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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be pissed off with the ex owners of my house?

69 replies

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 17:45

We moved house recently, dream home that needed a bit of work to modernise.

The couple who we bought it from move in similar social circles t my mom and dad. It appears they've been telling all and sundry what a great house we've had from them and what fantastic condition they left it in for us. DM has heard this from quite a few now.

Well it is considerably NOT in fantastic condition. They knew it wasn't clean when they left as the wide apologised several times that they didn't have time. It was filthy, tbh, loos not cleaned, worksurface not even wiped, no hoovering, nothing. We've had to do tip trips to get rid of stuff of theirs that they didn't take.

I've moved on from the uncleanliness now. And they've apologised.

But, the house is not in fantastic condition, the shower heads were full of limescale, and has now had the be replaced as the pump failed. DH has just spent 3 days repairing the heat and hot water system. There's 3 dead wasps nests in storage areas. One of the windows is totally rotted through meaning it needs replacing but as it's conservation area we need planning permission before we can, and the recent rain has damaged the dormer and room below, we've done a quick fix to see us dry until planning permission. There was gripper rods left exposed under furniture that they removed. One of the showers has leaked into the laundry. Cupboard doors are hanging off.

There's no way in effing hell that this is a fantastic condition house and them bigging it up is really pissing me off. I know I should be unaffected by this misrepresentation, but AIBU?

OP posts:

sparechange · 03/01/2016 17:48

Yanbu to think 'yeah right' and tell your parents that they must be utter slatterns if that is their opinion of 'good condition'
Yabu to waste energy worrying about it. Houses are very emotive. Every seller thinks they sold too cheap, and it was in perfect condition. Every buyer thinks they should have got a couple more grand off, and that the sellers needed theirs heads reading for choosing that kitchen layout.
Just remember that your dream house will be someone else's renovation project one day

rubyflipper · 03/01/2016 17:52

Wouldn't some of this have been picked up on a homebuyer's survey?

MamaLazarou · 03/01/2016 17:54

You didn't notice any of this before you bought it?

Damselindestress · 03/01/2016 17:58

They obviously fell behind on the maintenance and are insecure about it, which is why they are covering up their insecurity with the lies about leaving it in fantastic condition. Just ignore. I agree you should have been aware of the more serious issues from a survey.

ghostyslovesheep · 03/01/2016 18:08

so - them saving face doesn't hurt you in anyway at all - so why let it bother you?

You new the windows needed replacing etc when you purchased it I would hope!

RatherBeRiding · 03/01/2016 18:09

I am assuming OP knew the condition of the house from viewings and the survey, however to know that the sellers are telling all and sundry it was in fantastic condition, when it clearly was in need to overhaul, renovation, cleaning and modernising must be very annoying,

I don't think you would be unreasonable to tell your parents the true state of the house, and leave it at that!

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 18:18

Oh yes it would drive me insane. I understand.

FWIW the people who lived here had everything done by complete charlatans. Everything was broken, and the more things I fix the more crap I discover...I think we are nearly at the end of the surprises now but it makes me really angry that they just fucked everything up and then gave it a single coat of paint before putting it on the market as though that would make it all OK.

When people are so fucking SHIT at DIY or resent paying someone else to maintain their home, they shouldn't be allowed to own one

sorry
rant over

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 18:20

It's not the stuff you see when you look round. It's the stuff behind furniture, under carpets, behind kitchen units.

You can't move all that stuff to have a look before you buy a house. You have to trust the sellers to be reasonable people who wouldn't sell you a disaster.

Unfortunately many are quite willing to do just that.

Chewbecca · 03/01/2016 18:21

You make it sound like you bought the house based on what was said rather than what you saw when you viewed?

mintoil · 03/01/2016 18:22

YABU, it's not like the whole roof has fallen in or something!

The things you have listed sound like the usual things that are part and parcel of owning and maintaining a house. I always arrange for cleaners to come when I move into a new house, so do most people I know.

Is there something else that's underlying all this making you unhappy as it does sound fairly trivial? I know I focus on mundane stuff sometimes when I don't want to face what is really bothering me IYSWIM?

Either way I hope you have fun in your new home.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 03/01/2016 18:23

Pipistrella, I could have written your post. We've spent the 7yrs undoing the utter crap cover-up jobs the last owners did. Seems every cowboy builder on the planet has also had a go on our house

And we still have 1 shower that has never run hot water since we moved in. Sometimes you just lose the will to live.

TheHauntedFishtank · 03/01/2016 18:24

If you replace the window like for like you won't need planning permission.

peppielillyan · 03/01/2016 18:25

You seem to be in a really good house, compared to what we have to deal with now....

TheFear · 03/01/2016 18:26

Didn't you have a survey done?

Original poster

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 18:26

The state of the house isn't the issue, as I mentioned in the OP. We knew it had faults. My AIBU was whether I was BU to be pissed off at them lording it out and about over what clearly isn't a good condition house. Not AIBU that it's a project.

Although this is not relevant to the AIBU, I'll answer: Nope I didn't know the showers would only dribble as they were caked in limescale. Or that they'd leave gripper rods on the floor, or rubbish, or dirty loos. The survey didn't tell us that. We knew the windows would need replacing, but not that they'd damage 2 rooms before we could do so.

Damsel, I think you may be right.

Yes, RatherBe, very annoying. DM and DF were there on day one, so know full well the state of the house, and are wisely keeping stchum to their mutual friends so as not to cause embarrassment. As am I. But just fuming quietly.

OP posts:

Moreshabbythanchic · 03/01/2016 18:28

We had similar with our present house. It was left absolutely filthy and stinking of dog. Immediately booked to have oven professionally cleaned as it was caked in grease but before cleaner arrived the oven door fell off. Like the OPs house everywhere was caked in lime scale and after a few weeks we noticed a leak in the shower which had obviously been leaking for months if not years as the floorboards had rotted completely. DH had to scrape bogies off the kids bedroom walls.

We later found out that they had never done any maintenance or decorating since they moved in.

Dirty mingers.

EskiVodkaCranberry · 03/01/2016 18:30

Yes pip I feel your pain! We bought our house from people who clearly don't own a spirit level. They put pictures up to cover up the fact that they'd screwed through walls to attach towel rails, the induction hob is on a lovely slant. The skirting was blue tacked on. The guy kept coming round for post for months after they moved and in retrospect I wish I'd said something, just for my sanity. Also found a hell of a lot of fat balls on top of kitchen cupboards. And they took the front door of to take furniture out but didn't put it on properly, we arrive at or lovely house and the door fell off. Grrrr.

littleleftie · 03/01/2016 18:32

sixth I think it's rather odd that, knowing it's winding you up, your DM is repeatedly telling you that the previous owners have told "quite a few" people about what good condition the house was in.

Does she have form for mischief?

Original poster

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 18:33

To reiterate, I'm not pissed off with the state of the house, I'm pissed off with the misrepresentation.

Yes I got a survey, sigh.

I think we're going to do replace like for like, FishTank and then get retrospective PP. Just waiting fir decent joinery shops to open after festive break.

Chewbacca, not sure what you mean, could you explain a bit more, please?

mention, thanks for your kind words, I'm pretty sure there's nothing underlying expect them swanning around, with all our money, without even throwing a wet cloth over the kitchen sink!

OP posts:

Bahhhhhumbug · 03/01/2016 18:33

As you get things sorted gradually you could be just as vocal as them about what you've had to replace etc .since you moved in , to the same social circle that you move in . Then people would make their own minds up. If you can be bothered that is.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 03/01/2016 18:33

A survey doesn't look under carpet, behind wooden panels, under patios (you wouldn't believe the mess under there!) etc.

It also doesn't ensure that the previous owners will:

be ready to leave the house on completion of the house sale! We were still shooing them out holding boxes at 4pm.
leave it in even a slightly clean & habitable state.

Both of which happened to us. Thankfully we never have to actually see the twatbuckets again. I feel your pain OP.

OverScentedFanjo · 03/01/2016 18:33

I bought my house from person who had bought it from a landlord.

When I moved to the area, the landlord told people I was living in her house and I stole it from her!!!!!

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 18:33

yy Under I am sorry to hear that...

sigh

True about the window, get the same sort and no planning reqd.

With us it's things like, a partial 'rewire' they said they had had was a collection of cables shoved through an enormous great hole in the wall, which looked like it had been made using a pick axe, behind the kitchen units.

And the units themselves not being sealed to the wall, water running off the side of the worktop when you used the tap, broken cupboards and drawers, utter filth everywhere in the kitchen, such as behind the cooker etc - a bath that wasn't attached to the wall, or floor - and a broken cistern and taps that looked fine but then you turned them and the spout turned too.

It was hilarious at times admittedly, but then there was the staircase that had no planning permission and didn't meet building regs, we found this out 9 months after offering and about to exchange. We pulled out but then went back in as prices had risen so much by then we couldn't afford anything else. And we had to pay an extra 5 grand to do so.

Fucked off is not the word. And THEIR solicitors have still not extended our lease as they were meant to. We've been living here a year...

Original poster

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 18:34

Littleleftie, yeah I think she's enjoying adding grist to the mill or irons to the fire. Can't remember the exact idiom.

OP posts:

Getyercoat · 03/01/2016 18:35

YANBU. We had a survey done and proceeded but still found a heap of very irritating issues after moving in.

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