found a house but the owners are smokers

lee_w

we have viewed a house twice now but it appears the current owners are smokers and theres that smell in the house, i didnt notice it myself but my partner did and also the parents when we had a second viewing

is it easy enough to get rid of the smell?

anybody been a non smoker and bought a house lived in by smokers?

many thanks

steve1980

Yep, repaint EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE!

Angry_Bear

As an ex-smoker who has decontaminated the house I'd say it isn't too bad to get rid. The smell is hardest to remove from soft furnishings (cushions, curtains etc) but you shouldn't have that problem.

You will probably want to wash the carpets (but you can hire a rug doctor for £20) and give a lick of paint but that should be all you need.

Of course others might have a different opinion .....

CLAPTON

just think about houses that used to have coal fires

Werdnal

I let a property and have had smoking tenants before (despite there being a non-smoking clause but thats a whole other story!).

Are you planning to redecorate when you move in - new paint will help overcome the smoke smell.

Shampoo the carpets thoroughly, wash/dry clean any curtains they leave and you'll pretty much get rid of it. It does disipate naturally over time, so being non-smokers yourself, if you are not adding to the smell continually like the current owners are, it will gradually disappear anyway.

Their clothes, furniture and other possessions carry a lot of the smell, so once the place is empty, although still present, it will be a lot less noticeable.

If the house is otherwise what you are looking for, I personally wouldn't walk away from the deal just because of the smoke smell.

FireWyrm

It rather depends how serious they were about smoking. My dad is a smoker as am I, but he smokes at least 30 a day in a confined flat. It's noxious enough to me and I'm sure that the council will have to gut the flat before they can relet it. I however confine myself to smoking a few a day in the kitchen and although a non smoker can no doubt detect it, I doubt it's nothing that a good spray of Haze wouldn't fix.

Check out the windows. If the windows panes are yellow, it's a sign that nicotine is probably permeated the Walls. In which case, you'll have to strip the Walls right back, wash with sugar soap and redecorate fairly extensively. If the windows are clear and the panes none sticky or not discoloured, a good airing and some perfume will probably do until you can repaint in general.

Callie22

Depends on how much they smoke, and how long it is since they redecorated - I once viewed a rental where the previous owner had died, he'd been a pipe smoker for years and years and the smell was incredible. If the walls are cream (and they should be white) then you might need to sugar-soap them before you paint otherwise you don't get rid of the smell and the yellow staining can show through.

lee_w

thanks for the replies, i would be redecorating and it would be the lounge/diner first. before i moved in i would clean the place from head to toe and let it air out. wash all the carpets, wash down the walls/ceilings. i wouldn't keep any of there furniture or curtains but they would leave the blinds so would have to clean them

it is perfect apart from that and in our budget so think by the time its had a good clean it would be worth it

DVardysShadow

steve1980 wrote: »

Yep, repaint EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE!

Agree

Callie22 wrote: »

... If the walls are cream (and they should be white) then you might need to sugar-soap them before you paint otherwise you don't get rid of the smell and the yellow staining can show through.

Yes, an absolute must to sugar soap before decorating.

And here is the rub. If the current occupiers have redecorated and not sugar soaped, it is a waste of time you doing it, becasue it will still seep through. There are products I believe which can seal the tar in - ask on the DIY board.

If minded to offer, I would be planning on knocking the price down because of the redecoration required.

Better_Days

It also depends on how sensitive you and anyone else who lives in the house is to cigarette smoke.

My Dad smoked for years, quite heavily, and then gave up a few years before he passed away. Redecorating his flat after he passed away was a great deal of effort. The ceilings were the worst. Even with the flat totally redecorated, and re-carpeted I couldn't have lived there. But I am very sensitive, as someone with perhaps asthma or COPD may be.

I would redecorate the bedroom that you will be sleeping in first. It's horrible not being able to sleep, or not sleep properly due to irritation from smoke.

But if the vendors are not heavy smokers, and you are not sensitive, and can decorate fairly quickly (as per the advice above) it shouldn't be a problem.

Mrs_Z

Well that would not be a show stopper for me if the house was otherwise allright.