HOUSEHUNTERS in Oxford can snap up the catch of the day after rooms at the infamous Shark House went up for rent.

BBC Radio Oxford presenter and Oxford Mail columnist Bill Heine, who owns the iconic house, has rented it to a number of tenants over the past three years.

But now he’s moving back into the New High Street property, which has a 25ft shark wedged into the roof, and is on the hunt for “bubbly and gregarious” lodgers.

Mr Heine said: “The property would be suited to someone who will really understand and be engaged with a sense of delight in the local community.

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“The person will have to be bubbly and gregarious.

“The lady who just moved out wrote me the most wonderful email, saying ‘thank you for the incredible opportunity to spend time in the Shark House’.”

He added: “It’s absolutely a delight. First of all I say it’s just a lovely place to live.”

Initially called “Untitled 1986”, the shark was supposed to commemorate the 41st anniversary of the atomic bomb being dropped on Nagasaki.

Shortly after the shark was installed, Mr Heine fought a six-year battle with Oxford City Council, which tried to get it removed due to lack of planning permission.

Eventually, in 1992 Michael Heseltine, then Minister for Environment, intervened and granted retrospective planning permission.

The Shark House became a Headington landmark in 1986, when Bill Heine commissioned the art piece by sculptor John Buckley.

Mr Heine said: “I didn’t think it would be here for 28 minutes, let alone 28 years.

“The shark still sparks curiosity and amazement.

“When I walk up and see a robin perched on the dorsal fin of the shark, it still gives me shivers.”

For their property listing, letting agents Scott Frasers turned to one previous tenant, who said: “You quickly get used to people taking photographs outside and it does not really impact living there.”

The Shark House has become an iconic landmark in Headington, with thousands of people taking pictures of the shark every year.

As well as sharing the home with a 25ft shark, the new tenants will also be living with veteran broadcaster Mr Heine, who has presented shows on BBC Radio Oxford since 1988.

Mr Heine added: “I don’t think people would get starstruck. When people call me on the radio they’re incredibly chatty. In real life they are just normal, and treat me the same as anyone else.”

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