The vacant luxury property of Ding Yumei, the ex-wife of China Evergrande founder Hui Ka-yan, in London, has been occupied by a homeless man for three years, The Guardian reported, as the company’s debt crisis remains unresolved.
Hui, together with property tycoon Cheung Chung-kiu, purchased it through the offshore company Vision Perfect Global for a record-breaking £210 million (HK$2.1 billion), setting a record-high price ever paid for a single-family home in the UK.
Evergrande went bankrupt and became insolvent in 2024. Hui pleaded guilty this April to multiple charges, including fraud and misappropriation of funds. The London mansion was then frozen by judicial authorities. The property is registered under the name of Hui’s ex-wife Ding, a Canadian citizen, thus Evergrande's liquidators are unable to seize the property, nor can they directly sell or liquidate it.
The mansion, located in the prime Knightsbridge area of London, is seven stories high and boasts 45 rooms, four elevators, 116 bulletproof windows, and an indoor heated swimming pool.
The homeless journalist’s actions have not violated local laws.
The homeless man named Anders Fernstedt did not break into the house, but instead lived on the mansion's spacious porch, living with his dog and decorating it with flowers. He often sunbathes and reads in front of the porch, creating a stark contrast with the mansion's grandeur.
A former science journalist, Fernstedt had worked as a freelance fact-checker for The Economist. Yet a series of hapless events, including a spinal injury in a car accident and an assault, ultimately left him homeless.
While squatting in a residential property is a criminal offence in Britain, Fernstedt only occupied the porch and never entered the building or caused any damage. Since the original owner and liquidator did not use the property, the police could not evict him.
Furthermore, Britain’s Limitation Act stipulates that anyone who continuously occupies a vacant property for a certain number of years can apply for ownership under specific conditions.
