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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

406 replies

iliketea · 04/11/2013 09:01

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?

OP posts:
NoIHaventHadTheBabyYet · 04/11/2013 10:10

I cant believe anyone would be too stingy to buy a pair of socks of slippers for about 2 quid to keep in a bag to wear in this situation but would happily stomp dirt all over a house sellers carpet meaning they could ruin it or at the very least get it dirty so it needs time and money spent to have it cleaned. So rude!

Loopyloulu · 04/11/2013 10:11

YABU

We have wall to wall cream carpets and have a shoes off rule.

Just imagine the state they would be if all and sundry tramped in with mud etc on their shoes - and the hygiene factor if this was walked upstairs.

99% of people offer anyway- it's the inconsiderate and mucky ones who don't.

soverylucky · 04/11/2013 10:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MrsOakenshield · 04/11/2013 10:13

baking - I don't like taking my shoes off as nine times out of ten I'll end up with freezing feet within minutes. I have had many a not-great night at someone's house due to having very cold feet (these would be people I don't know well enough to take my slippers with me), it's actually made me want to leave within about 30 minutes. Fine if you have full carpeting/underfloor heating/no floor draughts, but it's rare that a house has none of those. I never expect or ask anyone to take their shoes off in my house, and I would say that that is the norm amongst most people I know, in fact there's only a couple of people I know who insist on this (and one keeps her house bloody cold and it's miserable, to be frank). But, as with so many hygiene related things, I know I'm a in a minority on MN!

But on house viewing I'm happy to - they could have 10 people a day through their door, you're not in the house for long enough for the temperature to be an issue, and I like to go in and out from the garden a few times so it makes sense.

MrsFuddyDuddy · 04/11/2013 10:16

Last time I sold a house was about five years ago. I was astonished at the number of viewers who scrabbled about taking their shoes off at the door. I didn't ask them to do that, but many thought that shoes-off was normal.

What astonished me more than the shoes-off thing was the blokes keeping their hats on.

I really wanted to say to them, "Take off your hat but leave your shoes on!" but, I was trying to sell the house so I iust let them continue shoeless and behatted.

YANBU, OP.

Loopyloulu · 04/11/2013 10:17

Chaos- doormats don't do the job. If it's pissing it down outside it takes more than a token shuffle on the mat to dry the soles of shoes.

If you have never had pale carpets you won't understand how one muddy footprint can ruin them for ever- or give you a heck of a lot of work cleaning up. Ok so some people may say another colour- but why? If the family and friends are happy to take their shoes off?

MidniteScribbler · 04/11/2013 10:17

I always just wear shoes that are easy to slip on/off at the door. I'd never bother going house hunting in lace ups.

melika · 04/11/2013 10:19

Common courtesy I think.

YesterdayI · 04/11/2013 10:22

To all the posters being outraged on behalf of people with health issues.

No one has said that they would mind if someone who had health issues didn't take their shoes off. Indeed many posters have explicitly stated that they wouldn't mind if people left their shoes on if they have health issues.

HexU · 04/11/2013 10:24

I do want the home owner wanted unless there was a reason I couldn't - then I'd explain and expect to have some leeway but then I'd want to see the house.

My GP house had wooden floors the estate agent turned up in stilettos and had a fit when asked to remove them.

We have wooden flooring - I could see my taking a similar approach to asking all shoes of so I don't end up in situation arguing that while they don't believe their shoes will damage the floor - actually they will.

FortyDoorsToNowhere · 04/11/2013 10:25

Disability is different, I wouldn't dream of asking somebody who struggles to take off their shoes or use the shoe protectors.

Gileswithachainsaw · 04/11/2013 10:25

I can't believe people feel so uncomfortable removing shoes. No one cares about your feet get over yourselves.

I swear there's threads on here about guests having traipsed mud through friends houses and refusing I remove shoes.

Babies crawl on the floor, toddlers eat anything. Dog shit can make children ill. Worms anyone?

Original poster
iliketea · 04/11/2013 10:27

Add to that jacks365

  • a nightmare / joke to local estate agents
  • too stingy to buy slippers
  • not a serious buyer.

We have no hope GrinGrin

In fact, we are serious and chain free / able to exchange and move within a few weeks; so I guess it's the seller losing out. But I will take shoe covers with me in future.

OP posts:
ouryve · 04/11/2013 10:29

Yes, you are. If anything, it should be a good sign that the vendor makes an effort to keep their house clean.

Lamu · 04/11/2013 10:29

YABU

Its common courtesy to remove your shoes when entering someone's house. We instructed an EA to let our empty flat earlier this year and went by one afternoon to find someone had traipsed muddy shoes all through the cream carpets. I was livid!

Impatientwino · 04/11/2013 10:30

If you are that idiotic inflexible that you wouldn't even remove your shoes to view a house I certainly wouldn't want to enter into such a long complicated legal process as a house sale with you anyway.

YABU and completely ridiculous!

ChaosTrulyReigns · 04/11/2013 10:31

See, most normal people would offer to rake off muddy, wet shoes, wouldn't they? So I assumed the issue was just not noticeably dirty outside shies - being made to take off because there's A Rule?

Having said that as a Host, I'd tell the guest to do whatever makes them happiest, and as a guest I'd offer to do whatever made the host happiest - my wishes would be obviously secondary as that's what is PROPER. If everyone did this the world would be idyllic.

Or there'd be an impasse of politeness at the threshold with both guest and host arguing that the other should choose. Wink

Who's going to ask me round for cake so I can test the theory?

LtEveDallas · 04/11/2013 10:35

We've been seriously househunting for the last few months (rather than just on RightMove) and every house we have seen we have automatically taken our shoes off at the door - without being asked. A couple of people have told us not to worry, but DH always insists.

We don't have a shoes off rule in our own home, but for us it just seems like good manners to take them off when visiting someone elses house.

(One house we saw had laminate throughout the downstairs that I originally thought was a 'spotty' design and really strange. I should have worn my glasses really because it turned the spots were stilletto heel damage and the whole floor would need replacing unless we kept the 'spots')

jacks365 · 04/11/2013 10:40

Yesterday there is only about 3 posters who have stated that health issues would make a difference. Rather than assuming someone who refuses has a reason to refuse people are throwing insults at them.

MidniteScribbler · 04/11/2013 10:44

Chaos, I can honestly say this has never been an issue in my life. I don't care what people do when they come to my house, alnd I've never been anywhere that it has been a problem. Usually it's 'do you want me to take my shoes off?' Followed by 'do whatever you like.'

Do you prefer mudcake or red velvet?

Preciousbane · 04/11/2013 10:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SignoraStronza · 04/11/2013 10:49

YABU. I'd also think that someone making an issue of the basic courtesy of shoe removal in someone else's house was a little odd. I'd be pissed off at having had my time wasted but relieved to not have to go through the sales process with someone so obstructive/obtuse.

CoteDAzur · 04/11/2013 10:51

YABU & daft.

What is so special about your socks that they can't bee seen?

Do you realise that you are stepping into someone's home? Shock

Nobody walks with shoes in my home. Not me, not DH, not DC & their friends, and certainly not entitled strangers in love with their footwear Hmm

ChaosTrulyReigns · 04/11/2013 10:51

Urm, think I might avoid the mud cake, tvym. Wink

I'll be there in 10, Midnite.

BeigeBuffet · 04/11/2013 11:01

I would count yourself lucky, a shoes off rule implies that the current owner is at least slightly house-proud. We moved in to a ten year old house which I don't think had been cleaned since it was built. There were big piles of sawdust inside the kitchen cupboards from when it was installed. It took a week with 5 people working on it to get it clean, it was horrible. Also some people have religious /cultural reasons for not allowing shoes. Hope you find your dream house soon.