AIBU to refuse to view a house if I have to remove my shoes?

[iliketea]

I'm happy to be told IABU....

We are currently house hunting. A few of the houses we've requested to view have asked us to remove our shoes at the door. At that point, I've said I'm not viewing a house in my socks and stopped the viewin before it's even started if the shoe thing is non-negotiable.

AIBU? it's not that i mind taking my shoes off when I'm visiting a friend - and generally do take my shoes in friends homes, but I find it weird that if you are trying to sell your house that you expect viewers to take their shoes off.

Or am I likely to miss a really great house and just suck it up / make sure i've got non-holey, matching socks wheb we go to view a house?

The Dan Croll video is fab, but I had to laugh when I noticed they all had their SHOES ON in the house despite the lyrics. What a hypocrite

Yes, definitely mixed messages there! (About as conclusive as this thread...)

YABU, you'll be missing out on the houses that don't need new carpets!

I can remember looking around some former aristo palace in Russia and being made to put on huge felt overshoes. Partly it was to protect the marble floors. But also, I'm sure, they did a fabulous job of polishing.

Ludvig - also having lived in Asia I'd say you are very unusual. I love the Asian traditions of no shoes inside. The floor only really gets dirty if people take the dirt in.

Having had dents put in my wooden floors by one viewer's stilettos, who stomped all over my house, I quickly switched to a no shoes policy when selling my house.

I'm as common as muck and we don't have shoes on in the house, mainly because my DC spend most of their time rolling around on the (dog shit free) floor.

Does that mean that I'm aspiring to move up to a different socioeconomic group?

YANBU Op

I always take my shoes off in friend's houses, if they prefer it and if they do it. I'm usually accompanied by at least 3 small children so that also seems fair enough (they will only take them off in odd places and then have to hunt for them for a hour before finding one under a pillow and the other in the bath) .

In my own home I leave it up to my guests. Don't mind either way.

In a strangers house, when they are trying to sell their house. They seriously need to unclench. It's weird (unless they are Japanese)

I'm also of Asian decent, so maybe it's in my genes rather than my social standing

YABU. Their house, their rules.

You are being oddly unreasonable. Why?

YABVU - its good manners if nothing else and tbh you are likely to miss out on a nice home

i had my stairs/hall recarpeted recently and everyone takes their shoes off as its a lovely awful to keep clean cream carpet and makes house look bigger and bright

always thought that when watching house programmes like secret agent and phil goes round their newly carpeted house in shoes drives me insane

Yabu. It used to take me hours to get the house ready for viewings. I didn't ask people to remove shoes but if I had and they'd walked away, I'd be utterly pissed off and think they were disrespectful.

Don't usually ask visitors to take their shoes off, have mostly tiles, lame ate downstairs. Visiting children yes. Do much prefer folk to take their shoes off though as we do. Think it is really rude not to ask what the house owner prefers TBH. I automatically take them off, but could never imagine just traipsing though someone's house with my shoes on unless they insisted.

I'm common, and we have a shoe-free house. I think this fits into the scenario laid out for us above?

You are wrong Giles.
I always wear shoes indoors. At home right now, cooking dinner, in my boots of all things!

true life, incredibly timely update

Turns out the cat has been sick.
Am incredibly glad I have boots on!

Just to add a Canadian perspective, over here at least 90% of people kick their shoes off at the door. It's just the done thing. We had workmen in the house today, and each one had a pair of nylon overshoes to cover his work boots.

My guess is the only visitors who wouldn't remove their shoes (or wear overshoes) would be the police and the paramedics.

John Lewis delivered my bed they brought their own shoe covers with them...

Haven't read all of the responses but YABU. Perhaps the house belonged to a Muslim person, in which case the shoes would definitely have to be removed regardless of carpet cleanliness!

Perhaps the house belonged to a Muslim person, in which case the shoes would definitely have to be removed regardless of carpet cleanliness!

Er, no. My grandmother was a Muslim and completely uninterested in what her guests had on their feet.

All of the Muslim families I know take their shoes off when entering the house. We viewed a house about 7 years ago and the man who owned it had the shoe covers for the viewers stacked by the front door.

My parents get a bit antsy if we ask them to take their shoes off in our house. We rarely did at home growing up unless they were especially muddy even though we had a boot hall. My husband's cultural background is that wearing shoes meant for outside inside is a big no-no and it's one I happen to agree with because it's so much easier to keep clean. Mum used to get someone in to vacuum .... Hmmm..

Haven't read all of this thread, but I'm amazed! NONE of my friends would dream of asking visitors to take their shoes off. And as for asking potential buyers to do so - words fail me. How very prissy ! YAdefinatelyNBU