London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 03, 2025

Estate agent wins legal fight with interior designer over £10m sale

Estate agent wins legal fight with interior designer over £10m sale

A luxury interior designer has been left with a £520,000 court bill after losing a court battle over the sale of her £10.3million Regent’s Park mansion.

Tiggy Butler took high-end estate agency Rokstone to court over the sale of her home in Chester Terrace to a Saudi Arabian tycoon in February 2021.

She claimed to have been left £1.75million out of pocket in the deal for the Corinthian-style 18th century house, which overlooks Regent’s Park in central London and is located in one of the capital’s most coveted locations.

But Rokstone, led by "super-prime" property expert Becky Fatemi, defended itself against her claims and insisted Ms Butler has failed to hand over £318,000 in commission.

At the Central London county court on Wednesday, Judge Alan Johns dismissed Ms Butler’s case and ordered her to hand over the unpaid commission together with £210,000 up front towards the estate agent’s legal bills.

Google Streetview


The judge rejected suggestions Rokstone could be held responsible for the difference between the original and final sale price, and dismissed a claim of negligence over alleged missed sale opportunities including contact with a wealthy vendor Ms Butler claimed would have bought her property.

“Ms Butler says that if Rokstone had not failed in these respects she would have achieved a better sale price”, said the judge.

There was no “failure to exercise reasonable skill and care”, he found.

Judge Johns found that Rokstone did fail to pass on an £11million offer promptly to Ms Butler in January 2020, but noted that the deal was discussed with her soon afterwards and “was not acceptable to her”.

This meant that “no loss” was caused by the estate agents’ actions, the court heard.

The original asking price for Ms Butler’s town house was fixed at £14.5million in 2016, but dropped down after other agents failed to sell the property for several years.

Ms Butler, who specialises in restoring historic homes, bought the house in 2014 and spent two years and tens of thousands of pounds restoring it to its former grandeur before putting it on the market in 2016 for £14.5million.

Ms Fatemi’s agency was instructed in 2019 after the house failed to sell for three years, despite the efforts of several other agents.

Daniel Petrides, for Rokstone Ltd, told the judge that the house still remained unsold in October 2020, by which time Ms Butler was in “dire financial straits” and facing the imminent prospect of the house being repossessed.

After being informed of the situation, Ms Fatemi’s agency dropped the asking price to £11.6million and by February 2021 had sold the house and its contents for £10.3million to tycoons from Saudi Arabia.

But Ms Butler subsequently refused to pay the agency the £318,452.01 in commission.

Reacting to the ruling, lawyers for Rokstone called it a “complete vindication” and said Ms Butler is also now liable for “full costs” of the legal battle.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
×