Home linked to pub job sells for 14 times estimate

A four-bedroom house in the Yorkshire Dales, whose buyers were warned they would have to work in the local pub if their bid was successful, has sold for almost 14 times its guide price at auction.

The property in the car park of the George and Dragon in Aysgarth was given an auction guide price of £19,000 and bought with a successful bid of £263,000.

Richard Thompson, from Marcus Alderson estate agents in Richmond, said: "You could pay between £350,000 and upwards of £500,000 for a four-bed property in that area."

The property was sold under a Section 106 agreement, specifying that owners must work in the pub. However, the pub closed in 2025.

Paul Fosh Auctions confirmed the house was sold on Thursday, following an auction which saw 123 separate bids.

They said the property was sold with the Section 106 agreement in place, but added buyers would have taken legal advice before bidding.

Agreeing the new owners had bagged a bit of a bargain Thompson, a property valuer, said: "The last similar property we sold in the area went for £575,000.

"That was in 2023 and it needed a bit of work."

Meanwhile Paul Fosh Auctions' sales information stated: "Houses in this area typically sell for around £625,000 to £760,000 on the open market."

The agreement, which stipulated any occupant should work at the pub, was made in 1996 when the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority granted planning permission for the property.

John Dinsdale, chair of Aysgarth and District Parish Council, previously said: "We are very concerned that someone will buy the property without realising it has a 106 agreement attached."

However, he added the pub had closed last year and the parish council was in the process of registering it as an asset of community value.

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