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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed with estate agent after this viewing?

75 replies

ToilTrouble · 27/08/2023 18:40

I'm trying to sell my flat at the moment and I'm not very happy with the estate agent.

When I chose him, he told me he had lots of potential buyers in the area but only 2 people have booked a viewing after several weeks of being on the market.

The first viewing was today and I did a lot of tidying and styling in the flat to prepare. When I came back, the flat was definitely not as I left it.

Things I noticed:

  • Some marks in the toilet bowl, the toilet paper was moved and the neatly folded towel was left messily folded.
  • My bedcovers were all crumpled and pillows moved.
  • I left a ceramic tray with candles on the sofa table to look homely. The tray had been moved and the table now has several scratches on it.
  • The hallway had black marks on the walls (I've got rid of them with water).
  • The bedroom wardrobe doors and drawers were left open.

He said the viewing would be for a couple with kids which could explain the hallway marks and bedclothes... although do people really let their kids jump on beds during viewings? But the worst one is the toilet. I suspect someone has used it and I'm not sure if it was the agent or the people viewing.

I know none of this is serious, permeant damage, which I'm grateful for. But AIBU to be a bit annoyed about how the flat was left after the viewing?

OP posts:
Cherrysoup · 27/08/2023 18:43

Ask the ea for feedback. I think the market is slow currently, our area is normally very buoyant but nothing is selling at the minute.

Twiglets1 · 27/08/2023 18:43

I wouldn’t be happy either. It sounds like the kids ran riot and someone used the loo. I would mention it to the EA when they reopen after the weekend that you would like your property to be treated with more respect for future viewings.

Backtoreality1 · 27/08/2023 18:43

I think the toilet issue is not an issue- would you have refused to let them use the loo if you had been there? And unfortunately people do allow their kids run wild in viewing’s- quite grateful for this as I was the second viewer on my current house and the previous viewers really upset the seller by not checking their kids. Made it easy for me to gain an advantage

Twiglets1 · 27/08/2023 18:44

Cherrysoup · 27/08/2023 18:43

Ask the ea for feedback. I think the market is slow currently, our area is normally very buoyant but nothing is selling at the minute.

Did you read the OP?

TarantinoIsAMisogynist · 27/08/2023 18:45

People do use the loo when they view houses. Even if they don't need to, they will pretend to in order to test the water pressure when they flush.

TarantinoIsAMisogynist · 27/08/2023 18:46

Twiglets1 · 27/08/2023 18:43

I wouldn’t be happy either. It sounds like the kids ran riot and someone used the loo. I would mention it to the EA when they reopen after the weekend that you would like your property to be treated with more respect for future viewings.

If I viewed a house and was refused to use the loo, I'd assume the seller was going to be an arse about other aspects of the transaction too.

The marks of the wall, and the bed - by all means raise it. But don't raise the loo unless you want to give that impression.

Cherrysoup · 27/08/2023 18:47

Twiglets1 · 27/08/2023 18:44

Did you read the OP?

Show quote history

Yes. The ea should have said if the people visiting had let the kids run riot and have a duty of care to ensure kids weren’t running riot, but I was only addressing the bit about lack of viewings. Afaik, it is not the law to respond to all aspects of the op. I can imagine the op is fuming, I’d want an explanation. Happy?

Dogsitterwoes · 27/08/2023 18:48

Are they built in wardrobe and drawers that will be staying? If not, that's the one that would really piss me off and I'd read the agent the root act for letting people nose in my furniture.

Stratocumulus · 27/08/2023 18:49

I sold a flat 3 years ago.
I was not resident in it at the time.
Me being me, put a sign on loo lid to say “This toilet is not for viewers’ use”! 🐄
I did not leave a loo roll on the holder.
Worked a treat.

Ohmylovejune · 27/08/2023 18:51

When my parents bought our family home in the 70s the room that would be my bedroom had a huge built in cupboard and I hid in it! My parents were wild with me as it took them ages to find me. But I begged them to buy the "house with the secret room". It might have been the sea view that swayed them.but I was always convinced it was the special cupboard (which was the bedroom given to me :)

Bookish88 · 27/08/2023 18:52

Do the viewings yourself? My experience of allowing the EA to conduct the viewings is that they'll never care as much as you do.

User37652 · 27/08/2023 19:04

I sold my house a few months ago and there were quite a few viewings so we stayed with family for a week so I didn’t have to keep tidying but when I got back there were toys thrown all over the kids bedroom, a door handle broken, the shower screen was broken, marks on the walls etc etc…. You would have thought the ea would put things back/tidy between viewings because it’s in their interest to be selling a nice property. I did t say anything to them but I was fuming!

Gladitscloudytoday · 27/08/2023 19:22

Estate agents are scum of the earth. They’ll say anything to get you to sign up with them.

Twiglets1 · 27/08/2023 19:32

TarantinoIsAMisogynist · 27/08/2023 18:46

If I viewed a house and was refused to use the loo, I'd assume the seller was going to be an arse about other aspects of the transaction too.

The marks of the wall, and the bed - by all means raise it. But don't raise the loo unless you want to give that impression.

Show quote history

I've used the loo on a viewing before but "marks in the toilet bowl" - that's disturbing. A quick wee would not leave a mark in the toilet bowl which makes you wonder.

tothelefttotheleft · 27/08/2023 19:43

User37652 · 27/08/2023 19:04

I sold my house a few months ago and there were quite a few viewings so we stayed with family for a week so I didn’t have to keep tidying but when I got back there were toys thrown all over the kids bedroom, a door handle broken, the shower screen was broken, marks on the walls etc etc…. You would have thought the ea would put things back/tidy between viewings because it’s in their interest to be selling a nice property. I did t say anything to them but I was fuming!

If I'd come back to broken things I most certainly would have said something to the estate agent!

GlamGiraffe · 27/08/2023 19:44

My friends ex husband was an estate
Agent. He was using all his daytime viewing slots to take his multiple girlfriend's to empty homes. That's was actually the first thing your post made me think of. Ask you lr neighbours if they saw anyone go in on the day in Austin before you ask the agent for updates. Hopefully the two lots of information will add up, otherwise you should be able to get rid of that agent pretty quickly id say

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/08/2023 20:44

Use the toilet yes but if do a poo for gods sake use a brush

Nopenopenopenopenopenope · 27/08/2023 20:49

Our estate agent had a piss in our downstairs loo, didn't flush, and left the lid up. And left the house unlocked.

The piss would have been less disgusting if it wasn't in a house we had already moved out of and only checked on every couple of weeks. During a heat wave. It smelled delightful when I swung by.

LindorDoubleChoc · 27/08/2023 20:51

Gladitscloudytoday · 27/08/2023 19:22

Estate agents are scum of the earth. They’ll say anything to get you to sign up with them.

Such a stupid comment.

electriclight · 27/08/2023 20:59

But very difficult for an EA to monitor unruly children whilst also trying to show the adults around the house, answer questions and remain professional.

If the parents allowed their kids to jump on the bed, open a drawer and use the loo I am not sure an EA would be able to get too shirty about it as they'd worry about pissing them off and jeopardising the sale.

I had similar at one of my viewings - bedclothes pulled completely from the bed. The EA said she'd spent the whole viewing trying to contain the kids and was tearing her hair out. They'd done other things too but she'd rated behind to put those right, but just hadn't gone back into the bedroom.

It might be worth doing your own viewings from now on as you obviously have the authority to tell them to bugger off.

Spanielsarepainless · 27/08/2023 21:09

I had a viewing of my immaculate and almost new house while I was away. Came back to find muddy footprints over my oatmeal carpet. EA was very apologetic and came round with the Vanish carpet cleaner. After that I have always said no children at viewings at any house I have been selling. Parents can't look properly and control them.

rhino12345 · 27/08/2023 21:36

A friend of my mum's sold her house a few years back. Their house was lovely and she was very house proud. She was distraught when she arrived home after a morning of viewings to find a huge unflushed poo in one of the toilets, muddy footprints all over the house and on her bed sheets, books pulled out of the bookcase, plants ripped out in the garden....horrendous! Genuinely really upsetting when you've lived somewhere 25+ years and brought your family up there.
Her rule for the EA was shoes off (she provided cheap "hotel" slippers at the door), nobody to use the toilet and kids not allowed to go off on their own under any circumstances.

eastiseastwestiswest · 27/08/2023 21:45

We are viewing houses at the moment and if I needed the loo I would use the loo (having asked first obviously). What on earth do you expect people to do?!

Bit weird to obsess about some items being moved around the house. I thought you were going to come on and moan about the market in general not obsess about some items having been moved.

SomeCatFromJapan · 27/08/2023 21:53

We'll be selling our house shortly and I plan to do viewings myself for this reason.

CantThinkOfANameAtAll · 27/08/2023 21:55

eastiseastwestiswest · 27/08/2023 21:45

We are viewing houses at the moment and if I needed the loo I would use the loo (having asked first obviously). What on earth do you expect people to do?!

Bit weird to obsess about some items being moved around the house. I thought you were going to come on and moan about the market in general not obsess about some items having been moved.

Didn't your parents teach you not to touch what isn't yours? There's no reason to move things in another person's house. Ever.