# Previous owner left rubbish in house



## Dublin3124 (6 Jan 2011)

Hi,

I recently bought a house but the previous owner has left rubbish in the house.  Have taken 30 bags from the attic so far and they also left beds, sitting room furniture and dinningroom table and chairs and also a lot of rubbish in the garden.  Because of this I have been unable to move in yet.  

I am a first time buyer and I was advised to check the property first but with the snow I had to cancel two appointments and because it was so close to Christmas I did not check it.  

My solicitor had included in the contract that it should be "vacant posession" and because of this I thought that legally they had to take everything with them.  

The house had been rented and they also left all the bins full.  Can I bill the previous owner or should I just get on with it?


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## Eng Car 1 (6 Jan 2011)

Has the deal gone through fully? Really down to your solicitor I guess you could look for cost of skip to be deducted.


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## callybags (6 Jan 2011)

I would be inclined to "get on with it".

When I bought my house it was in immaculate condition when I had my last viewing.
After negotiating the final price I got the keys about 3 weeks later and the place was a tip.
Previous owner must have partied for the three weeks, and had been minding a dog as well.(no need to go into too much detail)

I took the view that I probably would have cleaned the place from top tp bottom anyway and just wasn't up for a long battle that in all probability would have got me nowhere.


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## Howitzer (6 Jan 2011)

You missed your opportunity before Xmas. If the contracts have been exchanged and money has changed hands you've no comeback. Caveat emptor.


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## huskerdu (6 Jan 2011)

AFAIK, Vacant possession means that there are no tenants living in the house, nothing to do with leaving stuff behind. 

You legally bought the house and everything in it. 

Its a bit sad that you were dumped on, but if you send a bill to the sellers solicitor, it will be a waste of a stamp. I would say that you have zero chance of them giving you money.

Best to just move on.


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## Brighid (6 Jan 2011)

When we bought our house a number of years ago, we had a similar problem and we did not realise until we moved in and had no place to put our furniture. We got on to the vendors solicitor who organised a man and a skip promptly (it was an executors sale).


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## Dublin3124 (6 Jan 2011)

Hi guys,

Thanks for the replies.  I have ordered a skip as solicitor has agreed that there is no point in writing to them.  

If I ever buy another house at least I'll know what to do next time.  You live and learn.  

I'm shocked to think that people would leave a house in such a state.  When I have left rental properties in the past I have allways left the place the way I found it.    

Thanks again


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## RMCF (11 Jan 2011)

Same thing happened to me recently too, and its a real kick in the teeth. 

The fact that some people are so scummy that they would leave your new house in a state is a disgrace. Really shows up people for having no manners or breeding. 

I had a lot of rubbish left behind, a garage full of rubbish as well as some doors off their hinges to get furniture out.

I let my solicitor, and their agent, know how unhappy I was. I will see if anything will come of it as they have said they will rectify some of the issues. Well I do have a trick up my sleeve if all else fails ..............


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## annR (11 Jan 2011)

> The fact that some people are so scummy that they would leave your new house in a state is a disgrace. Really shows up people for having no manners or breeding.



Breeding?


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## RMCF (11 Jan 2011)

Figure of speech.


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## Dublin3124 (13 Jan 2011)

Hope it works out for you RMCF.  

Best of luck with it all


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## AlbacoreA (14 Jan 2011)

Could you deliver it to their new address?


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## RMCF (14 Jan 2011)

Naw, as I said it'll work out. Did  afair bit of cleaning up and redecorating over the last month, place really starting to look ok now.

I'll be in the house for many years now, so a few extra weeks to clean up rubbish really is a drop in the ocean in the great scheme of things, isn't it?

It just shocked me at the time as I would not do it myself. I will be moving out of my 1st house shortly to rent it out, and it will be cleaned very thoroughly. It will have all sinks, toilets, floors cleaned. It will have all drawers and cupboards vacuumed out. It will have windows cleaned, everything dusted. And it will have a good luck present of some description left for the tenants.

As you can guess, this was complete opposite to what I received in my new house.

And still got something to play with if it turns any more sour ....


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## phantom60 (14 Jan 2011)

RMCF said:


> Well I do have a trick up my sleeve if all else fails ..............



Go on, tell us your trick!


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## RMCF (14 Jan 2011)

They left something quite valuable behind ..... and I still have it.


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## Bronte (14 Jan 2011)

I know people who went into a house where the light fittings (normal type) and sockets off the walls were taken. Purchasers be warned - check the house the day of sale, you can easily pop to the house and look in the windows and don't close if everything is not in order. You'd be amazed how quick you will get a clean up or a cheque for x amount to pay for cleaning on a day of sale.


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## orka (14 Jan 2011)

I have a friend who moved into her new house to find the radiators had been removed and the new central heating boiler that had been there at viewing had been replaced with an old broken one...  
I also worked ages ago with a girl who asked me if I thought it would be wrong of her to take her nice wooden toilet seats with her when she sold her house.
And, similar to Bronte, I also know someone who arrived to find all the light fittings gone.  
People are strange and if I was buying a house now, I think I would photograph and inventory absolutely everything that I expected to be in the house.


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## RMCF (18 Jan 2011)

Not sure if 100% true or not, but I was always told that the sellers have to leave everything in place that the removal of would leave holes in the walls.

i.e. curtain poles, light fittings, sockets.


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