A vacant London mansion once sold for a record $280 million has become the unusual longtime residence of a Swedish homeless man who has set up camp on its front porch. The 45-room property at 2-8 Rutland Gate in Knightsbridge, known for its luxury features including four elevators, an indoor pool, and panoramic views over Hyde Park, has not housed a permanent occupant for several years. Instead, Anders Fernstedt, a bearded and affable man originally from Sweden, has lived in a tent on the mansion’s grand entrance for the past three years.

The property, which includes 24 marble bathrooms that were once adorned with semi-precious stones and gold leaf-covered wastepaper bins, first made headlines when it sold in 2020 for approximately $280 million—the highest price ever paid for a home in the United Kingdom and among the priciest worldwide. Despite its opulence, Fernstedt endures basic hardships, lacking running water and often resorting to using a plastic bottle at night to manage necessities.

The mansion carries a significant and complex history. It originated in the early 1980s when Lebanese billionaire and future prime minister Rafik Hariri consolidated several Knightsbridge townhouses into a London residence. After Hariri was assassinated in 2005, the estate changed hands, passing to a Saudi crown prince who died in 2011. Following an extensive auction in 2015, which dispersed the home’s lavish fixtures—including jewel-encrusted fittings and Murano glass chandeliers—the mansion remained unoccupied.

The 2020 sale was initially attributed to a Hong Kong-based billionaire but was later revealed to be Hui Ka Yan, founder of Evergrande, a major Chinese property developer, who purchased the home through a shell company registered in the British Virgin Islands. Evergrande began defaulting on its debts in 2021, and the mansion was relisted in 2022 for roughly $268 million but failed to attract a buyer. Transparency laws later exposed the true beneficiary as Hui’s then-wife, Ding Yumei. Following their divorce, Hui pleaded guilty earlier this year to fraud and misuse-of-funds charges, while Ding’s assets have been frozen. Consequently, the mansion remains unsellable and unoccupied.

Fernstedt has personalized his makeshift home with flowers, bicycles, teddy bears, and stacks of books, demonstrating resilience despite his circumstances. His background contrasts sharply with his current situation: he studied horticulture at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, worked as a fact-checker for The Economist, and assisted research for a New York Times author. A sequence of adversities—including evictions, an assault causing a ruptured eardrum, and theft of his possessions while hospitalized—ultimately led him to homelessness.

The phenomenon of ultra-luxury homes purchased by overseas investors remaining vacant is not confined to London. Cities such as New York, Miami, and Los Angeles confront similar challenges, as high-end residences sit empty amidst a severe shortage of affordable housing. Fernstedt’s presence on the doorstep of one of London’s grandest mansions underscores a stark contrast and highlights a broader, global issue of housing accessibility and inequality.