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  • Hannimal
    Hannimal Posts: 960 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    I’ve been following the thread on mums net and it’s a really good resource to know what things to keep a look out for. 

    A lot of that there is no way to check for though. When I viewed my place and had the survey done, the loft space was PACKED with stuff and the surveyor couldn't fit in there so he couldn't see the condition of most of it. I now realise how incredibly lucky I am that it was all in good condition! I think in the future this would put me off buying.
  • Hannimal
    Hannimal Posts: 960 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    We were left:

    Mirkwood (not hidden)

    I googled this word - never heard it before - and I am so confused
  • Hannimal
    Hannimal Posts: 960 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    JJR45 said:
    Hannimal said:

    - woodlice EVERYWHERE - how do i get rid of them btw? does this mean the foundations of the house are rotting?

    They eat rotting wood, so may be worth getting your flooring and joists checked.
    Somehow missed this comment. Stupid question but how do I get those checked out? They used to be in the bathroom but haven't seen any upstairs since the new bathroom was fitted. I get them around the bottom of the staircase and by front and back doors. It is possible they are getting in from the outside. What a pain.
  • Ramouth
    Ramouth Posts: 672 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    We painted over discoloured paintwork caused by damp, used a window vac to get rid of condensation on single glazed windows, painted a chip in the basin with enamel paint and placed a chopping board over a damaged patch on the worktop.  I’m not sure if this counts as hiding things or not - it’s just how we lived in that house.
  • Hannimal
    Hannimal Posts: 960 Forumite
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper
    We've just bought a property. A really old one which needs lots of work doing which we are aware of.

    but our buyers left us:

    a bottle of whisky and a card
    a floor you could eat your dinner off 
    5 sets of house keys
    a perfectly clean rangemaster
    neighbours who bought us a moving in present and saved us space on the road for removals 
    a contact number.

    delightful people.
    Oh this sounds so lovely <3
  • KayBur
    KayBur Posts: 37 Forumite
    10 Posts Photogenic
    We've just bought a property. A really old one which needs lots of work doing which we are aware of.

    but our buyers left us:

    a bottle of whisky and a card
    a floor you could eat your dinner off 
    5 sets of house keys
    a perfectly clean rangemaster
    neighbours who bought us a moving in present and saved us space on the road for removals 
    a contact number.

    delightful people.
    You know, I recently realized that it is important not only the quality of the forum, but also what kind of neighbors you have. And if problems in the house can be dealt with over time, then unscrupulous neighbors can poison life for a very long time.
  • Hannimal said:
    We've just bought a property. A really old one which needs lots of work doing which we are aware of.

    but our buyers left us:

    a bottle of whisky and a card
    a floor you could eat your dinner off 
    5 sets of house keys
    a perfectly clean rangemaster
    neighbours who bought us a moving in present and saved us space on the road for removals 
    a contact number.

    delightful people.
    Oh this sounds so lovely <3
    We were nervous about buying the property - it really needs a lot doing to it. It is a very humble little house and my daughter is calling it Betty 😂. 
  • olgadapolga
    olgadapolga Posts: 2,327 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Hannimal said:
    We were left:

    Mirkwood (not hidden)

    I googled this word - never heard it before - and I am so confused
    Sorry for confusing you. I am a huge fan of "The Hobbit" and just assume that everyone knows the book/film. Mirkwood was the forest that the dwarves and the Hobbit had to travel through on their journey to The Lonely Mountain to retrieve the dwarves' gold from the dragon, Smaug.

    Our garden resembled Mirkwood when we bought our house as it was dark, dingy, overgrown and full of evil beasties. No elves, though, unfortunately.
  • TBagpuss
    TBagpuss Posts: 11,236 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Previous house:

    Sellers left
    -  the fridge, which had died about two weeks earlier and which they then dumped in the garden without emptying it. It was a warm summer and it was not pleasant getting it out and to the tip.
    - bare wooden floor full of splinters (contract specified that they would complete the sanding and sealing of it before they moved out. they were outraged when I pursued them for the cost of this!) 
    - more  horrible concrete gnomes and garden ornaments that you'd think possible (had been agreed they would be removed before they left) 
    -a  bare wire shoved into a wall socket in the cupboard under the stairs (I did know about this as I'd had an electrical survey done, so the electrician was booked to come in the day after completion anyway)
    -filthy oven - there was literally a heap of burnt gods-know-what about 8" tall  - I assume they just cooked pizzas and things on the oven shelves and never, ever cleaned up anything
    - boxes full of crap in the loft 

    They also removed every single light bulb in the house and took the toilet roll!

    Mercifully,  I was temporarily staying with family and had planned to do some decorating before moving in so it wasn't the nightmare it would have been had I been aiming to move in and sleep there that night. 

    Current house, sellers left

    - property which did not appear to have seen a hoover or any other cleaning for some considerable time
    - filthy oven (what it is with people? I'm not big on housework but I clean my oven regularly, not least because I'm eating stuff that's been in there!) 
    -a large quantity of very old tins full of paint/creosote/other stuff in the shed
    - various areas of carpet which had been chewed/ scratched by their pets, which had been artfully covered with rugs during viewings (not a major issue as they were the worlds ugliest and oldest carpets and were only eve going to be there until after I finished getting the place redecorated, and it was obvious on viewing that they were old and have been pretty cheap and poor quality to start with, so I just covered the trip hazards with duct tape as a short term safety measure and carried on!


    My sister, on the other hand, found the full dress uniform, including sword, for Royal Navy officer, left in the loft when she bought a flat. 

    All posts are my personal opinion, not formal advice Always get proper, professional advice (particularly about anything legal!)
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