Daljit Bhail, 54, has lived in the sprawling four-acre Georgian property, next to the south runway of terminal five, for almost 25 years after buying it for £600,000.
A man has claimed his £3m Grade II-listed mansion is being battered by low-flying planes from Heathrow, causing “vortex damage” and even ice strikes.
Daljit Bhail, 54, who has lived in the sprawling Georgian property for almost 25 years, alleges that the aircraft have caused significant damage to his home, which sits next to the south runway of terminal five. He’s reported large gusts of wind from planes smashing into the buildings and believes ice falling off planes has hit the 18th-century house, a claim Heathrow denies.
The Hounslow-based property investor said: “It’s just madness how they treat a listed building and the planes wake me and guests up at 3am.” Daljit also claims that blue ice – frozen sewage from plane toilets – shattered a glass lantern outside his 28-room mansion, which he rents out on Airbnb.
Furthermore, he says a vortex once damaged the roofing of the property, historically linked to the founder of the SAS. He accuses Heathrow of abandoning the house after initially agreeing to repairs, which the airport disputes.
According to reports, Heathrow did send a contractor for repair work, but the job halted due to a disagreement with Daljit.
He expressed his frustration, saying: “It’s a stand off – they sent an assessor out who confirmed the house had been hit by a vortex strike, and said they would nail down the tiles but then they said they couldn’t as it’s a listed building.”
Daljit has slammed Heathrow for what he describes as a “shoddy job” by a workman who was sent to fix his roof in April, leaving nails scattered about and even putting his foot through the ceiling. Evidence of the botched job is displayed in photos and videos showcasing large nails protruding from the walls in his loft.
Still frustrated, Daljit reveals that scaffolding put up five months ago remains untouched, with ivy now creeping up it, highlighting the neglected state of affairs. He laments the financial hit he’s taking, as the chaos has turned his Airbnb-let property into an unattractive option for potential guests due to understandable safety worries and the omnipresent scaffolding.
“The scaffolding now has ivy growing up it it’s been there so long,” he lamented.
“Safety is my top concern as I can’t rent out the property with all this going on,” he added. The constant air traffic overhead further adds to his woes, noting, “Sometimes there is less than a minute gap between planes flying overhead.”
He shared his concerns about the dangers posed by low-flying aircraft: “It’s not just the damage – it’s really loud and they shouldn’t be flying that low.” The risk of falling ice presents a terrifying prospect, as Daljit pointed out: “If ice can fall off and go through a double screen window, which it has, what happens if someone is underneath? It’s extremely dangerous! “.
Addressing the issue, a Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: “We have well-established programmes to protect local buildings from the impacts of airport operations, including preventative works and noise insulation. In the rare cases where a property is damaged, we work with specialist contractors who will assess the most suitable repair, at no cost to the resident.”
