A derelict home dubbed ‘Britain’s filthiest' property has sold for £115,000 more than expected after it sparked a bidding war. The three-bedroom terraced house was filled with rotting rubbish, smashed furniture and holes in the ceilings and walls.
It was on the market for just £60,000 with estate agents admitting the house needed a “full refurbishment and modernisation". The neglected property had been boarded up for three years after apparently suffering from fire damage.
Social media users branded it “Britain’s filthiest home” when it went up for auction with some predicting it would struggle to sell. Despite the low expectations, the house was sold for £175,000 when it went under the hammer at Loveitts Auctioneers on Thursday.
The mystery buyer still snapped up a bargain, with the average house price in the area being £181,000. Grim pictures taken inside the house show every room piled high with rubbish, broken cutlery, smashed furniture and stained bedding.
The bathroom is also full of smashed tiles, a filthy bath and even an abandoned airer heaped with clothes. The ground floor has two rooms, plus the tiny kitchen which leads into the large paved garden complete with coal shed.
Upstairs there are the three double bedrooms along with the bathroom. The freehold property in Coventry is in a residential road and is close to shops and amenities. The sprawling grounds of Coombe Abbey and Country Park are also just a few miles away.
Social media users expressed their shock the house triggered such a bidding war.
One Facebook user said: “So much for the cost of living crisis when Britain’s filthiest home sells for close on three times the sale price.”
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Another one commented: "Whoever bought it will probably just rent out as it is for a grand a month and get it too! Rents are just crazy at the moment, even in a s***hole like Cov.”
Another said: "Just goes to prove where there's muck, there's brass."
Sally Smith, director and auctioneer at Loveitts said: “There was a lot of interest in the property in the run up to the auction and on the day the auction house was full. During the auction there were bidders on the phone and bidders in the room.
“I don’t know who bought the property, but I’m assuming they are an investor who will completely clear it out and refurbish it. We had expected it to go for a good price as the property had had some pre-auction offers, but they were nowhere near what the house sold for in the end and we were all very surprised by the final price.
“It was the perfect auction property, as it is in a good area and needed to be sold by the seller and this property is a perfect example of the power of an auction where items go for considerably more than their expected price. It will definitely make a great house for a family or renters when it is all refurbished and there is a lot of potential. It will be interested to see what the buyer does with the place and whether they extend it or completely change the external layout as the kitchen could do with being extended as it is quite small.”
