Moved in yday, filthy house, took everything, raging!

[Mimmi78]

Don't post a lot, but am awake on a mattress on the floor of my new family home at 5 am, just raging/worries & generally cluttered mind! Completed yesterday
It's taken a year, mostly due to the sellers, they were slow, didn't produce paperwork and refused to have direct contact with their own agent! Then insisted dates etc were all convenient for them & no one else in the chain (4 property)
AIBU, when I walked through the door, I felt a surge of foreboding followed by disappointment. It's filthy. Not just a dust & vacuum required, I mean, never cleaned the shower, windows, vacuumed since showing the property! We asked to view again prior to exchange, they let us eventually, but insisted on not being there and I thought then, this needs cleaning. I asked solicitor to ensure it stated this, he said it always does. There was rabbit pop in the kitchen sink, their bodge a job removers had trailed the whole outside inside (& were there 2hrs after completion as was the owner, who refused to acknowledge us!) they had taken every single lightbulb and ceiling rose (this is a breach of our sale contract!), every pole, not even a big roll, just filth, piles of it, everywhere!! I'm furious, my sold property was left immaculate, little notebook with useful info and a welcome basket. The sellers have only moved a couple of streets away, wibu to trash & discuss their filth with new neighbours, who will no doubt know them and if I see them, call them filthy animals???? Make me feel better so I can get on and make this house a home for DD1 (7) & DS1 (5) who arrive today. Thank you

Vacant possession. I doubt very much the contract stated cleaned and tidied. Keys available empty only. Damage.to be remedied if caused by removal of furniture etc.

I wonder if, it's possible to "ring fence say 5-10k" to ensure that the contract is stuck to?

Of course it is possible. It is a contract terms can be negotiated. Subject to agreement though. And who exactly is to decide acceptability? Buyer? Seller? Third party? What is the basis for acceptable?

The first place I bought was disgusting when we moved in. It was absolutely stuffed with furniture and clutter when we viewed, but when it was empty I could see the state of the place clearly. It was carpeted throughout and every single room needed to have new carpets because they were completely infested with moths.
The second place I bought was dirty but not dreadful.
The third and final place was immaculate throughout. They had paid for a deep clean after they had moved their stuff out. They even cleaned inside kitchen appliances, all the windows and literally everywhere that could be reached. I was so happy to be able to just put stuff away without any cleaning.

I'm worried now about how my previous house was viewed. In my defence, it was hot, very hot, I worked full time up to the move, dh needs..... direction to get anything done.

I did the best I could the morning of the move, but house buying being the way it is, we weren't ready when the estate agent rang, the removers had packed and moved stuff the day before, but they had beds to dismantle and all the furniture to get out, it takes time.

Our vac then decided to go kapputt. A neighbour lent us one, but it was a cordless so we only managed to do a rough once over.

This one - it looks clean on the surface, but I keep finding things that need attention. The curtains are in desperate need of a clean and a few things aren't working. We will get sorted though. (been in 2.5 weeks)

OP I hope you have managed to have a cry, brush yourself down and make some progress getting your new home sorted.

dh said there is a skip outside the old house so sounds like they have got stuck in straight away - I know they wanted to take up the carpet downstairs as they asked us to do it. (we refused)

The contract definitely includes a clause about leaving the place clean and tidy - it's in the fitting and contents form that you agree to remove all rubbish and leave the place reasonably clean and tidy. That form is part of the contract.

"Clean and tidy" is very subjective though.

Just remembered they left no loo roll, at all. I had left the last of our remaining rolls for our buyers and hoped it would be the same in the new place. Again it was too hot to want to do much about it.

Update, solicitor will pursue ( no costs as he is keen to sort out a few other family bits). Cost was fitting of ceiling fittings whole house, specialist cleaners and equipment hire, electrician call out wknd and our inconvenience. Actual cost including cleaning panic buy at shops all in £667, asked for £1k return and would accept £500 and perhaps an apology since they moved just two streets away and we are likely to cross paths!! My friends & family are awesome and I now see my dream house coming into focus!! So weird some of the stories, made me so cross and that there should be a professional standard to pass to sell a house if considered "in good order". Gin helped immensely too

Sounds like a really horrible situation : but still if everyone pitches in it shouldn't take long to clean it up and make it yours? On the other hand, from my point of view it is a relief to see that home owners are dirty and uncivilised. So tired of the oft peddled myth that this only applies to renters and especially people who claim any kind of benefit. 99 per cent of the time this is totally untrue

OP If you don't get any satisfaction, just set a page on whatever local media thingy you desire, then name & shame them right up to the hilt.

Post pictures of the house after they left, what they stole and the crap they left.

If you don't get any satisfaction, just set a page on whatever local media thingy you desire, then name & shame them right up to the hilt.

Post pictures of the house after they left, what they stole and the crap they left.

That's such a shitty, nasty thing to do.

They may have had a lot going on, death or illness in the family. You just have no idea.

I'm not saying it was ok what they did. But, sometimes people struggle in life to keep on top of the cleaning, especially when moving.

There's no need to be spiteful or bitchy about it.

Get what you're entitled to and move on. If a neighbor named and shamed the previous occupants like that, I'd judge the people moving in a lot more than the people who moved out.

Oh please give up goody2 blue shoes.

A contract was signed and the sellers should've stuck to it
(even though the vendors messed around OP for a year!.)

Below is a copy of OPs 1st post:-

Don't post a lot, but am awake on a mattress on the floor of my new family home at 5 am, just raging/worries & generally cluttered mind! Completed yesterday
It's taken a year, mostly due to the sellers, they were slow, didn't produce paperwork and refused to have direct contact with their own agent! Then insisted dates etc were all convenient for them & no one else in the chain (4 property)
AIBU, when I walked through the door, I felt a surge of foreboding followed by disappointment. It's filthy. Not just a dust & vacuum required, I mean, never cleaned the shower, windows, vacuumed since showing the property! We asked to view again prior to exchange, they let us eventually, but insisted on not being there and I thought then, this needs cleaning. I asked solicitor to ensure it stated this, he said it always does. There was rabbit pop in the kitchen sink, their bodge a job removers had trailed the whole outside inside (& were there 2hrs after completion as was the owner, who refused to acknowledge us!) they had taken every single lightbulb and ceiling rose (this is a breach of our sale contract!), every pole, not even a big roll, just filth, piles of it, everywhere!! I'm furious, my sold property was left immaculate, little notebook with useful info and a welcome basket. The sellers have only moved a couple of streets away, wibu to trash & discuss their filth with new neighbours, who will no doubt know them and if I see them, call them filthy animals???? Make me feel better so I can get on and make this house a home for DD1 (7) & DS1 (5) who arrive today. Thank you

Read it a few times, then tell me that I'm being shitty, nasty & bitchy.

Maybe you're just a relative of the vendors and trying to do "damage control exercise"?

I would tell all your neighbours, including showing them photos. I would also take it up with your solicitor.

When we moved into our previous home we were buying from someone living abroad who was in a lot of debt. We were buying all carpets and curtains in the deal and suspected he might pull a similar trick and remove all fixtures & fittings. So we arranged an inspection with the agent just before completion. Solicitor was on standby to only release the money once we confirmed all was as agreed.

We sat in the flat with the agent until he got confirmation the money had been transferred. He then handed us the keys and the place was ours.

Only way to avoid the kind of crappy situations described here.

So according to TwoBlueShoes a death/illness means a free pass to steal??!

Also, even though I get that in certain circumstances you can't / won't clean... but it is really simple to hire someone to do it! And don't say they might not have the money, they have just sond a house so there should be a couple of £100 available...

So according to TwoBlueShoes a death/illness means a free pass to steal??!

Yep it's the buyer's fault.

There are some shocking tales on here -
the drug house especially !

I agree in this case that publicly naming and shaming would be too far though. Lots of people take everything, and I just don't get the people who expect things like toilet roll to be left (would be nice to find but really not the norm in my experience!). Clean is definitely subjective, moving house is hard enough and expensive enough as it is without going crackers if someone hasn't scrubbed the cabinet down the side of the oven (which is all the worst of OPs photos looks like it is).

In the nicest possible way just get on with it?!

So according to TwoBlueShoes a death/illness means a free pass to steal??!

Did I say that? No!

I said quite clearly that what they did was wrong and the OP had every right to pursue this.

I just don't think that slagging them off to neighbors and mutual friends will achieve anything positive. I definitely don't think posting pictures on social media is a very nice thing to do.

Photograph everything and contact your solicitor. Good luck

Hope you get the 1k plus an apology tbh.

I definitely don't think posting pictures on social media is a very nice thing to do.

If it stops them being CFs in future then it'll be a good thing.

They may have had a lot going on, death or illness in the family. You just have no idea.

It's possible, however I have been around long enough to probably conclude that the most likely reason they left the place in the state that it was in was because they are just a bunch of selfish cunts. Sadly, there are quite a few people out there like that.

If a neighbor named and shamed the previous occupants like that, I'd judge the people moving in a lot more than the people who moved out.

So you're quite happy to move into a house full of shit and with parts missing then? If so? you're an idiot!

God, I really hate this fucking site sometimes.

Why do you have to be so agressive?

The OP has to live in this neighborhood. Her kids have to go to school with this family's kids. They will see each other all the time.

Any sensible person would tell you that plastering photos of the house all over social media and bad mouthing them to neighbors is a bad idea.

But, yeah, fine. Stoke it up for the drama, eh?

I agree twoblueshoes. People aren't perfect. Their houses aren't perfect, particularly around moving day when they might have had other things on their mind. Let it go. Spiders in the laundry room in particular really aren't a big deal. Taking the curtain poles etc a bit odd but really not worth starting hostilities over. Do people really enjoy creating a load of bad feeling in their communities over this sort of thing?