I own the flats daubed with the new Banksy - but I WON'T put up tenants' rent: ... trends now

The owner of the flats which have been daubed with the latest Banksy artwork has said he won't put up the rent, but he admits a crazy offer from a superfan may tempt him to sell.

Alex Georgiou, 40, bought the property in  Finsbury Park, north London, in 2012 for around £400,000.

He found out about Banksy's handiwork to his property late on Sunday night and came down to see it for the first time on Monday morning.

'It's quite mad to be honest, to come down here and just to see all the crowds of people looking at the building,' he said.

When Banksy officially announced the artwork was his on Monday morning, locals in the area began to worry rents in could rise. 

The building is split into three flats which are all currently being rented out.

When asked about the possibility of raising the rent, Mr Georgiou said: ‘No no no no. 

'I was having a bit of a laugh with the girls who were saying I was gonna put the rent up 250 per cent but no no. I doubt it.

'Unless we have a massive Banksy fan who is prepared to pay over the odds. But a property is worth what a property is worth.

'You know what, if somebody offered me millions and they can have the building and take the flats with it. Feel free. 

'They can come knocking if they want. Give me a number in an envelope and whoever has the biggest number can have it.

'How do you protect it, you know? It is on the side of a building, and it's such a big thing. It's not like his normal stuff where it's quite small. This is the whole size of the building.

'The question is, what do I do with it now? What am I meant to do with it now? I definitely plan on keeping it on there and letting people enjoy it, everyone's loving it which is great, I just can't really believe it still to be honest,' he said.

When asked about the current worth of the building, Mr Georgiou estimated it would go for around £1.3million in the current market.

Mr Georgiou founded local estate agent Alex Marks with his brother Anthony in 2009.

The brothers were raised in the local area and hope the Banksy will help improve it. 

The artwork in Finsbury Park shows a splattering of green paint behind a bare tree to resemble foliage, with a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose depicted next to it. 

Some residents said they were 'proud and delighted' at the thought of the anonymous artist choosing their street for his latest mural when it emerged on Sunday after being painted overnight.

But James Roebuck, 26, who lives in the block, said: 'Banksy came overnight and now my rent will skyrocket.'

Banksy - Britain's most famous street artist - is renowned for choosing homes at random to use for his artwork, often shooting up their value by millions. 

It can lead to problems though, with the owner of one building in Shoreditch painting over one of the artist's etchings after they became irritated by a security light constantly being activated by Banksy fans turning up to view it.

Meanwhile, homeowners Garry and Gokean Coutts spent £200,000 removing a mural of a seagull from their house in Lowestoft, Suffolk, when they were forced to hire security after it became a target for vandals and thieves. 

One Banksy artwork that appeared in London in December - a traffic stop sign covered with three military drones - was stolen less than an hour after appearing on a street in Peckham.

Banksy, who has 12.3million followers on Instagram, always confirms an artwork is his by posting a picture of it. 

This came for the Finsbury Park painting at 11.13am today.

Prior to the official  announcement, the artwork had already been gathering fans at the site on Hornsey Road in north London.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he was 'delighted' to see the artwork in his Islington North constituency.

'Banksy's come to Finsbury Park with a bit of greenery in a place that needs a bit more greenery. We're the most densely populated constituency in the country and I'm just delighted,' the MP said.

'It gives the idea that we could do with much more greenery everywhere and I think that's a really nice message.'

James Peak, who created the BBC Radio 4 series The Banksy Story, rushed to the scene yesterday after receiving a tip-off.

Prior to the announcement he was already sure it was a Banksy.

Mr Peak said the artwork had the hallmarks of a Banksy due to its clear message that nature is struggling and it is up to us to get it back.

He said another clue was the fact it was done with minimum effort but still looked really cool.

Banksy's eye for detail could also be on display as the colour of the paint matches the one used for street signs by Islington Council.

The lack of leaves, despite it being spring, could also have inspired Banksy to create  the painting.

Pictures from the scene one year ago, in March 2023, showed the tree looking similarly bare with no greenery.

But in July 2022 the tree was pictured with a lot more green foliage.

It is understood that the cherry tree in front of the artwork is around 40 to 50-years-old and in declining health. The council's tree service had been maintaining it for some time to help prolong its lifespan and would continue to try to keep the decaying tree alive.

The artwork's appearance has delighted many residents of Islington who took to social media to celebrate. 

Wanja Sellers, a Hornsey Road resident who lives a few doors down from the mural, said: 'We're so proud and delighted that Banksy chose our road and chose Finsbury Park for his work.

'The bright green colours represent Islington, which is lovely, and also, of course, St Patrick's Day, which is nice and festive.

'Choosing the colours of our borough just makes it feel like a personal message to us residents. We just feel so proud.'

Councillor Roulin Khondoker, executive member for equalities, culture and inclusion, said in a statement to PA: 'Culture is a powerful way to tell meaningful stories and we welcome this artwork in Islington, a borough that celebrates creativity.

'This fantastic piece from Banksy has sparked a real buzz across Islington and beyond, and we very much want the artwork to stay for people to enjoy. We want to find more ways that we can tell important stories through art and culture.

'Trees are a vital part of our work to tackle the climate emergency. We've planted nearly 900 in the last year alone, and we work hard to care for our trees and help them to thrive.'

Lidia Guerra, another Hornsey Road resident, said: 'The way it's been done, with the paint spraying down, reminds me of a weeping willow, so there's perhaps a message about the struggle of nature with the dead tree in front.

'It's just great - when we read about it last night, we knew we had to come and see it as soon as possible.

 'We feel so proud to think he chose our street.'

Chris Beskin, another resident of Hornsey Road, said he welcomes the mural, saying it is a 'great thing to have in our area'.

'I'm absolutely delighted to see this on our street - I think it's great and sends a strong message, I'd like to see more of it, to be honest, the more the merrier,' he said.

'I think it's probably one of his biggest pieces in a while - and the fact he's done it on the wall means it can't just be stolen or easily removed.'

Mr Beskin went to see the mural with his neighbours on Monday morning.

Fellow resident Carolyn said: 'It's just lovely to see how this piece of art has brought everyone together.

'People have come out to chat in the streets and came out early this morning to speculate together. 

'It's brought the community together, which has been really nice to see.'

Paul Drinot wrote on social media: 'If this is a Banksy, it's the best thing that's happened to the Hornsey Road in years.'

One social media user was left puzzled after the artist seemed to have left zip ties

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