Abandoned houses

[user64332]

I pass an abandoned house everyday on the school run and I'm so curious about how it came to be left. someone's life just frozen in time. It has a Lexus parked outside that is growing weeds and moss around the wheels, inside is spotlessly clean, no trace or belongings but part of the interior is now sun faded. The window frames are rotting, the front and back garden has very tall weeds, but you can tell it was once neat and well kept. It is a shame to see such a solid period house rotting needlessly. It is semi detached and the house next door, and all the others on the street are in perfect condition.

I can't help wonder how on earth this happened? If someone owed money they surely would have their property and car repossessed. If they died with no next of kin, doesn't the state claim the property? What happens? Has anyone ever lived next to a house like this and found out the story?

I see plenty of dilapidated and falling down houses with boarded up windows and rubbish filled gardens and assume they were worth very little and hard to sellnand further deterioted, but this one with the expensive car parked outside obviously has a different story.

There's a large house empty near me and it has farmland too. It's probably not been lived in since late 70s. I took to google and the local FB group and found out allsorts. Apparently it's family that won't sell or inherit due to a family dispute.

When people are so desperately in need of housing, the scale of abandoned and neglected houses in high-cost cities is disgusting. It's not just their property and their choice, because there is a limited amount of land in any given location - it's more like buying a big share of the annual wheat crop each year and just letting it all rot.
They shouldn't have made squatting illegal, at least that gave some incentive to owners to keep an eye on things, and the ability to lose ownership if they didn't bother to even change a padlock on 8 years.

There's a lovely detached house I've driven past, not huge but has really nice features. It's boarded up with weeds everywhere. I happened to mention it to my mum and she knew that the older couple had died and their son inherited it, he was devastated by their death and basically boarded the house up and never did anything with it. I can only imagine in all those 20 odd years he's never needed the money 🤷‍♀️

There is one by me. I thought it was empty and abandoned. Then it came up for sale and I had a nosey on rightmove. It was in an awful state. Nobody could have lived there for 30 years or more. Except they had. Right up until April 2020 a reclusive elderly lady had lived there. Massive 4 or 5 bedroom place. No proper access from the road, access is via a series of alleyways.
The house was sold and the new owners are renovating it. They have an Instagram page I follow.

@Akire

I wonder who sorts if you are in prison? I mean say I get arrested don’t get bail and go jail for 20y. But your fridge is full of food the bin is full and you don’t Have enough money to cover bills for next 20y? Do you cut off everything and hope the roof doesn’t cave in by the time you get out?

My brothers "mate" was recalled to prison. He lives near me and I could see he had left his lights and heating on...he did another 6 months then came home couple of weeks ago. I don't envy him his gas and electric bill!

These always make me wonder too, often from what I understand someone passes away or goes into care and the family all refuse to deal with it and agree, enough time passes and it’s too big a job for anyone.

What fascinates me is how quickly a house goes to ruin if no one lives in it. I can never really get my head round it, it is like nature claims it.

We have one at the end of our street of terraced houses. The owner inherited it off her grandmother and lives in the US. She won’t sell because of the memories she has. She’s certainly doing her grandmother’s memory a disservice as the place has been empty for 25 and is falling apart. It has been reported to the council.

Also you see these properties in need of full renovation, walls ceilings crumbling, filthy, damp, and I reckon many of them were basically left empty for years before being sold.

There was one on one of my old streets. Apparently it wasnt in the best state whilst the gentleman lived in it. He hung himself and the house just sat there. I think the council were trying to find a relative. Eventually the council took it over and it was rented.

It is surprising how quickly homes deteriorate and lose their souls when they are empty.

It is surprising how quickly homes deteriorate and lose their souls when they are empty.

I agree. This thread is fascinating. It's why I like watching, 'Homes under the Hammer.' I sometimes wonder about the backstory of how some of the homes got to be like that.

Here are some photos of massive abandoned houses

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/31/inside-london-billionaires-row-derelict-mansions-hampstead

I also think prison, or maybe on the run.

It is surprising how quickly homes deteriorate and lose their souls when they are empty

Yes, it’s like by living there, nothing comes in, but when no one does, then weeds, ivy, animals, everything comes in and starts to demolish it.

Apparently it's family that won't sell or inherit due to a family dispute

There's one abandoned near us for this reason. Inherited by 3 cousins. One wants to live in it, one wants to sell it as is, one wants to renovate and sell. Its been boarded up for 18 years now.

There are two empty houses next door to each other at the bottom of my street. The first one was left to the lady’s granddaughter who was only 6, so it’ll sit there empty until she reaches at least 18. The other one belongs to a man who moved miles away to be a carer for his sister; he lives with his sister but if she dies the house isn’t his, so he’s keeping his own house just sitting there empty because if his sister dies he needs a home to come back to. Both houses are still full of furniture and everything, just left there.

@Rae36

Apparently it's family that won't sell or inherit due to a family dispute

There's one abandoned near us for this reason. Inherited by 3 cousins. One wants to live in it, one wants to sell it as is, one wants to renovate and sell. Its been boarded up for 18 years now.

I think that’s surprisingly common. Gotta love families. You’d think if there was enough money in it they’d get over their squabbles but it seems not.

I love things like this but also think it’s sad when we have a housing crisis in this country that so many houses are left like this when they could renovated and used instead of building 100s of houses on green space

From all I’ve ever heard it’s often due to bitter disputes between inheritors, or the place has been left to a distant relative who’s been abroad for years and who they’ve been unable to trace.

But in that case IMO, compulsory purchase should be routine once a house has deteriorated into a neglected eyesore with a jungle for a garden.

A Dsis lives in Cape Cod and opposite her house was one such - a lovely old house left to rot because of bitter disputes between siblings who’d inherited it. Houses there are nearly all wooden so will deteriorate a lot faster than brick/stone.

OTOH Dbro and SiL bought for absolute peanuts a village house in France that had been empty for years - in need of so much work (just one cold tap and no loo indoors) that no local wanted it even for peanuts - French people don’t usually want old houses. I think the inheritors were amazed that even a Brit was mad enough to buy it!

Thick stone walls, though. It’s a lovely house now.

P.S When attempting to locate the Empty Homes Department/Office/Staff, even a decade pre-covid19, it could take extreme persistence of effort even to get anyone in the council to accept they ever heard of such a post/law. (Some assistant in the Chief Exec office is the top tip shortcut) This might be because the employees must by law be on the payroll, but no law checks what, if anything, they do from then to retirement. Maybe they are unknown and invisible to colleagues because they are working flat out, or maybe because they have always regarded the job as an income stream, not a task, and are flat out lounging by a stream. Only a cynic would have suspicions.

I’ve just reported the one on our road. I’ll report back if I actually get a response.

Bishops Avenue in London is like this

My grandparent's house ended up like this. My grandpa died and my grandma rattled around in the house for a few more years.

Then she moved into a care home and the house just stood empty. When she died nearly 10 years later the house was left for a while longer because the family couldn't decide what to do with it.

Unfortunately it ended up being sold for development, was torn down and is now a block of flats.

Very sad because it was a beautiful house. Built by an architect containing all the features he'd wanted to put in client's houses, but not been allowed.

@QueenPaw

I love abandoned places. This is one I've been to several times and adore, it is so beautiful and I find them fascinating

That’s beautiful @QueenPaw. I love abandoned places and am looking for a local group when out of lockdown and able to travel.

Current obsession is abandoned urbex Canada on YouTube, so many channels don’t respect these places but I find this one great.

The problem (in England) with local authorities getting involved with abandoned or derelict properties is that it costs money, and as soon as they start moving all sorts of characters can suddenly appear making the process much more drawn out. Ultimately leaving the authority with a large bill and no property to show for it. And then next year there's an outcry about wasting money.