Landlord complains he can’t sell his house – because Adele said it’s haunted

Hello from the other side.

A $7.4 million country estate in West Sussex, England has been on the market for more than a decade, and the owner says it’s all thanks to a famous former resident: Adele.

The Grammy-winning singer lived in the luxury mansion for just six months in 2012, but her comments about the property being “haunted” are said to have torpedoed any chance of selling it.

The 10-bedroom Lock House – a converted monastery with indoor and outdoor pools, a tennis court and a helipad – he reckons should be an easy sell.

But owner Nicholas Sutton claims Adela’s comments have been a major setback.

In an interview with CBS in 2012, Adele described the historic property as “a bit cliche,” adding, “It’s all very scary, really.”

At the time, it was reported that she had also moved her bodyguard because the house “gives me the creeps”.

Sutton, who bought the Edwardian estate in 2003 and invested heavily in renovations, said the singer’s comments scared off potential buyers.

“Unfortunately, during an interview on CBS, Adele said she believed the house was haunted. This comment adversely affected future marketing efforts and continues to affect the reputation of the property to this day,” he said in a planning application submitted to Horsham District Council and obtained by The Guardian.

Despite high-profile marketing campaigns featuring professional photographs and listings with leading agents such as Savills, Sutton said she has yet to find a buyer.

The only offer it received, in August 2020, fell apart after the prospective buyer discovered Adele’s haunted house claims.

“The property has been extensively market tested for over a decade, yet it has consistently failed to attract buyers,” Sutton added.

The residence, which occupies approximately 20,000 square meters and is set on 32 acres of pristine land, retains a distinctive institutional look from its days as a monastery in the 1970s.

Sutton transformed the nunnery into a family kitchen and added a swimming pool, but he says maintenance and the property’s unique character have limited its appeal.

Attempts to rent the house have also been unsuccessful.

Sutton noted, “The first tenant, Adele, stayed for six months and destroyed the property saying it was haunted.”

Now, after 14 years of trying to sell the property, Sutton is shifting gears.

He is seeking permission from Horsham Borough Council to split the residence into three houses and convert the garage and flat into a cottage.

“This proposal provides the optimum practicable use of the Lock House, preserving its historic significance while providing much-needed accommodation,” he said in his planning application.

This isn’t the first time Sutton has tried to redevelop the property. A previous plan to create five flats was rejected by the council, but he remains hopeful this latest bid will be approved.