Thomas Nelson
Thomas Nelson
August 12, 2019 ·  3 min read

Ed Sheeran Stops Neighbours’ Complaints By Simply Buying Their Homes

Have you ever had a neighbor who’s always on your case about something? They don’t like the way you’ve chosen to decorate your home, maybe they think your lawn needs work – it’s always something! We have one like that in my neighborhood. It’s never fun to have a neighbor who all-too-often tends to your business like it’s their own. Average people aren’t the only ones who deal with bummer neighbors – even celebrities do. At least that was the case for Ed Sheeran.

Ed’s reaction is probably something that most of us couldn’t replicate – he used his fortune to just purchase the homes that surrounded his farmhouse. 

Read: A Family of 4 Built a Private Tiny-House Village Where The Kids Have Their Own Homes.

Starting in 2012, Ed found himself dealing with neighbors who kept lodging complaints about him after he bought his million dollar farmhouse. An inside source told The Daily Star that the complaints started coming in not long after he moved in.

“Ed’s had neighbors grumbling about noise before, so when he got a chance to buy up the two houses next to his London home, he jumped at the chance,” the source said. 

“Ed has not only made a wise investment, but is limiting the chance of people grumbling about loud music or parties. He also decided to buy the flat above his restaurant because that could have been a massive sticking point for the business going forward.” [1]

Early in 2019, it was reported that Sheeran had set into motion upgrades to his property that didn’t exactly sit well with his neighbors. An application submitted to the local town council detailed all of the work to be done. Some of it was unimposing, like some paths around his house and four compost bins. Way to go green, Ed! But one item, a 32 foot chapel, alarmed some of his neighbors who voiced their opinions.

Read: You Can Now Buy A House on Amazon for Less Than $20,000, With Free Shipping

“We have no problems with the proposal but query the mention of the chapel,” Sharon Jest, one of Ed’s neighbors, wrote in a letter published by the council. “Which has not gained permission and is most likely to be an oversight, and would also request that all external lighting is switched off between midnight and 7 am.”

Neighbors also expressed dismay at what they believed was secretly a swimming pool. Sheeran had a wildlife pond installed on his property, but obscured the neighbors’ view of it using a large hay bale fence. [2]

“It all seems very strange but in actual fact it appears to have been very carefully thought through. The bales have been placed precisely in the right places and at the right angle to shield his pool,” one local complained.

Sitting here writing about this, I have to wonder: what’s the big deal? If he installed a swimming pool but you can’t see it, what exactly is the problem? It’s literally out of sight, out of mind.

In any case, whether or not the grievances of the neighbors are valid, Sheeran did something that the average person could only dream of: he bought out his neighbors. He eventually purchased a Grade II home listed at $550,000. In 2016, he bought the detached house in front of his home for $1.1 million, and then in 2016, he purchased the $367,000 bungalow on the opposite side of his driveway. 

And wouldn’t you know it, if you don’t have neighbors, your neighbors can’t complain. Funny how that works.

Read next: Man drives by Brand New House and Sees Something’s Wrong. Can You Spot It?

References:

  1. Ed Sheeran splashes £4million on new houses to stop neighbours’ noise complaintsDaily Star. Alicia Grimshaw. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
  2. Ed Sheeran Ends Neighbours’ Complaints By Simply Buying Their HomesLad Bible. Jess Hardiman. Retrieved November 23, 2020.