Shelter has said it is “enormously grateful” for a £4m legacy gift from the estate of the late comedian Sean Hughes following a legal case over several years.

The comedian, who died in 2017 at the age of 51, had left his £1.8m London home and two other properties valued at just over £2m, to the homelessness charity that he supported.

Even though Hughes’ family agreed that the charity should receive the properties, an issue with his wording of the will meant the matter had to be decided by the High Court, which has now ruled all three properties should go to the charity.

According to a report in The Mirror the legal issue arose as while he owned one home the other two were in the name of a company that he was a sole shareholder of.

Shelter’s director of income generation Andy Harris said: “Sean Hughes was a passionate supporter of Shelter’s work, and we are enormously grateful for the generous gift left in his Will. We have worked closely with Sean’s family to ensure his wishes are honoured.

“Gifts left in Wills are a vital source of income for Shelter. This donation will enable us to continue to deliver expert support and advice to people impacted by the housing emergency and to campaign for everyone’s right to a safe and secure home.”

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