What is your worse viewing experience

[Ladyof]

Just seen a post about dirty houses and it made me interested to know - what is your worse viewing experience?

Mine isnt as bad as I imagine some are but at 1 viewing the house was really messy and when we walked in they were cooking a greasy fry up, it was 2pm on a saturday and the smell of grease was knocking me sick. I couldn't wait to get out!!!

@formynexttrick

The worst one ever was when I was renting as a student, we were a group of friends looking for a 4 bed. The landlord showed us round a lovely house, we were very keen.

Until, just as we were leaving, my friend asked him what the locked room at the front of the house was. The landlord said "oh, don't worry about that, it's just a room I keep for a friend who stays there from time to time".

So, basically, a strange man we'd never met would have a key to our home, a locked room in it, share all our facilities, and swan in and out unannounced. And the landlord wasn't even planning to mention it!

I had similar when a student, except the locked room was for the landlord's son!

I was looking for a house share in London during the first lockdown when everyone was terrified and not much was known yet. I went to see a house near Baker Street. I met the landlady in the afternoon outside as she had driven. She opened the door to the property and it was dark inside. A disgruntled and half asleep tenant appeared from one of the rooms. She was surprised and complained she hadn't had any notice of the viewing. The landlady who was showing me the property argued that she could do what she likes because it's her property. At this point I left because of the landlady's attitude towards her current tenant more than anything. If I was the tenant I'd be calling the police for unauthorised entry! Shortly after this I found a great house in a central location so I'm glad I dodged that bullet.

@thesugarrefiner not quite as bad as that but we once viewed a property and the landlord then offered to show us another one down the road. He fully admitted that he hadn't cleared it with the tenants. It immediately put us off because who wants a landlord like that...

Well, there was the viewing where the owners had just had a huge row. He was in a foul temper, terribly rude, rushed us round in 10 minutes flat/. She had locked herself in the kitchen where she was slamming around and refused to let us in. So we never saw the kitchen, or her, before we bought it.

There are I remember as awful:

One of the first houses we viewed to buy. Old fittings. Dirty. Stairs literally right in front of the front door and super steep and narrow. On our way out, the EA said its just as well we didn't like it as the garden had some Japanese knot weed growing in it that would cost a lot of money to remove, which is why the house wasn't selling 🤨

Another house in the same area. Outside didn't look too bad. As soon as EA opened the front door, the smell hit us. I think dh and I held our breath and our noses the whole way round and kept trying hard not to gag due to the smell of cat piss combined with god knows what else. Couldn't wait to get out if there 🙄

A house in a different area. Looked good on paper as had lots of rooms. Got there and the heating was on full blast with no windows open (it was spring/summer). Shown round by one old lady whilst another older lady was in one of the other rooms. It was all so weird 🧐

Oh and just remembered one that really freaked me out from over 20 years ago when I was still at uni. Went to view a flat to rent with my flatmates. Had the weirdest feeling I had been there before as knew exactly where all the rooms were and what they looked like before we went in them. This was before pictures online etc. It was like deja vu, but I honestly don't think I had ever been there before 🤔