Another brick in the wall: lessons from David Gilmour’s Medina House

Most people assume that if they’ve paid for a home, renovated it and lived in it, ownership is a settled matter. But recent reports concerning Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour’s Hove property, Medina House, are a striking reminder that residential property ownership is ultimately about legal title, not just occupation, intention or common sense.

Medina House is no ordinary home. It was once part of the Victorian Medina Baths on the Hove seafront and, after years of decline, was redeveloped into a substantial private residence. The story has attracted attention because Gilmour reportedly discovered a significant legal problem when trying to sell the property: the company through which the property had been acquired had been dissolved and the title had not been transferred into his personal name before that happened.

The legal concept at the heart of the issue is called ‘bona vacantia’, meaning ownerless property. In simple terms, when a company is dissolved while still owning assets, those assets can pass to the Crown.

Government guidance on dissolved companies states that property, cash and other assets owned by a company when it is dissolved automatically pass to the Crown. This can be avoided by ensuring assets are transferred or dealt with before dissolution. The same guidance makes clear that land and buildings can be caught by these rules.

For homeowners, the practical point isn’t that ordinary residential purchases are likely to end up in the same position. Most people buy in their own names, or as joint owners, and their solicitors register the title at HM Land Registry. The real lesson is that where a home is held through a company, trust or other structure, the paperwork must be kept under review long after completion. A company isn’t just an administrative wrapper; it’s a separate legal person and if it’s struck off or dissolved before its assets are properly transferred, the consequences can be serious.

There’s also a wider point for families. Residential property is often a person’s most valuable asset, but ownership arrangements can become complicated over time. A home may be bought through a company for historic tax, privacy or funding reasons. A couple may separate. Parents may contribute to the purchase price. A property may be renovated at significant cost by someone whose name isn’t on the title. In each case, what people think they own may not match what the legal records show.

The Gilmour story is therefore a useful prompt for a simple property health check. Check the registered title. Confirm whether the owner is an individual, joint owners, a company or trustees. If a company is involved, make sure it is active and compliant at Companies House. If the property is intended to be owned personally, ensure the transfer has actually been completed and registered. If there have been contributions from family members, record clearly whether they were gifts, loans or intended to create a share in the property.

The lesson from Medina House is simple. When it comes to your home, make sure the legal ownership tells the same story as the practical reality.