A couple, Iya Patarkatsishvili and her husband Yevhen Hunyak, purchased a London mansion for £32.5 million, only to discover it was infested with moths. After moving in, they found the pests in their personal items, which also ruined some of their clothing. The couple claimed that they had to kill numerous moths daily, impacting their quality of life.
Following legal proceedings, a judge ruled in their favour, stating that the previous owner, William Woodward-Fisher, had made fraudulent misrepresentations about the property, concealing the infestation. Before the sale, Woodward-Fisher falsely claimed there were no vermin issues or hidden defects.
The court found that Woodward-Fisher’s wife had been aware of the moth problem long before the sale, having contacted exterminators in 2018. However, the judge noted that it didn’t seem Woodward-Fisher intended to deceive the buyers; he was eager to sell the house.
As a result, Patarkatsishvili and Hunyak were granted a refund of most of their expenses, minus the time they resided there, along with substantial damages and compensation for costs related to removing the moths.