Charles Hills, 51, of Albion Avenue, Clapham, south London, inherited the Algarve property but was involved in a legal battle to evict Flavio Rosa.

The Old Bailey heard that under Portuguese law Mr Rosa could stay in the house as he was living there at the time of Hills' mother's death.

Hills admitted soliciting to murder and will be sentenced in August.

He was arrested after meeting two police officers posing as hitmen.

Abandoned meeting

The jury heard Hills was left the �100,000 property and another flat elsewhere in Portugal when his mother, who was in his 80s, died four years ago.

At the time of her death she was living with Mr Rosa, who was in his 50s and worked as a handyman.

In November last year Hills had two meetings with the two men he thought were hitmen, but were actually police officers. He failed to turn up for the third meeting and was arrested soon after.

An officer in the case said Hills was "well-educated" and had written for a number of magazines but had fallen on hard times and wanted to inherit "the property he thinks is rightfully his".

Hills pleaded guilty to two counts of soliciting to murder in court on Thursday and will be sentenced on 3 August.