An antiques expert has issued a warning to property owners after being landed with a £13,000 service charge bill when the buyers of her Grade I listed flat withdrew at the last minute.
A Dream Home Turned Nightmare
Boudicca Scherazade, 57, purchased part of Garrick's Villa, a stately home in Hampton, South West London, in 1997 for £130,000. She later bought the rooms she currently occupies for £350,000 in 2001. Since then, she has painstakingly restored the flat to its 18th-century splendour, with support from English Heritage.
The residence, located near Shakespeare's Temple theatre, was built in 1754 and belonged to the revolutionary English actor David Garrick. He redesigned the property with assistance from the renowned neoclassical architect Robert Adam.
Sale Collapse Leads to Financial Burden
In May 2025, Boudicca listed the property for £1,025,000 and received an offer. However, the prospective buyer withdrew after making an offer, leaving Boudicca liable for the £13,000 service charge, which she had not accounted for as she anticipated the sale would go through.
Boudicca, a former music archivist and DJ, had expected the new purchasers to cover most, if not all, of the charge. The collapse of the transaction has left her strapped for cash.
She has been attempting to leave London since 2021 but feels "trapped," with no alternative buyers in sight.
"The trouble is, I almost feel like the house isn't wanting to let me go," Boudicca said. "It's been a nightmare; there have been times I've been crying every night, woken up in tears. There's been times when I've considered the unthinkable, when I thought that's the only way out of the financial situation I'm in."
She continued: "It's an unusual property, it's enormous, but I had an offer last June. They offered £200,000 under the asking price, and initially I was very reticent, but I want to retire to the countryside. I thought I was going to be walking free, but no, they pulled out at the last minute."
"Then the next day, I got the annual service charge bill. I was hoping to only have to pay a bit of it with the rest covered by the new buyers, but now I have to pay the full amount. It's dreadful."
A Unique Property with Historical Charm
Boudicca has owned various rooms in the property over the last 30 years. She has listed two bedrooms, a balcony, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a 1,090 sq. ft Chinese drawing room for sale. The Chinese Drawing Room, boasting a "20-foot" ceiling and 10-foot chandeliers, was painstakingly restored to closely match Robert Adam's original design after a devastating fire in 2008 that left the property uninhabitable for seven years.
Boudicca revealed that the flat's period authenticity appears to be putting off prospective buyers. "I've put everything into this house. I've lived here for thirty years, it was the family home with my mum until she died in 2021. I'm very, very bonded to it, I have a tattoo of the house on my leg. I really am Mrs Garrick. There's no question."
She added: "After the fire in 2008, I turned the living room back into being the big Chinese drawing room as it was during Mr Garrick's time – it was previously partitioned. I've turned it back to being exactly as it was, had a huge amount of support from English Heritage but in so doing, I've lost two bedrooms and a bathroom. Now, it's a different scale and maybe it's a bit daunting."
Financial Struggles and Crowdfunding
Boudicca purchased the property as a "subprimer" and now finds herself facing more than £3,500 in bills and mortgage payments. Over the past year, she generated over £80,000 through her eBay venture selling antiques, yet the unforeseen service charge demand compelled her to launch a GoFundMe campaign to prevent falling into arrears.
She has arranged to repay the service charge at £1,000 monthly, in addition to her £2,000 monthly mortgage interest charged at 8 per cent, plus £500 in council tax.
The crowdfunding appeal, aimed at her more affluent clientele, became a reluctant last resort after potential buyers withdrew. "It's been so humbling to see people donate, and it's been an eye opener because it's all the people that can least afford it, not the celebrities I provide for. My situation's dire, but there are certainly people in worse situations."
She added: "I'm putting all the money into the building's insurance aspect of the service charge, and making sure all my donators get a nice antique present through as a thank you. I bought this when I was 27 – I just hope lenders can start to free up money so that young people have the chances that I had to come here."
