Owners of prized historic N.S. home in legal nightmare, thanks to local government
The first time I met Ian and Lorna Tenniswood was over a video call.
They were in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley and I was in Toronto. They gave me a virtual tour of their spectacular four-bedroom home.
It has a state-of-the-art kitchen, a massive family room, gorgeous original ceiling beams, and restored hardwood floors.
The show-stopper is what Lorna calls her “one-of-a-kind nightlight” -- a majestic working lighthouse in the front yard, overlooking the Bay of Fundy in the fishing village of Hampton.
The home's show-stopper is what Lorna Tenniswood calls a "one-of-a-kind nightlight" -- a majestic working lighthouse in the front yard, overlooking the Bay of Fundy in the fishing village of Hampton (W5)
I’ve never seen another home like it. And I've never heard another story quite like theirs.
Through tears, Lorna tells me “I hate it. It's a great house. It’s just so tainted. It's a prison of our own making.”
Long before the Hampton House became the Tenniswoods' “prison,” there were wild rumours that the home was owned by a cult and locals nicknamed it “the Haunted House of Hampton.”
For decades the dilapidated house sat boarded-up, yet fully furnished with no electricity and no running water. Local kids would break in to party in the home, surrounded by strange art, voodoo dolls, and closets filled with clothes.
The Tenniswoods, who restore old homes for a living, purchased the Hampton House at auction in 2021 for $50,000.
They planned to do it up and sell it. They say they sunk $600,000 into the renovation and had to sell their family home to fund the project.
A drone-captured photo of the Hampton Shore, N.S. house and its stunning surroundings (W5)
Lorna acknowledges it was a huge risk, “…but we didn't feel it was a risk that wasn't going to pay us back. We felt very safe in the knowledge that we could turn this into a gem. And it is. And we knew that money would come back to us.”
But then a bombshell from the government of Nova Scotia. Just weeks after they listed it on the market in July 2022, a legal hold was put on their house and the attorney general initiated a lawsuit, arguing that the house doesn’t belong to them and it should be returned to the previous owner.
In Nova Scotia, auctions are conducted by the Sheriff's department. In the province’s lawsuit against the Tenniswoods, the justice department cites errors made by their own sheriff as the reason the auction should be declared null and void.
One of those errors? The sheriff didn’t inform the previous owner, Mehdi Matin, that his home was being auctioned off over an unpaid debt.
"The shock of having your house taken from you without even being told. Well, that’s the worst," previous house owner Mehdi Matin told CTV W5.
Even though he stands to reclaim a home that is now renovated to the hilt, the New York -based artist is livid.
“The shock of it,” says Matin. “The shock of having your house taken from you without even being told. Well, that’s the worst. That’s the worst. This is wrong.”
Our investigation reveals several other cases where errors were made during auctions in Nova Scotia, including a cottage that had been in a family for decades. And a piece of waterfront property that was auctioned off in 2023, but didn’t even exist. The land had washed away in a storm in the 1970s.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
BREAKING Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.
A look back on Alberta's record-breaking wildfire season: Preparing for potential challenges in 2024
By the end of the 2023 wildfire season in Alberta, 1,088 wildfires had burned more than 2.2 million hectares of land, and this year, the wildfire season is already in full swing.
Person charged in random assault on actor Steve Buscemi in New York
A person wanted in connection with the random assault on actor Steve Buscemi on a New York City street earlier this month was taken into custody Friday, police said.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Australia's richest woman seeks removal of her portrait from exhibition
Art is subjective. And while many artists long to share their work with the world, there's no guarantee that the audience will understand it, or even like it.
Video appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs beating singer Cassie in hotel hallway in 2016
Security video aired by CNN appears to show Sean 'Diddy' Combs physically assaulting singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway in 2016.
Anglers reel in 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off coast of Florida: 'She found my bait'
A group of fishers said it took roughly 20 minutes to reel in this 3.5-metre-long tiger shark off the coast of Florida.
Local Spotlight
'Another pair of eyes watching over me:' How a B.C. woman's service dog saved her from drowning
A B.C. woman says her service dog pulled her from a lake moments before she had a seizure, saving her life.
Starbucks fan on decades-long journey to visit every store in the world
A Starbucks fan — whose name is Winter — is visiting Canada on a purposeful journey that began with a random idea at one of the coffee chain's stores in Texas.
'Sacred work': Sask. First Nation learning how to conduct its own underground searches
Members of Piapot First Nation, students from the University of Winnipeg and various other professionals are learning new techniques that will hopefully be used for ground searches of potential unmarked grave sites in the future.
'It could mean a cure': Cautious optimism for groundbreaking ALS research at Western
ALS patient Mathew Brown said he’s hopeful for future ALS patients after news this week of research at Western University of a potential cure for ALS.
B.C. musician's song catches attention of Canucks
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
'We're on standby': Team ready to help entangled right whale in Gulf of St. Lawrence
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Thieves caught on camera stealing pet chicken from North Vancouver backyard
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Adopted daughter in the Netherlands reunited with sister in Montreal and mother in Colombia, 40 years later
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
'Reimagining Mother's Day': Toronto woman creates Motherless Day event after losing mom
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.