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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:

ecuse · 03/01/2016 18:36

Just prep your parents to raise an eyebrow and say "if that's what they call good condition I'd hate to see what they'd call a mess" every time they hear it. And then move on. Caveat emptor and all that.

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 03/01/2016 18:36

YANBU, but take the moral hugh ground and ignore. It'll soon blow over.

Original poster

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 18:37

Greenwood. I'll grin now as I imagine them twatbucketing around telling their audacious lies!

OP posts:

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 03/01/2016 18:38

Yes, pipistrella, we had stuff like that as well. We do see the funny side frequently - I remember my DH saying, on moving in day, "Oh my god, we've bought a fucking wreck." and we both just laughed hysterically.

It's incredible how different a house looks when all the furniture's gone, and you can see what you've bought.

Ours in an old, old house, that has had lots of conversions, so we did kind of know what we were letting ourselves in for - just not the extent of it.

UnderTheGreenwoodTree · 03/01/2016 18:39

Sorry for taking over your thread OP!

Original poster

Sixthnight · 03/01/2016 18:40

Sorry, mintoil, dyac got me and changed you to 'mention' in a previous post.

OP posts:

Pipistrella · 03/01/2016 18:40

We still see ours. They aren't twatbuckets (well she isn't anyway - she's lovely) but I have to grit my teeth all the same.

I think they were clueless. I feel so sorry for our house, mainly! Poor old house. I hope it appreciates the love I have given it.

GingerIvy · 03/01/2016 18:40

I'd wait until you get it all fixed up the way you like it, then heave a big sigh and tell people "thank GOD we've finally brought the house up to scratch. I'm telling you, do NOT buy something that you need to fix up, it's absolutely draining going through all the mishaps we've had to deal with."

If someone then says "oh but they said they left it in brilliant condition.." then laugh (slightly maniacally) and say "oh they're such kidders... brilliant condition..."

Squiff85 · 03/01/2016 18:40

I wouldn't let it bother you.

The people we bought our house from thought it was brilliant, they thought they had really taken care of it and it was in great condition. It is not. I just laugh!

scarlets · 03/01/2016 18:45

If be mentioning my "project" to all and sundry a fair bit, in person and on Facebook.

BlackeyedShepherdsbringsheep · 03/01/2016 18:46

dread to think what poor condition wouldbe then.

everythingI have reomved from our flat has revealed terrible diy. the best bit of the flat was the joinery, most of which we have taken out. the rest seems to have been put up in a haphazard way.

the plumber found the bath propped up on half a brick and plaster board.

Yellowbird54321 · 03/01/2016 18:55

Who even boasts about leaving a house in 'good condition'? I would just think they're a bit odd and tell anyone, interested enough to ask that you've had quite a lot of work to do to the place, beyond that it's all a bit of a non issue really.

Monica101 · 03/01/2016 19:08

My house used to be owned by a builder. Never again will I buy off a builder as he had done everything himself and every time I get something new done the contractor says 'who the hell installed this'!

The ex owner was a bodge it extraordinaire. It is very annoying, you have my sympathies OP.

YohY · 03/01/2016 19:10

Unless it's a new build expect anything and even with s new build you can get snagging problems let alone 100 year old house self for example

My house was 100 years old left in state had to clean clean clean and redecorate will be removing the 'filthy' kitchen units from IKEA and replacing though they are very clean now thanks to me! So much rubbish had to thrown away too!

You have to just assume the worst when buying a house as sellers can not be trusted! Be warned if you are told it's a project!

MerdeAlor · 03/01/2016 19:13

The previous owners of our house did the same thing while loudly complaining how we had shafted them over with our low offer.

When we moved in, the evidence of their alcoholism (massive urine stains in all the carpets, walls, floors and curtains reeking of alcohol and bottles of empty whisky bottles hidden everywhere) told us an entirely different story. We had to replce everything just to get the smell out.

Odd how some people chose to live.

VulcanWoman · 03/01/2016 19:14

You're in your dream home, you got it! Just try and get on with doing it up and enjoying it. Who cares what the previous owners are wittering on about, let them get on with it. Do you feel you paid about the right amount for the house or is that what's P'ing you off, have you paid too much?

VulcanWoman · 03/01/2016 19:18

You have to just assume the worst when buying a house as sellers can not be trusted! Be warned if you are told it's a project!

I think is actually says in all the paperwork "buyer beware"

MudCity · 03/01/2016 19:20

Pipstrella....you and I must be living parallel lives. I could have written your posts word for word.

GnomeDePlume · 03/01/2016 19:21

You have my sympathy OP. Some people have very strange ideas about what constitutes good condition. I think that there is a sort of blindness that some home owners have. They convince themselves that their home is in good condition having forgotten that it is 20 years since they last had any work done.

This is why I am so deeply suspicious when a house is described as being 'in good decorative order'. I end up thinking 'well that will be nice to look at as we have to destroy it to replace the wiring/plumbing'.

The last few houses we have been involved in have been renovation projects. Much easier as we know that they are dumps when we start!

Kerberos · 03/01/2016 19:25

Everybody hates the person they bought their house off. It's just how things go.

Orda1 · 03/01/2016 19:32

The house we recently bought has several broken and miss sold things (I.e. The "solid wood" floor which is actually laminate. Broken things costing 100s to fix. Quietly seething.

PegsPigs · 03/01/2016 19:41

We're now friends with the people we bought our house of but my goodness there were a lot of problems when we moved in! But by her account their new house has even bigger problems (we weren't complaining to her; we were just discussing elements of work we were having done) So think of the karma - hopefully their new house will have even more problems than they left you. And I'd tell your folks enough to make them want to spread the really truth around their social circles!

Viviennemary · 03/01/2016 19:45

You could put a notice in the local paper with pictures of the scaled up showers and dead wasps. But I don't honestly think anybody will be that bothered. But it sounds like you think you've got a raw deal with the house and are regretting buying it. The house next door to us was fixed up very cheaply and shoddily but looked quite good then the buyers moved on with a huge profit. It's changed hands a couple of times since but I felt quite sorry for the people who first moved in as the kitchen doors were loose after a few months. Supposed to be a new kitchen.

Pr1mr0se · 03/01/2016 19:50

Pipistrella...if I didn't know better I'd say we were living in the same house from your descriptions on this thread. Batty old lady with bird-feeding habit who had a DIY mad (but not skilled) husband who clearly never had a spirit level. Dirty when we moved in does not even begin to describe it.

Pr1mr0se · 03/01/2016 19:52

Sixthnight - everyone has very different ideas of what is a good condition house (even estate agents as we found out too) but blagging about it when they must know they are taking to your parents is a bit much but they are probably not aware they are doing anything odd. I hope you still like the house you've moved into enough to do the work needed.

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