There's a "thing" in the Daily Mail about One Direction and Princess Park Manor, in particular Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson who are said to be on the verge of buying the penthouse once owned by Ashley Cole. The development, next to New Southgate station, is the old Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum, which - in turn - was once home to John Duffy, who was worse than Ashley Cole.

More interesting than the property story are the comments below the piece... a true Daily Mail-style menagerie of opinions. My favourites, the one from the former asylum employee who warns of the ghosts, and this:

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This time... a house that was being renovated, until the owner ran out of money, and a bunch of Polish squatters. The Telegraph takes exception with one squatter's comment that they couldn't afford the rent in Highgate, so just "moved in".

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When the home-owner came to see the house for himself he was berated for having turned off the water by a woman who said she wanted to install a washing machine.

Like... come on! They've been there, like, two weeks already.

Actually, they're disputing their status as squatters. They've shown the police a tenancy agreement and - in a shocking display of balls so big they blocked out the sun - accused the man whose name is on the deeds and whose estate agent stumbled across the new residents during a viewing of being an impostor. It will go to court.

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Nothing to do with a riot... Zoopla's newly updated heat maps are available, illustrating average property price hotspots. Informative and addictive.

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It's a blue plaque property -  former home to Coleridge and JB Priestley - and Kate Moss's plans for a satellite dish, security cameras, basement kitchen and gym/steam room aren't delighting her neighbours.

The details plans are online here.

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Remember, we recently revealed how Colonel Gaddafi's controversial son Saif was looking for tenants for his Hampstead Garden Suburb mansion? The property - now part of the family's frozen assets - has apparently been invaded by activists, demanding the proceeds are returned to the Libyan people. They're flying a banner reading "Out of Libya/Out of London". We just hope nobody's paid their deposit.

Your new landlord - Mr Gaddafi [February 22, 2011]

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That's Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the Colonel's second son, the one who threw some cool parties but appears to have created some uncool controversy for himself after publicly taking a very anti-protest stance. He's only likely to be your landlord, though, if you've a budget that will stretch to almost £10,000 a week, for an 8-bedroom home in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Go here to read about the Gaddafi billions. If you want to be a Gaddafi tenant, go here and view the particulars.

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Award for the most eye-catching headline of the morning goes to the Sun.

It's the story of two "gypsies", their twelve kids, one five-bedroom £1.2m Muswell Hill semi, Haringey Council and some very angry neighbours, collapsed ceilings, used toilet rolls used as weapons, and kids wandering naked in the street. There's a dossier on the family, which appears to have been passed on to the Sun by someone from the council, which may (should) result in repercussions. The neighbours have formed a special neighbourhood watch team charged solely with monitoring the family. The Sun article is a lesson in journalistic provocation ("Children run amok everywhere, riding shiny new bikes around the corridors", "The chain-smoking couple", "Tanya, who lives off benefits"), but i wouldn't want to live next-door to them. The final word, however, goes to the neighbour who commented thus:

"A house like that one should be worth around £1.2million. But with the state it's in at the moment, it might only be worth £700,000."

Because this is, after all, London.

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They made it into the papers earlier in the month when Latvian squatter Jason Ruddick painted a picture of Eastern European squatter tours... Latvians heading for the amazing city of London where mansions came rent-free. The right wing press loved it. They're in the papers again today, having been moved forcibly from their Highgate "home" by bailiffs, and pictured here cheekily scanning a London property magazine. Apparently, they're moving onto bigger and better things... nearer to The Bishops Avenue. Anyone know where they are now?

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It's in a few papers... the story of Jason Ruddick, the Latvian who hitchhiked to London after being told it was a city in which you didn't have to pay rent, and who now lives, rent-free, in a 10-bedroom Victorian house on Highgate's Broadlands Road.

He admitted that in Latvia, squatters were routinely arrested and hauled before the courts, but said Britain was an “easy touch”, adding: "It's really expensive to live in such a big house if you have to pay for it."

This should wipe the smile off his face. Seriously, is this interview for real? He sounds like a Daily Mail plant.

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