Omaze Scandal

It shares a drive way with another house (that's even referenced in the rightmove link on the above property)

In the below, its the house on the middle on the right. There's a house right next to it on the right, and a house right next to it on the left. It's opposite a glorified dump. It is surrounded - at least, that's what I consider to be surrounded when the photos are as misleading as they are...by three houses, one of which shares a driveway with it, and two of which share the driveway next to it. That is surrounded in my book.

In photo twenty of the property I linked above (which shares it's driveway with the Omaze one) you can actually see the roof of this Omaze property - right by the boundary. You can also see it in photo one.

It is a blind bend. It's on a hill, around a corner and the road goes from 60 to 40 and there are frequently walkers in the road.

This!

Omaze houses are always dodgy, though. That's why Omaze auctions them. it's a well-known thing.

I'm aware of all that because I'm familiar with the place, but what you said in your previous post didn't actually match. "Tonnes of houses", "on a blind bend". It's wasn't a "well-placed screenshot" intentionally, just showing it isn't surrounded by tonnes of houses like you said.

I thought this was sort of the deal with Omaze? They have ‘issues’ so would be hard to sell on open market so they raffle them off.

@qwertyasdfgzxcv https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/148607912#/?channel=RESBUY

That's the house next door, you can see the property on Omaze in the side of the shot. They had both of them up on the market for £6m at one point, then took the bigger one down and upped the price of the smaller one. They also share a driveway (hence being marketed together at one point).

@JimothyHalpert just out of your screenshot, is a very sharp bend, which is actually 60mph. It goes to 40mph just after the bend as you head into Blakeney, then about 15 meters down the road, is this house. At the side of the screengrab you have taken, you can see the second house (linked above in this post) - which shares a driveway with this house. Just outside of your, well placed, screen grab, is the bend which is on a hill. There's also frequently walkers in the road as the coastal path goes up by the side of the property next door to the one that shares a driveway with this one...and out onto the mainroad, where people cross (on the bend) to get into the fields to do the Blakeney circular walk.

Blakeney Marine Services is basically a glorified skip - it's full of old, wrecked boats. So, on top of the dodgy (shared) driveway, cheap design, illegal build, you're also opposite a glorified dump.😁

If I was the winner, I would invite family and friends to stay and sell it on quickly, get a smaller place and spend the left over money. Lots of people do sell them on I have read.

Intersted- any right move links?

There's no scandal here OP, not sure what you mean.

Also a bit confused as to why a PP says it's "on a blind spot, on a bend in the road" and "actually has a tonne of other houses around it".
Doesn't look like it 🤔

Yeah, I used to buy Omaze tickets until a thread on here alerted me to the fact that I wouldn't be allowed to win! If you've a bad credit history, you can BUY tickets but the very small print advises you you're disqualified from receiving a prize 😡

It's true that all the properties have some problem or other, but I think that's more a function of the way they select the prizes for glamour: they obviously have to pay less for a palace built on a flood plain, for instance. There was one I really loved in London - I just wanted to live in it and didn't care if it was showing signs of subsidence or whatever. But the bastards wouldn't have given it to me if I won!!

I thought it was widely accepted that OMaze houses were dodgy as fuck?

This one is worth £2M at best (and was in fact on the market at £2m but they wouldn’t sell it!!!) - it’s on a blind spot, on a bend in the road and on a hill and actually has a tonne of other houses around it. I go past it frequently (I holiday 3-4 times a year in Blakeney) and it was built by absolute cowboys - the stories the locals tell (about this one and the one it shares a plot with!!!). You’d need your head read to want it.

What a misleading title

Why would anyone credit check you when you entering a competition free entry or paid entry? Your creditworthiness has nothing to do with anyone but a Lender or someone/company you are representing that entails financial planning/advice or something you would need to be financially sound/secure about.

How does it “expose” them though? They weren’t to know the previous owner breached planning and they have said the winner won’t have to cover costs?

I read the article and it says one property differs from the original planning documents. Omaze say that whoever wins the property will not have to pay to resolve the planning dispute.

I don't see how "Omaze has finally been exposed". Is there more?

I work for a charity who will be featuring later in the year. We are over the moon to have been selected - it is going to make a huge difference to us both financially and in terms of all the publicity.

I honestly don't mind if people buy a ticket primarily to win the house - the net result is the same to us!

X-posted with Glorybox2025!

I've heard similar, but I think it makes a massive difference if you've paid £6m for a property that you end up only being able to sell for £3m or if you've paid £12 to win it!

I can live without a tennis court, should I happen to win it.

It seems obvious that they are 'tricky' properties which is why Omaze are able to buy them cheaply. The valuations they promote are miles away from what they paid for them. However if you give me a free house that 'could' be worth £3m if it didn't have any issues and I sell it for £1.5m so that the purchaser gets a bargain and has to sort out the issues I'm still winning!

True - especially as their 'good causes' category is vaguely broad.

However, they don't advertise by telling potential participants tha the money for charity is 'the best part' - they know that most people only want to win the money!

If that were your main impetus and you didn't primarily have a big hope for personal gain in mind, why wouldn't you just give X amount to your favourite charity and gift aid it, rather than playing the lottery so that somebody else's choice of charities could get a very much smaller amount of your 'donation'?!

I've heard the rumours about omaze houses being problematic...personally I'd be more worried about other costs involved with running / selling it, they must be astronomical?

“We do not run credit checks. Omaze do not vet checks to see if potential winners can afford the house. They do run extensive eligibility and proof of identity checks before entering into the conveyancing process.”

“Omaze has insisted that whoever wins the three-bedroom property, built to resemble the style of the Hamptons area of Long Island, will not have to pay to resolve any planning issues.”

Not sure what you think has been exposed, exactly, OP…?

No they don't

www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/omaze-responds-winner-credit-check-32734497