to think that a consultant should live in a reasonably clean house

[wagonweel]

The property next door to us has been let for about a year now. This weekend they have moved out and the owners have just come round with an industrial cleaning firm to have the house gutted.

They offered me a peep inside as they were horrified at the disgusting filthy state of the property. We have never really spoken to the family as they pretty much keep themeselves to themeselves, although we did try to make conversation when they moved in but the wife doesnt speak English and the husband made no effort to acknowledge anyone in our road even though numerous people have said hello. They told me that he is a consultant at a hospital and couldnt beleive the state of the house which he has been living in.

The house is a lovely 4-bed detached and was rented to them in an immaculate state. Obviously the owners have retained the bond to pay for the cleaners but it horrifies me that a consultant in a hospital could live in this squalor. The carpets and walls were awful, the bathroom and kitchen looked like theyd never had a clean in all the time they were there.

They probably left their security deposit to pay for it to be cleaned.

What's the problem?

Ha, my house isn't as clean as it should be and I'm a cleaner!

I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks, if you don't like it, leave.

I think that if you are happy to live a fiithy house, then you are less likely to be concerned about hygiene generally. I find that quite worrying in a doctor. They are supposed to wash their hands before having contact with patients, but there is no one standing by the bed making sure that happens. It is taken on trust that medical staff do this. I don't think that the OP is talking about a house that is a bit messy/lived in. I got the impression she was talking about the kind of place Kim & Aggie would visit. That is gross and if I owned that house I'd gossip about it too.

And I shall ask again.... what effect do you think this had on his patients?

Jellyhead, his wife didnt work. The children were all of school age so no young ones home in the day. And, before you all jump on me saying "how do you know she doesnt work from home?" well, my neighbour told me he was a consultant and she didnt work.

Oh I don't know, if someone said 'come and have a look at the state of this house' i would go and have a nosy look.

Don't know if I would post about it on the internet and list as my main shock factors that (a) bloke was a consultant and (b) wife was forrin.

If you leave a rented house without cleaning it the LL will take the money to clean it from your security deposit.

If you can affoed to lose a few hundred quid why bother cleaning it?

I wouldn't judge, though.

I remember that Kim and Aggie show, and Life of Grime. A show which basically looked into houses of those with evident mental health issues, so we could all point and laugh.

Who knows what went on the house. Perhaps they were as miserable as sin.

I don't think it is ok to rent a house, not or rarely clean bathroom and kitchen, leave walls and carpet in a state and assume the bond wouldcover it so what is the problem?

Some dirt if it becomes ingrained gets really difficult to shove. I don't know what could have happened to the walls really but it sound like it was more drastic than what a thorough clean by professional cleaners would fix and I don't see how that is ok

"" I can understand the owners being surprised if the place was a real mess - and unhappy and wanting to show their friends and commiserate a bit.""

Yes, maybe and I would even not be surprised for a landlord/lady to come on here and complain about the state of the house but certainly not a nosey neighbour who then takes upon themself to decide who has got the "right" to have a filthy house or not according to their professional occupation.

Perhaps all professional people would have filthy houses if they didn't have a cleaner! Who knows. TBH I'd be more concerned if he was a butcher or worked in a deli...

sounds like the walls would have needed redoing, the carpets replacing and the cleaning might have taken a lot of time if it was dirt that had been built up over time. Not the same as a quick whip round after a holiday let or something.

If someone is willing to use a bathroom and kitchen in the state I saw then I would be horrified if me or any of my family were examined by him at the hospital. Wouldnt want him touching any of us.

I was chatting to the odd-job man who we rent from at the moment who'd come round to do an inspection. I was apologising for a few scuffs on the walls and he was telling me horror stories of places that he had did inspections on. In his experiencehe claims that nurses and doctors were without fail the worst of all professions by far at keeping the house clean, with junior doctors being by far the worst.

No idea if he's correct as the only nurse I know is incredibly clean and tidy but there you go.

He said lawyers were second worst and he'd rather rent to students.

Agree that houses always look worse when they're empty. I cleaned behind my sofas yesterday and my god it was fucking filthy, loads of cobwebs & because we have open fires they were not even clean cobwebs.

I had to hoover the walls where the sofas had been

Why? Are you unable to separate the personal and professional lives of people? I'm not particularly well organised at home, and don't keep on top of paperwork very well, but am mega organised at work. Two different things. If you can't get your head round that, then it's your problem, not anyone elses.

a house can get mighty dirty in a year. Certainly when dh is around my place gets messy fast. When he is away strangely much less so...

I don't know what the foreign wife has to do with it much but I suppose the cnsultant aspect is that when you choose someone to rent your home to hoping it'll be taken good care of, you do look at the jobs people have to help you decide.

I don't know I have never rented out to anyone. Maybe a consultant sounds like the ideal tenant and so the owners were doubly shocked?

Well as we don't know how dirty this house was - as someone else mentioned houses do tend to look dirtier once they're empty and I agree ( I used to clean empty houses), we can't tell whether it does need new carpet/ painting.

Violethill, what are you talking about? the fact that you dont keep on top of paperwork at home is no comparison to living in a dirty filthy home then going to work in a hospital.

Also, I'm with you on the nosing round peoples houses. I had a good old nosey at next doors photos when they put their house up on rightmove :) I love seeing how other people decorate similar spaces!

DH calls me Mrs.Mangle though.

I know when we moved out of our last place I had painters in to repaint the walls and they were telling me horror stories of the kind of mess they found in a lot of the places they went into. I think it is not that uncommon really.

Well, if was seeing a Consultant, I'd be most interested in whether he was competent to do the job. Not the state of his carpets.

the OP mentions carpets and walls