The former owners of a 126‑sq‑m, four‑bedroom house on Foxcote in St Leonards‑on‑Sea are putting it up for auction on October 29, after a February 2024 landslip collapsed the garden more than 15 metres down the slope. Domain reported that the house was bought for £465,000 in December 2020 and that the collapse had taken the backyard, which once housed a swimming pool, to a depth that left the terrain unstable.
The brick building itself shows no structural damage, but a no‑occupation order still bars residents, and work to stabilise the slope has just begun. Domain said the order will remain in force until the land is proven safe by a licensed geotechnical survey.
BTG Eddisons has set a £1 guide price with no reserve, meaning the property could sell for any amount above that, but buyers must still pay for repairs and future maintenance. The auction is open to all, but prospective bidders are urged to conduct their own due diligence.
Potential buyers face uncertain costs: lifting the occupation order, re‑grading the slope, and restoring the pool area could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to the council’s risk assessment. The property’s future value hinges on a successful restoration, but the initial £1 price is merely a starting point.
Local council officials say insurers have declined to cover the risk, so the house remains a high‑risk investment for those willing to gamble on restoration. The council will monitor compliance with the no‑occupation order until the land stabilises.