Adele Allegedly Deterred Buyers of £6 Million Mansion by Claiming It Was ‘Haunted,’ Says Owner

Nicholas Sutton’s Struggles with Selling the Mansion

Nicholas Sutton, the owner of the West Sussex home where Adele lived for a time, stated that selling the property has been challenging since the singer claimed it was “haunted”.

The Grammy winner resided at Sutton’s £6 million country mansion, Lock House, for six months, and Sutton mentioned that Adele’s haunting allegations scared off potential buyers.

According to Independent, in a planning application, Sutton expressed his difficulties in selling the 10-bedroom mansion and is now seeking permission to convert the property into apartments due to Adele’s claims making it “unsaleable”.

The House’s History and Adele’s Comments

In a planning application submitted to Horsham District Council, Sutton noted that the house was a priory in the 70s before he purchased it in 2003.

During an interview on CBS's 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper in 2012, Adele gave the journalist a tour of the house and described it as “pretty scary” without explicitly stating it was haunted. Nonetheless, a British tabloid accused the “Hello” hitmaker of confessing the mansion was haunted, and the house subsequently appeared on a list of celebrity haunted houses by Hello! magazine.

Sutton commented that potential buyers were deterred by Adele’s remarks: “Unfortunately, during an interview on CBS, Adele remarked that she thought the house was haunted. This comment negatively impacted future marketing efforts and continues to influence the property's reputation to this day.” (Independent).

The owner shared that he had been “actively trying to sell the property for approximately 14 years” despite it being “consistently promoted by top agents,” including Savills and Strutt & Parker.

Sutton also mentioned his difficulty in receiving offers, stating: “The only offer received over the years was in August 2020, but a potential buyer backed out after learning of the property's supposed haunted status, which Adele mentioned publicly during her lease.”

The owner has requested Horsham District Council to grant him permission to convert the mansion into apartments, emphasizing that his application represents the “culmination of more than 13 years of market testing,” and noted that the mansion is “not in demand” as it currently stands.

“This proposal ensures the optimal and efficient use of Lock House, maintaining its historic significance while providing much-needed housing,” he added. “It offers a balanced, sensitive and sustainable solution that aligns with both heritage protection and housing policy, ensuring the long-term conservation and viability of this important historic asset.”

In other news, Adele recently announced a limited edition vinyl box set featuring every song from her massive Las Vegas residency.