would have been able to build such a large portfolio today, partly due to the fact that lenders won’t give the amount of capital needed to finance such deals.

But their reign has not been without controversy; in 2014 Mr Wilson was convicted of attacking an estate agent and fined over £1,500, and they also made headlines when they evicted tenants claiming housing benefit from their homes.

Recent stamp duty changes, government changes to mortgage interest tax relief due to be phased in in 2017 and the fact that Mr Wilson, is ‘not getting any younger’ have lead the couple to sell up. At the time of going to press, Repolist was trying to secure an interview with Mrs Wilson to get further comment.

Image credit: Ashford Herald