Kent’s most prominent landlords have sold their entire property portfolio of nearly 1,000 homes to a foreign consortium for more than £250 million.

Fergus and Judith Wilson made their fortune during the buy-to-let revolution in the mid-1990s, renting out homes across Maidstone and Ashford.

The pair revealed plans to sell their empire last summer, with Fergus stating he wanted to retire to write children’s books.

The controversial property moguls, believed to be the biggest buy-to-let landlords in Britain, prompted a national outcry last year when they revealed they were evicting tenants who were on housing benefit.

They sent eviction notices to 200 renters, saying they preferred eastern European migrants, who were more reliable than single mothers on welfare.

In a statement to the Guardian today, Fergus, 67, said the pair have finally exited the property market, which he has previously described as “the only game in town”.

He said: “We reached an agreement today with a consortium of buyers to sell our entire portfolio for a figure exceeding £250m. The consortium is foreign and not of any one specific nationality.”

He said prices for houses on his estates “have been rising due to the shortage of available properties on the market”, but added that he had “taken steps to ensure the property prices in Ashford, Maidstone and Folkestone are not adversely affected”.

He said the sale would make no difference to existing tenants.

Former maths teacher and ex-professional boxer Fergus has often courted media attention and was found guilty of attacking an estate agent half his age last year.

His eccentric statement on the sale of his property referred to him in the first and third person.

It said: “He is sorry to be giving up but common sense must prevail. He is 67 years old and getting no younger.

“Buy to let became an obsession for Fergus Wilson. He is a self-confessed BTL junkie. Each day I must have my daily fix. I look up prices and say to myself what a lucky man I am.”

The statement added: “Owning BTL became a hobby for Fergus Wilson that simply got out of control. He says BTL is the national hobby and is followed by millions.

“Whether you are a tenant or an owner occupier or indeed a BTL landlord you have an interest in the letting industry for letting industry is what it is.”