How can people live like that?

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Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:31 am

I'm an electrician as one of my trades, but times being what they are I'm doing just about anything that comes up. A friend of mine lets out flats and I go in between tenants to do the usual repairs and safety checks. She recently had to evict someone after they fell 18 months in arrears with rent and asked me to go in and take a look. I've seen some bad ones, but this was the worst. This was the bedroom after I'd pulled the stinking bed out of it. The stench was indescribable. Anyone seen worse?
This was an able-bodied guy who's spent ten years on his fat ass smoking cigs. The walls and celings were dull brown.

http://www.scamwarners.com/main/fx_images/PsycheDelia_Smith_762aa5a98517.jpg

Anyway, the other two rooms were as bad or worse so I got some nice extra work sorting it out. Here's what it looked like after a week. All ready for the next people, who could surely never be as bad as the previous.

http://www.scamwarners.com/main/fx_images/PsycheDelia_Smith_bb4fa90e683b.jpg

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:42 am

Had some folks we were evicting. They knew they were going for a while and used that time to defacate in buckets. About 30 of them full.

Nothing shocks me anymore when it come to disgusting people.

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 11:44 am

How can people live like that? Well - low sense of worth, no self-esteem, crippling anxiety/paranoia, no social circle = no visitors = no reason to tidy up, mental health problems, depression... trust me, I have personal experience in that area.

Or, just being bum lazy and not being able to afford a cleaner/wife/mummy to do it for them... Wink

You did a good job, that looks lovely now. Wanna come to mine?

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:48 pm

^^ You're right, if there were any of those legitimate issues involved you could excuse it. The guy was just bum lazy. Took three trips to the landfill to dispose of the stuff he abandoned.

Thing is, I think if you rent a place from someone who charges the least amount she can and helps out new tenants with anything they ask for, with the lack of affordable rented housing right now if someone can take the time to maintain cleanliness in the place they should do so. Thee's help available for those who can't.

He was 10 grand in arrears with rent and made no offer at any time to start paying again, and it cost 1700 to get him out. He would shout and intimidate my friend when she called there. Nightmare. The last time she went there I went too and he was tame as a little puppy. Very good at threatening women, not so tough when a male was present.

@friday: 30 buckets of shit trumps this, but the stink was about the same.

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:21 pm

Pushing the boundaries of shabby chic maybe. But I've seen worse when working in peoples own homes over the years. Confused

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:30 pm

We had years of something similar from the Good 'Ole Beeb
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Life_of_Grime

Although I found the series fascinating - especially Mr Trebus! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Trebus - some of the episodes were truly stomach churning:
A woman who lived with a large number of cats that weren't let outside Shocked

and the clean-up crew found a mummified cat in a bedroom cupboard.

A scene where a family had a blocked loo so just used the bath...

A 3rd floor flat with a family keeping dogs that had soiled everywhere - even while being filmed..
(They filmed the RSPCA officer visiting the flat and she was visibly pale looking when she got back to her van)

Some of the messes were so bad the clean-up crews needed masks and could only work for 15-20 minutes at a time in the stench.

In some cases of the terrible conditions it was clear there were mental issues behind it all, but some people were just too damn lazy to wipe their own arses (literally!).
"It's a council flat - they'll sort it out..." sort of attitude. Evil or Very Mad

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:24 pm

I remember a similar TV series from Australia, social services were called to help out an old feller with a houseful of cats. The fleas were a problem and had caused him to get itching sores but instead of clearing up the excrement he'd put a layer of newspaper on top, all over the floor area. So he had several years' worth of layer of shit, layer of paper, one atop the other.

Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 6:15 pm

We have had some tv shows where they show hoarders.

Some of the people suffered from depression and other mental illness and some just keep thinking "Can't throw that out because I might need it some day."

In our computer group in Tenn. there was one guy who was a well known researcher in the area of ophthamology. One time I had to go to his place to deliver something. He had stacks and stacks of newspapers and magazines stacked all over with a pathway through the apt. And the bathroom -- let's just say I waited until I could find a restroom at a gas station!

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 582

PsycheDelia_Smith wrote:

The stench was indescribable. Anyone seen worse?

Meh, sorry to say but I have seen, smelled and cleaned worse. Knee deep in junk, animal (we hoped) waste piled in the corners, holes in the walls, cracked glass in windows, missing screens, horrific carpet, toilet full of darkened cardboard and food in refrigerator. Mind you, the place had been without running water or electricity for months before the tenants moved out. The tenant's dog had given birth to puppies in one room, so he stapled newspaper to the hardwood floor to contain the dog waste, adding more layers it as it became saturated. When he was evicted, he decided to take couple of doors, most of the switch plate covers, the dishwasher and bathroom sink with him.

One neighbor took pity on the guy and let him store some of his crap in her garage but he apparently managed to cram the doors, dishwasher and sink into a friend's truck. He came by once in a while to take a box or 2, always saying he would get the rest soon. After a year she told him to collect it all or she was going to put on the curb for the monthly bulk garbage pick up. He came by with a truck, took a few more boxes and asked all the other neighbors if he could store the rest in their garage, everyone said no. What he left, she put the rest on the curb. Neighbors and passer-bys took some of it but the garbage man ended up with most of it. 6 more months passed and he showed up again, thinking his junk was still there, boy was he shocked to discover a car in the garage.

Then there was the issue of the half-finished and "finished" home improvement projects he had done. Such as tiling most of the shower and all of the kitchen floor. The shower tile started at 3 feet down from the ceiling and ended 6" before the tub and 6" from the window. The kitchen floor looks like he started ok, then got drunk/high and just tossed tiles wherever while varying the grout lines from nonexistent to nearly half inch. Luckily, amongst the piles of crap there was a partial box of tile and half a carton of grout so we were able to cobble together enough to outline the window and do the row against the tub. The kitchen floor we left, deciding a nice throw rug would hide the worst of it.

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:37 pm

Some of you may have noticed my absence from here. That was due to a "Been there, done that" - Not as bad as the examples here, but still, that was tough times Sad

It started with a busted shoulder, and being be the one who gives friends a hand, and suddenly being more or less disabled. Believe me that takes a toll in any way.

Things have taken a turn for the better though - The shoulder is finally getting better and I managed to get a good job in a great company.

I had a bit of luck and I'm now coming out on top of things. But lots of others aren't that resourceful, and need a helping hand to get on with their lives - But there really is no easy way around this as having your home looking like a dump just isolates you further. So it's very likely that an offer for some help will be declined - As I said: "Been there, done that"

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:23 pm

Good to see you back Chuda!

Another terrible thing to see in eviction cleaning is to find the valuable heirlooms abandoned by the former tenant. Something, that if they had sold, would have given them cash to keep them afloat. Assisting friends I've seen lots of collector's dreams left behind.

Elite Baiter Joined: 19 Jan 2009 Posts: 1440

Quote:

We have had some tv shows where they show hoarders.

For those who haven't seen these shows, you can find some on YouTube. I never thought of myself as naive, and had heard of people who hoard stuff, but never in my worst nightmares could I dream that human beings could live like this.

I wouldn't allow my dog to set foot in any of these places, some of which have caused exterminators to run away screaming.

Watching these shows has resulted in my own home being clean and neat as a pin. It's impossible to watch these shows and not be compelled to jump up and clean something.

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 8:51 pm

Badgerbait wrote:

Good to see you back Chuda!

Thanks

Badgerbait wrote:

Another terrible thing to see in eviction cleaning is to find the valuable heirlooms abandoned by the former tenant.

I was down, but not that far out - I did actually cash in the silverware (which I never used anyway), but the important stuff is still with me - Including goatie #1 jump_4_joy

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:38 pm

Morgain Le Fay wrote:

We have had some tv shows where they show hoarders.

You may be referring to Hoarders on one of the US cable networks. That show came to our fair city last year to cover a gentleman whose home was uninhabitable in inaccessible due to "extreme clutter." They hired a crew to clean everything out and haul the junk away so the guy's house was livable again. Six months later one of the local TV stations sent a crew out for a follow up story. The piles of crap had come back and the place looked like not even a broom had been used in the house. I just have to shake my head.

@PDS: Grim photo. I can't begin to imagine the odor of rancid cigarette smoke mixed with whatever else was bubbling up in that flat.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Posts: 19

A few years ago a friend of mine used to let a house , here in Derby. He'd gone round to have a word with the tenant of 5 yrs, about his rent. Knocking on the door, he received no reply and tried the door. It was open so he went in. He found the tenant's 17yr old son in the kitchen (a disgusting tip) and told him he'd come back later to see his dad. When he returned some hours later, the tenant answered the front door telling him "You can't come in here and you can't evict me." "I have rights."
First thing my friend did was to punch him in the face telling him "I' want you out."
Anyway an hour later, the police turn up at his house asking him about the incident. My friend was open and honest with them and admitted he'd lost his temper with the tenant and had indeed punched him. The police were all set to arrest him, but on further discussion with them, the tenant had told them, that the incident had happened at his father's house (not at the house he was renting) The police went with my friend to the house he was letting and surprise, surprise, the tenant answered the door. They took a statement off him (in the house) and said as far as they were concerned they wouldn't proceed with any arrests etc, but would be reporting him to Social Services, as they were more concerned about his 9 yr old daughter living in such filthy conditions.
A few days later, the tenant had "Done a runner" from the property. The next day , my friend got his spare keys to the property and asked me to go round to survey the house and change the locks.
Well, the stench was indescribable for starters. The kitchen cupboards were full of black plastic bags full of rubbish, as was the downstairs toilet, living room and what we laughingly called the study.
Didn't look like he'd put any rubbish out for years.
Upstairs the three bedrooms and bathroom, were full of all sorts of detritus. (god knows where they actually slept as it certainly wasn't in the bedrooms)
Over the next three weeks we managed to clear the property completely (took 8 skips, just for the house, never mind the garden)
I helped him renovate the property completely, doing all the joinery work. My brother did all of the plastering and my friend did the electrics. From the old tenant he received £450 per month in rent, and after refurbishment, he now receives £650 per month and has a tenant who really looks after the house.

PS the day we went to change the locks etc, people were knocking on the door asking if they could rent the property. My mate dare not even show anyone round, yet one couple offered £1000 deposit there and then (my friend refused because the house was so bad)

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:55 pm

My house is pretty untidy right now due to the amount of renovation I'm doing. Cutting out a wall with a petrol saw does make a bit of a mess. Untidiness and clutter I can stand up to a point but filth is another matter. Shit and rotten food stuck to everything, I won't stand for a minute.

@ badgerbait - The guys who do house clearances do very nicely from it, I believe. Especially if they know what they're looking for.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 3:28 pm

I heard of a junkie round here who did 'cardboard cleaning' - when the mess got too much he'd get a load of cardboard, and put it down over the mess, starting again with a pristine, if slightly uneven floor.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:07 pm

One of my former friends used to smoke heavy amounts of weed. He didn't pay too much attention to his kitchen hygiene - more specifically cleaning and dishwashing - so at a point, he simply closed the door to the kitchen, after opening the window to take the top off the fly invasion (yeah, I know, it was gross, believe me), and started eating takeaway from there.

6 months later, a pair of pigeons was nesting in his kitchen sink, and the neighbours had rat sightings on the back stairs.

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 6:59 pm

^^ So what did he do with the take-way containers......or do we really want to know?

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 7:51 pm

^^^ Sometimes he threw them onto the kitchen pile, sometimes he actually took down that part of the trash through the front door instead, and walked around the block to throw it in the bin. Wink

By the way, I forgot to mention, that the rest of his flat was (relatively) tidy, it was just the kitchen that was a mess. Very strange.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 05 Mar 2009 Posts: 582

TheDane wrote:

the rest of his flat was (relatively) tidy, it was just the kitchen that was a mess. Very strange.

Yup, I know someone like that. Tidy house, well maintained, swept, dusted, organised........except for the kitchen. Total disaster. Has a "dirty dish" cupboard because he so rarely washes dishes.

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:25 pm

There are a couple of Hoarders shows in the US (at least there used to be). I sometimes watch these shows. It makes me feel like my house is spotless.

One of the worst ones I ever saw was an older man whose wife had died a few years earlier. He let his house go and a few rats invested it. He started feeding them (just throwing food on the floor of the living room) and by the time he was on the show there were over 2,000 rats living in the house. The rats were living everywhere (in the furniture, in the walls). They almost had to tear the house down getting them out. They actually caught the rats alive and tried to place them through pet stores. (they let him keep one rat)

Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 3:33 pm

There is someone in our small river community who frequently goes without electricity and she can afford it -- and we have blistering hot humid weather down along the Gulf. To be without a/c is horrible.

Also we have septic tanks. They all require to be hooked up to the electricity for functioning. She hooks it up to the power via outdoor extension cord every 2 to 3 weeks. In the interim that place where septic tank is overflows and smells awful and attacks flies. One can only imagine what it must be like in her bathroom and kitchen sinks.

Our system at our house is actually a small water treatment system that when the sprinkler system out toward our woods comes on the water is 97% potable so is safe for watering the yard back there.

Because we live in the country the health dept will not do anything about it. Every time they finally get around to coming out, she has had it plugged back into the power.

I have been paying the back taxes on that property at public auction every August and will soon be the owner and she will be asked to leave (evicted if you will).

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:37 pm

Life of Grime. Reminds me. I used to see Mr Trebus picking up stuff and dragging it back home years ago. He became a bit of local celebrity after the program and people started to defend him. Except his neighbours that is.

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