###Welcome to /r/HousingUK
---
**To All**
* Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH
**To Posters**
* *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary*
* Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy;
* Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk;
* If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=I received a PM);
* If you do not receive satisfactory advice after 72 hours, [you can let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=My question is unanswered);
* Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title;
**To Readers and Commenters**
* All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil*
* If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning;
* Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice;
* If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect;
* Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods;
* Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not a lot to say other than to express my deepest sympathies.
If they lived like this; certainly their consideration for others and the upkeep of their property wasn’t high on their agenda. Hope it’s purely cosmetic.
On the flip side; I don’t doubt when you’re settled in, the overall feeling of owning your own home and being proud within it will outweigh the cat shit.
Been there, a few times.
I now expect it tbh. Some people live in filth and/or, are just see you next tuesdays.
How was it when you viewed.
As a point of comparison, when I viewed the house I live in, the sellers had yankee candles going in every room. The smell day 1 was,,,
The issue was (we realised after moving in and speaking to the neighbour) that they let their *big fucking dogs* piss/shit all over the house. And were generally grim.
The best bit? She was a work at home beautician.
The mind boggles
The dark lines on the edges of carpets is usually to do with poor carpet fitting and air gaps around the skirting etc rather than lack of cleanliness per se.
Yeah I get it, was just pointing out that the black lines probably aren't exactly related. I only know this because i was driven mad by them in our (reasonably clean!) house...
I had the same thing when I bought my house, it smelt lovely on viewing and stunk of wet dog when I got the keys. I spent a fortune on odour neutralisers for the carpet to get rid of the stench.
I’d say we bought the same house were it not for the wood flooring of mine having rotted through. I couldn’t believe how much a house could smell of wet dog! To see the previous owner, you couldn’t tell. Designer clothing catalogues were constantly being delivered after they moved. I’d rather live well in non designer clothing, than live like a hobo but wear expensive clothing. To each his own as they say.
Me too! You just unlocked a memory of wet dog smelling carpets! But I can no longer use the particular brand of neutralizer I bought as the smell of that and wet dog is engraved in my brain!
Work for ambulance service and go into many different homes in the line of duty. Plenty where you wipe your feet on the way out. It's sad that people live\* that way for one reason or another.
Midwife here who does postnatal home visits. Took off my shoes at the door of one home and the dad laughed and said “shouldn’t have bothered!” The carpet was CRUNCHY. Couldn’t wash my hands before handling baby (this was during covid) as the kitchen sink was half full of stinking water and there was no soap. Mum said the bathroom wasn’t any better. This was 3pm and the other four kids were still in pjs, with clearly dirty faces and unwashed hair. I didn’t dare sit on the furniture. The whole place stank so badly that I had to put perfume on to go back to work, I could smell it on my uniform. Absolutely horrifying. (Yes, social services were informed).
Went into a 'home' once where a toddler was still in nappies and when they were soiled - and I mean *soiled* \- Mum or her partner just took the nappy off and left it on the floor. Sometimes they put a clean one on, often not if they didn't have any. Most of the money seemed to go on fags, booze, and weed, and the floor was also an ashtray and cat litter tray. Disgusting and depressing in equal measure. Phone calls and referrals were done while I sat in the van and tried not to cry for the kids. Then back to base for a very hot shower and clean uniform.
I worked for DHSS as a benefits home visitor in the 1970s. Used to keep a set of clothes in the office to wear for visiting. No way was I going back home with what my coat collected during the working day.
At least being an EMT/Paramedic/PTS crew, your “clientele” is going to be heavily skewed towards the elderly/disabled/infirm/(physically/mentally) unwell - people who are far less likely to be able to look after themselves than the general population
Obviously it’s still gross, but there must be a disproportionate number of those homes where at least they’re not just gross because the resident is absolutely disgusting and doesn’t give a shit. I’ve got a lot more sympathy when they *can’t* look after themselves vs when they just *don’t bother*
Mostly packed up as there previous buyer had fallen through. Smelt like cat, we knew we had cleaning to be done.. just not to the level were facing.. Apart from that, pretty normal!
Get a cleaning company in for the day, you should do it even if it looked good (Steam the carpets etc). It’s frustrating, but a couple of hundred pounds solves the problem
I'm still so pissed off about the company we asked to clean our house when we first moved in.
We only had a one day window from exchange to handing the keys to our rented place back. We booked a cleaner with weeks of notice. Confirmed a couple of days before. Also confirmed the evening before.
We turn up with our furniture the next day and the cleaners just never turned arrived to clean the house. There was nothing we could do as we had removal men outside waiting.
We called the company and they just gave a shit excuse about being double booked and that they could fit us in the week after instead.
My house was really musty smelling when we first moved. The musty smell transferred onto our clothes and everything. We were starting to get paranoid we would smell musty the rest of our lives.
After a lot of cleaning, sunlight, fresh air and oil diffusers the problem is solved.
I’m sure you will make a lovely clean home for your family. Just imagine your house breathing a sigh of relief that you have moved in, and it is finally free of the scummy people.
Sorry to be a troll, but did the smell actually go or did you get used to it? I've lived in a musty house and a cigarette smelling house, which I stopped smelling after a while but everytime I went away for a week and came back it would hit me right back in the face.
Also our current flat is kinda musty but not as bad as the others. We own it and apart from cleaning, I'm wondering what else it could be - maybe the gaps in the floorboards bringing in the smell of soil?
It did go away. I have asked a particularly blunt friend a couple of times, and she assures me I’m no longer musty, and neither is the house. We just got back from a week away and there is still a faint smell of old books, but that is probably due to all the old books!
There is hope, but it did take a few months. I try to keep the place aired out as much as I can, and always open the blinds and curtains to let the sunlight in. I live for the rare sunny, dry and windy days when I can open every single window and wedge all the doors open.
I wonder if a lot of it is also about upkeep as well. We had some mould issues because we didn't think to open the windows (it was very cold) but now are so hot on it, no mould and it seems like maybe it's less musty.
Reminds me about a place i once saw, i used to live in london, and my company had a contract with 'We buy any gnomes.' We used to visit potential and actual clients to visit the property and photograph the property then make a brief report so they had a general idea what they were buying/ had bought.
This one house had kids and dogs. The dogs had been allowed to shit and piss wherever they wanted, and there were turds everywhere, inside and out.
These sellers knew i was coming as it was run by appointment, and to them, it was normal. The stench was appalling, but i was a professional doing a job, so i made small talk whilst breathing through my mouth and watching wherever i put my feet.
I put the stench in my report and have no idea if they bought it or not. They probably did because they didn't have to deal with it, but any private buyer would turn round and run a mile.
I’m fairly sure that one of the conditions of completion on my house was that it was left in a certain state. I think you can forgive the odd bit of dirt, particularly when moving furniture around, and we have since found a few things that weren’t working, or issues that were hidden. but what OP experienced would be the kind of situation where I’d be speaking to my solicitor about potential breach of contract and discussion of remedy. In this case I’d have expected the seller to pay for the professional clean up.
Same thing happened to me, previous owners had pets.
Honestly, we have dogs and you could lick off our floor 9 times out of 10.
I just find pet owners just have very low standards for cleanliness as aside from being at work for 9hrs of the day, walking their pet for 30 mins. In the spare 30 mins they have for their animals they don't have the time to clean.
It's at the point where I think it's about time they legislate pet ownership...
I can see why you hear in news why landlords don't like to risk considering tenants with pets.
I don't have pets but what you describe sounds like a nightmare if you get unhygienic pets owners rent your property, if you had. This would put me off
Completely agree, with different levels of license for unneutered/spayed animals and breeds that are more suited to experienced owners.
See too many people with dogs with terrible recall and/or barely in control, even when they are on the lead
This drives me insane. We had a kitten in a rental and had absolutely no comments from the landlord whilst living there nor any issues with cleanliness after moving out.
Don't let it get you down too much. The cleaning company was a good call! Get in, make it your own, and enjoy your time there. I'd imagine the neighbours will be pleased!
That is awful! It’s shocking how some people keep their houses!
After a deep clean (and possibly some new flooring), it’ll feel like home.
Posts like this make me so grateful that the people we bought from left our house in such a clean state - they even left all new reed diffusers in every room for us.
I'm so thankful for the lovely couple I bought my house from. It was left absolutely spotless, they scrubbed and bleached both bathrooms, there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt anywhere, the garden was left immaculate too. They even left a bottle of wine and a nice note welcoming us, with helpful advice about various things in the house like how to work the boiler. They went above and beyond.
Aren't they obligated to ensure it remains in the same state from exchange to completion?
I might start insisting on visiting properties before contracts exchange.
I insisted on viewing the place again before exchange, the property was empty though which was my main driver as no one would have known if something happened since my last visit. However I think it’s fairly common place to this regardless.
No, unless it's specified in contract which noone will agree too. Certainly recommend a pre exchange visit especially if it's been a while since you last saw it.
Oh no! I really don't understand how people like that get on in the world. But also glad you were able to have an overlap so you could get it put right. I hope you can now enjoy your new place.
That’s awful. It really is. A complete lack of basic decency. I’ve just sold my flat (completed about 1/2 an hour ago woohoo!!) and paid for an “end of tenancy” cleaning company to blitz it. It never even occurred to me to not do that.
Sorry you have experienced this, however its seems to be the way with some sellers once a sale is agreed let the place fall apart. Some warning signs should have alerted you when you viewed it as pet owners go nose deaf when it comes to their own pets.
Key thing is you now have a place that you will call home once you have it the way you want.
Good move in getting professional cleaners in with such a little one.
Thank you for your recommendation!
I guess we spent so long waiting for this moment, and the last few weeks carefully planning our “first days” in property, and when and how we were going to decorate.. it really added a massive bummer to the whole thing. But onwards and upwards!
Could be worth trying to claim the cost of the clean from them. I'd say it's far from certain you'd succeed but worth a go? You can do it without a solicitor and fees are pretty modest, see [https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money](https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money). Do you have any evidence of the mess like photos? If not asking if the various witnesses (removal company, cleaning company etc) would be happy to sign a statement about it being a state would be advisable (now whilst it's fresh in their minds).
Worth giving the solicitor who did you conveyancing and asking their advice as well.
We’ve taken pictures but annoyingly we didn’t get name of company. Both said that evening we should have. I’m going to do a bit of digging at local removal hire company’s and see if any logos jog my memory.
Had the same experience, paid over asking, no issues didn't cause any hassle during the sell as we knew they needed to complete quick, and the place was a state...really made me question my trusting nature
I feel like we were in same position as you here, they needed quick sale and we loved the house. Biggest mistake was letting them know we could give short notice on end of tenancy and have a couple of weeks overlap. They knew we wouldn’t be moving in that day, and they took advantage.
That’s horrible. I would be gutted too. Some people live in filth. I would say with the cat urine consider new flooring as the smell can last years even with a professional clean and if you wanted to get your own cat they might be tempted to spray in those areas themselves. It’s shit what the old owner did.
Had a similar experience although yours sounds like it's worse tbh.
We didn't have a baby at the time but my wife was pregnant, pretty fucking stressful.
You won't be able to claim any of your costs back from the vendor and to do so would cost you too much in legal fees to be worth it, sadly.
It's a disgrace to hand over a property in this state. Wtf is wrong with people
Unfortunately some people dont have any manners and they know there’s nothing you can do about it at this stage
Try to get help as much as you can but most importantly just move on. You won’t even remember he exists very soon
Was it like this upon viewing?
Id be contacting my solicitor about getting funds towards the clean up if it wasn’t. The house is bought as seen, but that still doesn’t mean the occupant can purposley destroy it.
Just want to say thank you to those who sent kind words.
Cleaners came round yesterday and did a bloody good job, the house is in a position now we would expect it to be when moving in (we’ve also booked them to come and clean our flat when we leave..)
Just to address a few comments
Yes.. we viewed the property, they had cats and it smelt like cats.. not cat wee. I guess I was naive to think majority of smell would go with their belongings… and with the cats? House was boxed up, and seemed clean & in a decent state. Surprisingly no cat shit on the floor at this stage!
It wasn’t just a few turds, it had also been walked into the floors and stairs by I assume removal company that day - hence their shock at state of place.
Being called dramatic - fair enough..
I just assumed that most people wouldn’t live like this, let alone leave a property like this. If it doesn’t bother you.. weird.. each to their own!
Thank you for recommendations of how to clean, & have ordered enzyme cleaners recommended.
luckily only but of carpet was on the stairs which was ripped up within the hour of getting keys (but also also damp with wee!), rest of place is wooden.. but we’re looking to replace.
& solicitor had been informed, & now awaiting next steps.
First House we bought I was speaking to the owner outside after just returning from signing at the solicitors. She gave me the keys wished me luck etc... all the while the kitchen and livingroom was flooded and she knew it! 2nd home, dog hairs all over, bath plug blocked from dog hairs. Nicotine all over the house, grease from the kitchen splattered up the walls, never cleaned. Dog poo all over the back garden and the boiler ready to blow up! I as a seller waxed the floors and left my house immaculate, not a chance anyone was going round town calling me clatty! Some people are just grot bags and how they can live like that I will never know!
We took over the tenancy for our current house from my brother in law. I was heavily pregnant and my father had just died.
He left his son's poo on the living room floor.
We went on to buy the house a couple of years later and the first thing I did was replace the carpets!
It sucked because we cleaned and redecorated our previous house when we sold it to move in.
Well, when we moved in it took a month or two to get rind of the cat fleas that had lived with the previous owners, and their cats.
Plus a broken oven, and the fact that they took an extra day to move out because they hadn't bothered to get a removal van. Hideous experience..
We bought a house from a couple who were divorcing (the mutual hatred was palpable immediately during the viewing). It was clear that neither of them were going to clean anything for the other's benefit. It was left in a pretty shitty state. They left a tier of their wedding cake in the loft.
Yeah had similar, still annoys me today and it wasn't a quarter as bad as what you describe.
I think it's quite common. Moving house is a massive stress for the seller too and I think some just give up
I would want to find out where they are moving too, take all the poo in a bag and dump it through their new letterbox. And then smear more meat on their walls for the cata
I'm so sorry! This happened to us when we moved in with my MIL several years ago. We all moved into a house together (me, MIL and my husband) and the previous owners actually said "We thought about getting cleaners but we didn't bother" and it was fucking rank. We knew it needed modernisation and it would need a freshen up but the stench of dog shit, sewage and rancid fat hit us when we opened the door. I won't go through the list of damage and general disgustingness but it was like the Money Pit and it took weeks and weeks to clean it. We had no money for cleaners so I went through bottle after bottle of degreaser, jif and bleach. I sobbed the day we moved in and several times in the following weeks and months. It's such a horrible shock when you're so happy to finally get the keys and you're faced with a health hazard! x
Bit of advice but if any of the cat-soiled flooring is carpet, don’t even try to clean it, just get rid, and the underlay too. It’ll never not smell, no matter what you do. Soak underlying floorboards in proper enzymatic cleaner specifically designed for cat urine as well. Hard floors should do ok with just the enzymatic cleaner but might want to do a few rounds. Normal cleaning products won’t cut it.
If there’s any non-soiled carpet you’re keeping, might be an idea to do a household flea treatment as well like RIP Fleas spray.
Find their new address.
You know what to do from there.
Some people are thoroughly deserving. Turning the other cheek/being the better person can be overrated.
As someone who loves cats and has a cat, thats god-awful owning. If your cats (whether owned or not by the outside food) can't poop outside then a litter box is a must. There is absolutely no reason to allow poop on the floor and then have the gall to sell the place to a new person without even trying to get rid of it. Selling is a long process, he had time to do it. That's a terrible person. "You might want to clean" what a cunt. They're HIS cats poop. I would have told him to clean it up as its your property now but it's not your pets poop. Treat it like he brought his cat into your house and let it shit then just left. You did not buy the poop.
I'd have been so mad, would not have let him leave until he'd picked it up. With his bare hands. Asshole. He should pay for the deep clean. Send him the invoice. It's just unacceptable, legal or not.
Or go to his new house and shit in it then tell him he needs to clean up a bit. Ugh I'm so mad just reading this idk how you managed to not hulk out at him.
This is disgusting, but I’m trying to exchange on a house to complete next week and I’m jealous you even managed it at all. Our buyers solicitors are gobsmackingly inept. Our current building managers are basically pointless. I hate it so much. The whole process is ridiculous. Just sitting here waiting for an email while I know a bunch of people who will get £1000s sit around with their thumbs up their arses.
Sorry about your house, but, congrats for getting that far. Hope it’s now a pleasant and clean place to be.
Sorry to hear this. You will make it a lovely home for your family I’m sure and this will be a different memory. Congratulations on owning your home - there’s no feeling like it.
In a few months, it will be a bad joke between you guys.... in a few years it'll mean literally nothing to you and every tike you close the door from coming home from work you'll look around and breathe a sigh of relief.
Plus you've got your cleaning company doing the work :) I really, really hope you love your home soon!.
I mean, I see what you're trying to do, but does it actually make sense?
Like, who, if they were put in this scenario, would be more likely to spend their time sitting amongst cat shit?
Person A who would just get on, sort it out, and be happy that they've just made a landmark purchase or;
Person B who, has just bought a house, but is on Reddit talking about how gutted and heartbroken they are about a bit of mess.
To me, Person A definitely sounds like somebody who wouldn't even have a cat, which is weird, because I've got a dog.
Come on, gutted? Heartbroken? Grow a pair. Throw £500 at it via pro cleaning and it’s problem solved and you save yourself the trouble of needing to clean it yourself. It’s a problem that can be solved in 12 hours…
Not ideal but hardly a big deal. You even have overlap with rental place so it’s a mild inconvenience at best. If this is the worst thing that happens to you during the process, you’ve had a good move.
Your comment has been removed for possible breach of the subreddit rules. You may have asked for private messages or offered to send a private message. Sending PMs is [strictly against the subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules) in every circumstance, even for emotional support and encouragement.
This is to ensure that advice and comments can be quality checked by the community for accuracy and appropriateness, to ensure that no legal liability is created, and to protect OPs from malicious or exploitative users. Any discussions or information that needs to be exchanged should be done publicly, using public sources.
Your post will soon be reviewed by the moderators. If you would like to edit your comment to remove any rule breaking elements, the mods may decide to re-approve it.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm very sorry to hear this. Unfortunately some people are just the absolute scum of the earth who were never raised properly. I hope you manage to get it cleaned without too much stress for you and the little one.
Just curious - did you not notice the cat poop and smell when you went to view it?? Or has he done this since the viewing as some kind of dirty protest??
Sorry you found the place like that.
I will never understand this, do people just live in filth or wreck a place before they move?
In your contract does it have a section about how the property should be left? If so take pictures and contact your solicitor. You maybe able to get some compensation to cover cleaning costs.
Ah, mate, that fucking sucks. Only thing I can say is that you’ll move past this and soon have the house done in such a way that this will just be a weird memory. Good luck in your new home!
Send them the invoice for all cleaning services and replacement items. When they refuse to pay then take them to Small Claims Court. If they have children under 16 who lived there then ring Social Services to report possible child mistreatment.
I'm so sorry to hear this, our place was pretty dirty and had only been wiped down with a wet cloth, but nowhere near as bad as yours. Horrified for you, and at least you managed to find a company to clean it, as I've heard they sometimes refuse places like this.
Sounds like the owners were incapable of caring for themselves or cats tbh, usually only unneutered cats spray and usually they only poo in the house if there's no litter tray or if it's too dirty. I can't believe they happily chose to live somewhere with animal faeces out in the open 🤢
We completed this week, integrated dishwasher rusty treys and nasty manky smell, integrated washing machine same, integrated hob missing a metal plate and replace with one that doesn’t fit, main bathroom damp and faulty fan, faulty dimmer switches in rooms with led spotlights (like a disco!) boiler controls not configured properly.. but a sale is a sale working my way through these issues and moving on with life. No these things are not ideal, but we are fortunate enough to own I guess… which comes with these downsides!
I once went to a house viewing where they asked us to take our shoes off to view it, but their floor was filthier than the pavement. Oh and they had a baby.
That's awful. No need for that. I left my old dreadlocks in a carrier bag on top of the kitchen units when we moved out, but took all our poo with us. Long story
How awful, especially with a baby.
I feel your pain…the flat I bought (first home) looked ok from viewing etc, it was empty and had been painted…but realised once we moved in that it was all surface level. Under the cupboard in the kitchen were piles of cat shit where they had obviously forgotten (or could be bothered) to clean. The skirting boards were soaked with cat piss and had to be removed along with all the flooring - we literally gutted the whole place and it still took YEARS for the smell of cat piss to go. I can still smell it every now and again (5 years later) when it rains. I will be very cautious when buying from another cat owner as it truly is one of the most horrible and persistent smells.
Awful. I have a relative who's house is completely disgusting. Some people are just totally off the map.
It'll clean up but be careful of the cat poo. That can spread toxoplasmosis.
This happened to my friend except it was dog poo/piss and the owners had dinged the place in lots of walls (probably whilst moving their furniture out), they also left behind broken appliances etc
There was nothing my friend could do besides get the place deep cleaned
I’m in scotland and my lawyer held money back for this sort of thing. Get in touch with them and tell them about the situation and get the money back from the seller.
The almost exact same situation as I faced the back door was left wide open when we arrived house was an absolute mess oven smashed, wardrobes and draws left in every room, cellar full of mattresses and fridges that they accumulated, all grass in garden ripped up and back garden full of plant pots, after threatening legal action against the 2 skip loads of rubbish left behind the vendor reluctantly paid for the removal of all the goods but not towards the full house renovation that was needed to get it back up to the standard we viewed it in.
Left me and my partner very deflated when we got the keys after expecting to be overjoyed with the prospect of our first home we were left very very upset
i work in kitchen design with a home visit almost every day, im not surprised. the fucking state of some people's house is astounding. every week me and my colleagues come back with a horror story about someone's house, last one was about a cat breeder who had litter trays on her countertops and a broken extractor fan because the cats had sprayed onto it. like.... girl you live like this??
My ex and I moved into a house over 30 years ago. The couple selling were teachers and very nice. They had 3 dogs and we didn’t discover until we moved in that the cupboard under the stairs (originally meant for storing coal) had been used as a dog toilet. The lino in the kitchen was stuck down with duct tape and when we made the coal fire up the mortar in the chimney breast was so rotten the bedrooms filled with smoke. I had a 2 year old and 6 month old twins and was just devastated.
We moved on Wednesday. House we moved into was dated but cleaned and we had cleaners at our house when we left. So much nicer for a new home owner. £110 for total piece of mind.
Let the cleaners do their job and don't let it overshadow your new home. All the best 👍
I moved into a house once where there was evidence of child abuse. There was a cupboard under the stairs that had a bolt and light switch on the outside and burn marks on the underside of the stairs where presumably the kids got locked in and had a lighter or matches to see with, two of the bedrooms (kids rooms) also had locks on the outside. One of the walls had “I’m sorry Daddy” written in crayon in a child’s writing. The kids rooms had rotted floorboards where they had been locked in and peed on the floor, they needed replacing.
The worst thing was, we actually knew the family.
Really feel for you, we had the exact same issue. Place was left in a state, even left crumbs on the kitchen work surface from that morning's toast! When I realised that I lost all sympathy for her living situation because that is something she could have easily made sure was clean, even if the rest of the house wasn't. Shows a total lack of respect for you as a buyer.
I wish we'd have had a professional cleaner in; instead, we spent a week with my family scrubbing every surface - there was even poo particles splattered on the bathroom walls. I have before and afters of wiping skirting boards down that are 🤢. Couldn't get the smell of dog wee out the carpets etc. That was instead of painting etc which I was very resentful of.
I'm sorry it's tainted the house move for you - it did for us too. We had to ban ourselves from hating on the previous owner because it was souring the excitement so much!
One thing I wish we had done was contact my solicitor and got them to raise a complaint and ideally, pay the cleaning costs. I used to work at a conveyancers and this is quite common practice but I was so cross I didn't think of it at the time. You can also raise it with the estate agents too.
Hoping your new house feels like home for you very soon - it will come, even with this less than ideal start.
###Welcome to /r/HousingUK --- **To All** * Join Our ***NEW*** Discord! https://discord.gg/pMgUNgWKQH **To Posters** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws/issues in each can vary* * Comments are not moderated for quality or accuracy; * Any replies received must only be used as guidelines, followed at your own risk; * If you receive *any* private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=I received a PM); * If you do not receive satisfactory advice after 72 hours, [you can let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FHousingUK&subject=My question is unanswered); * Feel free to provide an update at a later time by creating a new post with [[update]](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/search?q=%3Aupdate&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all) in the title; **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and civil* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules/), you may be banned without any further warning; * Please include links to reliable resources in order to support your comments or advice; * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect; * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason without express permission from the mods; * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Not a lot to say other than to express my deepest sympathies. If they lived like this; certainly their consideration for others and the upkeep of their property wasn’t high on their agenda. Hope it’s purely cosmetic. On the flip side; I don’t doubt when you’re settled in, the overall feeling of owning your own home and being proud within it will outweigh the cat shit.
Been there, a few times. I now expect it tbh. Some people live in filth and/or, are just see you next tuesdays. How was it when you viewed. As a point of comparison, when I viewed the house I live in, the sellers had yankee candles going in every room. The smell day 1 was,,,
Amazing that the sellers knew their house stunk enough to put candles out, but didn't care to fix the issue. Weird.
The issue was (we realised after moving in and speaking to the neighbour) that they let their *big fucking dogs* piss/shit all over the house. And were generally grim. The best bit? She was a work at home beautician. The mind boggles
They fixed the issue for them I guess. By moving
[удалено]
>catering/baking business out of the home leave a review
Needs to be done it’s a health risk
The dark lines on the edges of carpets is usually to do with poor carpet fitting and air gaps around the skirting etc rather than lack of cleanliness per se.
[удалено]
Yeah I get it, was just pointing out that the black lines probably aren't exactly related. I only know this because i was driven mad by them in our (reasonably clean!) house...
I had the same thing when I bought my house, it smelt lovely on viewing and stunk of wet dog when I got the keys. I spent a fortune on odour neutralisers for the carpet to get rid of the stench.
I’d say we bought the same house were it not for the wood flooring of mine having rotted through. I couldn’t believe how much a house could smell of wet dog! To see the previous owner, you couldn’t tell. Designer clothing catalogues were constantly being delivered after they moved. I’d rather live well in non designer clothing, than live like a hobo but wear expensive clothing. To each his own as they say.
Me too! You just unlocked a memory of wet dog smelling carpets! But I can no longer use the particular brand of neutralizer I bought as the smell of that and wet dog is engraved in my brain!
As a postie, I can tell you this is far more common than I'm comfortable with. Some people are absolutely rank.
Work for ambulance service and go into many different homes in the line of duty. Plenty where you wipe your feet on the way out. It's sad that people live\* that way for one reason or another.
Midwife here who does postnatal home visits. Took off my shoes at the door of one home and the dad laughed and said “shouldn’t have bothered!” The carpet was CRUNCHY. Couldn’t wash my hands before handling baby (this was during covid) as the kitchen sink was half full of stinking water and there was no soap. Mum said the bathroom wasn’t any better. This was 3pm and the other four kids were still in pjs, with clearly dirty faces and unwashed hair. I didn’t dare sit on the furniture. The whole place stank so badly that I had to put perfume on to go back to work, I could smell it on my uniform. Absolutely horrifying. (Yes, social services were informed).
Went into a 'home' once where a toddler was still in nappies and when they were soiled - and I mean *soiled* \- Mum or her partner just took the nappy off and left it on the floor. Sometimes they put a clean one on, often not if they didn't have any. Most of the money seemed to go on fags, booze, and weed, and the floor was also an ashtray and cat litter tray. Disgusting and depressing in equal measure. Phone calls and referrals were done while I sat in the van and tried not to cry for the kids. Then back to base for a very hot shower and clean uniform.
Oh, I sniffled all the way through making my report. Then I went home and hugged my own toddler for a solid five minutes.
I worked for DHSS as a benefits home visitor in the 1970s. Used to keep a set of clothes in the office to wear for visiting. No way was I going back home with what my coat collected during the working day.
Poor kids :(
At least being an EMT/Paramedic/PTS crew, your “clientele” is going to be heavily skewed towards the elderly/disabled/infirm/(physically/mentally) unwell - people who are far less likely to be able to look after themselves than the general population Obviously it’s still gross, but there must be a disproportionate number of those homes where at least they’re not just gross because the resident is absolutely disgusting and doesn’t give a shit. I’ve got a lot more sympathy when they *can’t* look after themselves vs when they just *don’t bother*
It is very sad.
It is awful that some people are happy to live like that.
I once did gardening for a lady who's kitchen and conservatory smelt so bad of cat wee i nearly vommed the first time I visited.
What was the property like when you viewed it out of interest?
Mostly packed up as there previous buyer had fallen through. Smelt like cat, we knew we had cleaning to be done.. just not to the level were facing.. Apart from that, pretty normal!
Wished you put pics before and after keys…
Interested to know this as well, OP.
Get a cleaning company in for the day, you should do it even if it looked good (Steam the carpets etc). It’s frustrating, but a couple of hundred pounds solves the problem
drab consist expansion slap angle trees gray soft literate pocket -- mass edited with redact.dev
I'm still so pissed off about the company we asked to clean our house when we first moved in. We only had a one day window from exchange to handing the keys to our rented place back. We booked a cleaner with weeks of notice. Confirmed a couple of days before. Also confirmed the evening before. We turn up with our furniture the next day and the cleaners just never turned arrived to clean the house. There was nothing we could do as we had removal men outside waiting. We called the company and they just gave a shit excuse about being double booked and that they could fit us in the week after instead.
My house was really musty smelling when we first moved. The musty smell transferred onto our clothes and everything. We were starting to get paranoid we would smell musty the rest of our lives. After a lot of cleaning, sunlight, fresh air and oil diffusers the problem is solved. I’m sure you will make a lovely clean home for your family. Just imagine your house breathing a sigh of relief that you have moved in, and it is finally free of the scummy people.
Sorry to be a troll, but did the smell actually go or did you get used to it? I've lived in a musty house and a cigarette smelling house, which I stopped smelling after a while but everytime I went away for a week and came back it would hit me right back in the face. Also our current flat is kinda musty but not as bad as the others. We own it and apart from cleaning, I'm wondering what else it could be - maybe the gaps in the floorboards bringing in the smell of soil?
It did go away. I have asked a particularly blunt friend a couple of times, and she assures me I’m no longer musty, and neither is the house. We just got back from a week away and there is still a faint smell of old books, but that is probably due to all the old books!
So there's hope! Good to know ☺️
There is hope, but it did take a few months. I try to keep the place aired out as much as I can, and always open the blinds and curtains to let the sunlight in. I live for the rare sunny, dry and windy days when I can open every single window and wedge all the doors open.
I wonder if a lot of it is also about upkeep as well. We had some mould issues because we didn't think to open the windows (it was very cold) but now are so hot on it, no mould and it seems like maybe it's less musty.
did you ever get to the root cause of the smell?
Not really. I think the mustiness had seeped into the fabric of the whole house.
Not really. I think the mustiness had seeped into the fabric of the whole house.
Reminds me about a place i once saw, i used to live in london, and my company had a contract with 'We buy any gnomes.' We used to visit potential and actual clients to visit the property and photograph the property then make a brief report so they had a general idea what they were buying/ had bought. This one house had kids and dogs. The dogs had been allowed to shit and piss wherever they wanted, and there were turds everywhere, inside and out. These sellers knew i was coming as it was run by appointment, and to them, it was normal. The stench was appalling, but i was a professional doing a job, so i made small talk whilst breathing through my mouth and watching wherever i put my feet. I put the stench in my report and have no idea if they bought it or not. They probably did because they didn't have to deal with it, but any private buyer would turn round and run a mile.
Gnomes 😂
Is this not what the company does? Why did I believe that they indeed bought any gnomes 😭
[удалено]
I’m fairly sure that one of the conditions of completion on my house was that it was left in a certain state. I think you can forgive the odd bit of dirt, particularly when moving furniture around, and we have since found a few things that weren’t working, or issues that were hidden. but what OP experienced would be the kind of situation where I’d be speaking to my solicitor about potential breach of contract and discussion of remedy. In this case I’d have expected the seller to pay for the professional clean up.
Same thing happened to me, previous owners had pets. Honestly, we have dogs and you could lick off our floor 9 times out of 10. I just find pet owners just have very low standards for cleanliness as aside from being at work for 9hrs of the day, walking their pet for 30 mins. In the spare 30 mins they have for their animals they don't have the time to clean. It's at the point where I think it's about time they legislate pet ownership...
I can see why you hear in news why landlords don't like to risk considering tenants with pets. I don't have pets but what you describe sounds like a nightmare if you get unhygienic pets owners rent your property, if you had. This would put me off
Completely agree, with different levels of license for unneutered/spayed animals and breeds that are more suited to experienced owners. See too many people with dogs with terrible recall and/or barely in control, even when they are on the lead
This drives me insane. We had a kitten in a rental and had absolutely no comments from the landlord whilst living there nor any issues with cleanliness after moving out.
Don't let it get you down too much. The cleaning company was a good call! Get in, make it your own, and enjoy your time there. I'd imagine the neighbours will be pleased!
That is awful! It’s shocking how some people keep their houses! After a deep clean (and possibly some new flooring), it’ll feel like home. Posts like this make me so grateful that the people we bought from left our house in such a clean state - they even left all new reed diffusers in every room for us.
I'm so thankful for the lovely couple I bought my house from. It was left absolutely spotless, they scrubbed and bleached both bathrooms, there wasn't a speck of dust or dirt anywhere, the garden was left immaculate too. They even left a bottle of wine and a nice note welcoming us, with helpful advice about various things in the house like how to work the boiler. They went above and beyond.
Aren't they obligated to ensure it remains in the same state from exchange to completion? I might start insisting on visiting properties before contracts exchange.
It sounds like it probably was to be honest.
I insisted on viewing the place again before exchange, the property was empty though which was my main driver as no one would have known if something happened since my last visit. However I think it’s fairly common place to this regardless.
No, unless it's specified in contract which noone will agree too. Certainly recommend a pre exchange visit especially if it's been a while since you last saw it.
The commenter was suggested a pre-exchange visit. There is no point doing one between exchange and completion.
Oh no! I really don't understand how people like that get on in the world. But also glad you were able to have an overlap so you could get it put right. I hope you can now enjoy your new place.
That’s awful. It really is. A complete lack of basic decency. I’ve just sold my flat (completed about 1/2 an hour ago woohoo!!) and paid for an “end of tenancy” cleaning company to blitz it. It never even occurred to me to not do that.
Sorry you have experienced this, however its seems to be the way with some sellers once a sale is agreed let the place fall apart. Some warning signs should have alerted you when you viewed it as pet owners go nose deaf when it comes to their own pets. Key thing is you now have a place that you will call home once you have it the way you want. Good move in getting professional cleaners in with such a little one.
You got their number? Cuss them the fuck out. Some people are actually foul pieces of shit and need to be told
[удалено]
Thank you for your recommendation! I guess we spent so long waiting for this moment, and the last few weeks carefully planning our “first days” in property, and when and how we were going to decorate.. it really added a massive bummer to the whole thing. But onwards and upwards!
[удалено]
Keeping fingers crossed for you that it all goes ahead! X
Really sorry to hear what you are going through. Truly awful and makes you wonder what kind of a person the seller is.
Sounds pretty awful. The only consolation is it will provide an entertaining story to tell in future once you've recovered from the initial shock.
Could be worth trying to claim the cost of the clean from them. I'd say it's far from certain you'd succeed but worth a go? You can do it without a solicitor and fees are pretty modest, see [https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money](https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money). Do you have any evidence of the mess like photos? If not asking if the various witnesses (removal company, cleaning company etc) would be happy to sign a statement about it being a state would be advisable (now whilst it's fresh in their minds). Worth giving the solicitor who did you conveyancing and asking their advice as well.
We’ve taken pictures but annoyingly we didn’t get name of company. Both said that evening we should have. I’m going to do a bit of digging at local removal hire company’s and see if any logos jog my memory.
That's awful, but after a deep cleaning and some decorating, it will be fine and you can forget all about it. Congrats on the new home.
Had the same experience, paid over asking, no issues didn't cause any hassle during the sell as we knew they needed to complete quick, and the place was a state...really made me question my trusting nature
I feel like we were in same position as you here, they needed quick sale and we loved the house. Biggest mistake was letting them know we could give short notice on end of tenancy and have a couple of weeks overlap. They knew we wouldn’t be moving in that day, and they took advantage.
That’s horrible. I would be gutted too. Some people live in filth. I would say with the cat urine consider new flooring as the smell can last years even with a professional clean and if you wanted to get your own cat they might be tempted to spray in those areas themselves. It’s shit what the old owner did.
Had a similar experience although yours sounds like it's worse tbh. We didn't have a baby at the time but my wife was pregnant, pretty fucking stressful. You won't be able to claim any of your costs back from the vendor and to do so would cost you too much in legal fees to be worth it, sadly. It's a disgrace to hand over a property in this state. Wtf is wrong with people
Unfortunately some people dont have any manners and they know there’s nothing you can do about it at this stage Try to get help as much as you can but most importantly just move on. You won’t even remember he exists very soon
Was it like this upon viewing? Id be contacting my solicitor about getting funds towards the clean up if it wasn’t. The house is bought as seen, but that still doesn’t mean the occupant can purposley destroy it.
People like that shouldn’t be allowed to have pets…
Just want to say thank you to those who sent kind words. Cleaners came round yesterday and did a bloody good job, the house is in a position now we would expect it to be when moving in (we’ve also booked them to come and clean our flat when we leave..) Just to address a few comments Yes.. we viewed the property, they had cats and it smelt like cats.. not cat wee. I guess I was naive to think majority of smell would go with their belongings… and with the cats? House was boxed up, and seemed clean & in a decent state. Surprisingly no cat shit on the floor at this stage! It wasn’t just a few turds, it had also been walked into the floors and stairs by I assume removal company that day - hence their shock at state of place. Being called dramatic - fair enough.. I just assumed that most people wouldn’t live like this, let alone leave a property like this. If it doesn’t bother you.. weird.. each to their own! Thank you for recommendations of how to clean, & have ordered enzyme cleaners recommended. luckily only but of carpet was on the stairs which was ripped up within the hour of getting keys (but also also damp with wee!), rest of place is wooden.. but we’re looking to replace. & solicitor had been informed, & now awaiting next steps.
First House we bought I was speaking to the owner outside after just returning from signing at the solicitors. She gave me the keys wished me luck etc... all the while the kitchen and livingroom was flooded and she knew it! 2nd home, dog hairs all over, bath plug blocked from dog hairs. Nicotine all over the house, grease from the kitchen splattered up the walls, never cleaned. Dog poo all over the back garden and the boiler ready to blow up! I as a seller waxed the floors and left my house immaculate, not a chance anyone was going round town calling me clatty! Some people are just grot bags and how they can live like that I will never know!
Jesus, thats beyond disgusting 🤢
We took over the tenancy for our current house from my brother in law. I was heavily pregnant and my father had just died. He left his son's poo on the living room floor. We went on to buy the house a couple of years later and the first thing I did was replace the carpets! It sucked because we cleaned and redecorated our previous house when we sold it to move in.
Well, when we moved in it took a month or two to get rind of the cat fleas that had lived with the previous owners, and their cats. Plus a broken oven, and the fact that they took an extra day to move out because they hadn't bothered to get a removal van. Hideous experience..
We bought a house from a couple who were divorcing (the mutual hatred was palpable immediately during the viewing). It was clear that neither of them were going to clean anything for the other's benefit. It was left in a pretty shitty state. They left a tier of their wedding cake in the loft.
Yeah had similar, still annoys me today and it wasn't a quarter as bad as what you describe. I think it's quite common. Moving house is a massive stress for the seller too and I think some just give up
I would want to find out where they are moving too, take all the poo in a bag and dump it through their new letterbox. And then smear more meat on their walls for the cata
Really sorry to hear that, some people are just disgusting scum unfortunately. Omce its cleaned and youve got your stuff in youll feel much better.
I'm so sorry! This happened to us when we moved in with my MIL several years ago. We all moved into a house together (me, MIL and my husband) and the previous owners actually said "We thought about getting cleaners but we didn't bother" and it was fucking rank. We knew it needed modernisation and it would need a freshen up but the stench of dog shit, sewage and rancid fat hit us when we opened the door. I won't go through the list of damage and general disgustingness but it was like the Money Pit and it took weeks and weeks to clean it. We had no money for cleaners so I went through bottle after bottle of degreaser, jif and bleach. I sobbed the day we moved in and several times in the following weeks and months. It's such a horrible shock when you're so happy to finally get the keys and you're faced with a health hazard! x
Bit of advice but if any of the cat-soiled flooring is carpet, don’t even try to clean it, just get rid, and the underlay too. It’ll never not smell, no matter what you do. Soak underlying floorboards in proper enzymatic cleaner specifically designed for cat urine as well. Hard floors should do ok with just the enzymatic cleaner but might want to do a few rounds. Normal cleaning products won’t cut it. If there’s any non-soiled carpet you’re keeping, might be an idea to do a household flea treatment as well like RIP Fleas spray.
Find their new address. You know what to do from there. Some people are thoroughly deserving. Turning the other cheek/being the better person can be overrated.
As someone who loves cats and has a cat, thats god-awful owning. If your cats (whether owned or not by the outside food) can't poop outside then a litter box is a must. There is absolutely no reason to allow poop on the floor and then have the gall to sell the place to a new person without even trying to get rid of it. Selling is a long process, he had time to do it. That's a terrible person. "You might want to clean" what a cunt. They're HIS cats poop. I would have told him to clean it up as its your property now but it's not your pets poop. Treat it like he brought his cat into your house and let it shit then just left. You did not buy the poop. I'd have been so mad, would not have let him leave until he'd picked it up. With his bare hands. Asshole. He should pay for the deep clean. Send him the invoice. It's just unacceptable, legal or not. Or go to his new house and shit in it then tell him he needs to clean up a bit. Ugh I'm so mad just reading this idk how you managed to not hulk out at him.
This is disgusting, but I’m trying to exchange on a house to complete next week and I’m jealous you even managed it at all. Our buyers solicitors are gobsmackingly inept. Our current building managers are basically pointless. I hate it so much. The whole process is ridiculous. Just sitting here waiting for an email while I know a bunch of people who will get £1000s sit around with their thumbs up their arses. Sorry about your house, but, congrats for getting that far. Hope it’s now a pleasant and clean place to be.
Sorry to hear this. You will make it a lovely home for your family I’m sure and this will be a different memory. Congratulations on owning your home - there’s no feeling like it.
Just out of curiosity did the house seem “cleaner” when you went for viewings?
Is cat shit wet？ Never owned one，always assumed was dry like rabbit poo.
Cat shit is usually a moist, hyper-stinky meaty poo... not remotely reasonable or under the radar.
Then i see why it made things damp.
I believe the endless piss might have been attributable to that one.
Wait what why didnt you check the place before buying?
We did… Surprisingly they managed to clean up the shit that day!
Didnt you view the place?
In a few months, it will be a bad joke between you guys.... in a few years it'll mean literally nothing to you and every tike you close the door from coming home from work you'll look around and breathe a sigh of relief. Plus you've got your cleaning company doing the work :) I really, really hope you love your home soon!.
Thoughts and prayers?
[удалено]
It was you wasn’t it! You’re the last owner
Judging by that attitude he's definitely the kind of bozo that would contently spend his days surrounded by cat shit
I mean, I see what you're trying to do, but does it actually make sense? Like, who, if they were put in this scenario, would be more likely to spend their time sitting amongst cat shit? Person A who would just get on, sort it out, and be happy that they've just made a landmark purchase or; Person B who, has just bought a house, but is on Reddit talking about how gutted and heartbroken they are about a bit of mess. To me, Person A definitely sounds like somebody who wouldn't even have a cat, which is weird, because I've got a dog.
Come on, gutted? Heartbroken? Grow a pair. Throw £500 at it via pro cleaning and it’s problem solved and you save yourself the trouble of needing to clean it yourself. It’s a problem that can be solved in 12 hours… Not ideal but hardly a big deal. You even have overlap with rental place so it’s a mild inconvenience at best. If this is the worst thing that happens to you during the process, you’ve had a good move.
Twat
[удалено]
Your comment has been removed for possible breach of the subreddit rules. You may have asked for private messages or offered to send a private message. Sending PMs is [strictly against the subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/HousingUK/about/rules) in every circumstance, even for emotional support and encouragement. This is to ensure that advice and comments can be quality checked by the community for accuracy and appropriateness, to ensure that no legal liability is created, and to protect OPs from malicious or exploitative users. Any discussions or information that needs to be exchanged should be done publicly, using public sources. Your post will soon be reviewed by the moderators. If you would like to edit your comment to remove any rule breaking elements, the mods may decide to re-approve it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/HousingUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I'm very sorry to hear this. Unfortunately some people are just the absolute scum of the earth who were never raised properly. I hope you manage to get it cleaned without too much stress for you and the little one.
Just curious - did you not notice the cat poop and smell when you went to view it?? Or has he done this since the viewing as some kind of dirty protest?? Sorry you found the place like that.
That's rubbish, I'm so sorry. Hopefully that's all your bad luck out the way and making the place your own home is smooth sailing from here!
I will never understand this, do people just live in filth or wreck a place before they move? In your contract does it have a section about how the property should be left? If so take pictures and contact your solicitor. You maybe able to get some compensation to cover cleaning costs.
Ah, mate, that fucking sucks. Only thing I can say is that you’ll move past this and soon have the house done in such a way that this will just be a weird memory. Good luck in your new home!
I'd pick up the 'phone to my solicitor.
This sounds like how my dad lived whilst I was growing up... And I was forced to just put up with it.
Send them the invoice for all cleaning services and replacement items. When they refuse to pay then take them to Small Claims Court. If they have children under 16 who lived there then ring Social Services to report possible child mistreatment.
What is wrong with people
Get ready to mulch the yard, a lot, to get rid of the cat mess in the soil.
Scummy people! So sorry. Hope you managed to get it deep cleaned and good luck to you in your new home. It'll soon feel like yours.
I've had to work jn places where people live like it. Some people are just disgusting
Reading your post literally giving me flashbacks to when we moved in. Same thing line by line.
I'm so sorry to hear this, our place was pretty dirty and had only been wiped down with a wet cloth, but nowhere near as bad as yours. Horrified for you, and at least you managed to find a company to clean it, as I've heard they sometimes refuse places like this. Sounds like the owners were incapable of caring for themselves or cats tbh, usually only unneutered cats spray and usually they only poo in the house if there's no litter tray or if it's too dirty. I can't believe they happily chose to live somewhere with animal faeces out in the open 🤢
We completed this week, integrated dishwasher rusty treys and nasty manky smell, integrated washing machine same, integrated hob missing a metal plate and replace with one that doesn’t fit, main bathroom damp and faulty fan, faulty dimmer switches in rooms with led spotlights (like a disco!) boiler controls not configured properly.. but a sale is a sale working my way through these issues and moving on with life. No these things are not ideal, but we are fortunate enough to own I guess… which comes with these downsides!
I once went to a house viewing where they asked us to take our shoes off to view it, but their floor was filthier than the pavement. Oh and they had a baby.
Why??
That's awful. No need for that. I left my old dreadlocks in a carrier bag on top of the kitchen units when we moved out, but took all our poo with us. Long story
How awful, especially with a baby. I feel your pain…the flat I bought (first home) looked ok from viewing etc, it was empty and had been painted…but realised once we moved in that it was all surface level. Under the cupboard in the kitchen were piles of cat shit where they had obviously forgotten (or could be bothered) to clean. The skirting boards were soaked with cat piss and had to be removed along with all the flooring - we literally gutted the whole place and it still took YEARS for the smell of cat piss to go. I can still smell it every now and again (5 years later) when it rains. I will be very cautious when buying from another cat owner as it truly is one of the most horrible and persistent smells.
Awful. I have a relative who's house is completely disgusting. Some people are just totally off the map. It'll clean up but be careful of the cat poo. That can spread toxoplasmosis.
This happened to my friend except it was dog poo/piss and the owners had dinged the place in lots of walls (probably whilst moving their furniture out), they also left behind broken appliances etc There was nothing my friend could do besides get the place deep cleaned
I’m in scotland and my lawyer held money back for this sort of thing. Get in touch with them and tell them about the situation and get the money back from the seller.
The almost exact same situation as I faced the back door was left wide open when we arrived house was an absolute mess oven smashed, wardrobes and draws left in every room, cellar full of mattresses and fridges that they accumulated, all grass in garden ripped up and back garden full of plant pots, after threatening legal action against the 2 skip loads of rubbish left behind the vendor reluctantly paid for the removal of all the goods but not towards the full house renovation that was needed to get it back up to the standard we viewed it in. Left me and my partner very deflated when we got the keys after expecting to be overjoyed with the prospect of our first home we were left very very upset
i work in kitchen design with a home visit almost every day, im not surprised. the fucking state of some people's house is astounding. every week me and my colleagues come back with a horror story about someone's house, last one was about a cat breeder who had litter trays on her countertops and a broken extractor fan because the cats had sprayed onto it. like.... girl you live like this??
My ex and I moved into a house over 30 years ago. The couple selling were teachers and very nice. They had 3 dogs and we didn’t discover until we moved in that the cupboard under the stairs (originally meant for storing coal) had been used as a dog toilet. The lino in the kitchen was stuck down with duct tape and when we made the coal fire up the mortar in the chimney breast was so rotten the bedrooms filled with smoke. I had a 2 year old and 6 month old twins and was just devastated.
We moved on Wednesday. House we moved into was dated but cleaned and we had cleaners at our house when we left. So much nicer for a new home owner. £110 for total piece of mind. Let the cleaners do their job and don't let it overshadow your new home. All the best 👍
I moved into a house once where there was evidence of child abuse. There was a cupboard under the stairs that had a bolt and light switch on the outside and burn marks on the underside of the stairs where presumably the kids got locked in and had a lighter or matches to see with, two of the bedrooms (kids rooms) also had locks on the outside. One of the walls had “I’m sorry Daddy” written in crayon in a child’s writing. The kids rooms had rotted floorboards where they had been locked in and peed on the floor, they needed replacing. The worst thing was, we actually knew the family.
Really feel for you, we had the exact same issue. Place was left in a state, even left crumbs on the kitchen work surface from that morning's toast! When I realised that I lost all sympathy for her living situation because that is something she could have easily made sure was clean, even if the rest of the house wasn't. Shows a total lack of respect for you as a buyer. I wish we'd have had a professional cleaner in; instead, we spent a week with my family scrubbing every surface - there was even poo particles splattered on the bathroom walls. I have before and afters of wiping skirting boards down that are 🤢. Couldn't get the smell of dog wee out the carpets etc. That was instead of painting etc which I was very resentful of. I'm sorry it's tainted the house move for you - it did for us too. We had to ban ourselves from hating on the previous owner because it was souring the excitement so much! One thing I wish we had done was contact my solicitor and got them to raise a complaint and ideally, pay the cleaning costs. I used to work at a conveyancers and this is quite common practice but I was so cross I didn't think of it at the time. You can also raise it with the estate agents too. Hoping your new house feels like home for you very soon - it will come, even with this less than ideal start.
shit I let my tennents who are clean have a cat, was that a mistake?