£15,000 for dud car parking lot

A couple have been awarded £15,000 after being sold a dud car parking space behind their Edinburgh flat.

Robert and Anne Holms cannot fit their Mercedes Estate into the space when their neighbour Fenella Mason is using her space. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard at a civil hearing that the couple bought the car slot in Manor Place for £15,000 from developer Ashford Estates. They later found the space was blocked by Ms Mason's parking lot. The obstructing space had not been detailed on a plan shown to the Holms before they bought their flat and had been covered by building materials and a portacabin each time they viewed it. When they complained to the developers, they were advised to replace their Mercedes with a Smart Car, Mr Holms told Sheriff Gordon Liddle. Ashford director Esmond Smith, Ms Mason's partner, said he could not remember making the suggestion. Sheriff Liddle accepted the evidence given by the couple and ordered Ashford Estates to pay them £15,000. The court was told that the developers bought the building from Standard Life in 1998 and renovated the office space into five flats. The parking space is behind the couple's £160,000 basement flat.

Source: BBC News