A Coodanup homeowner has been left shattered and irate after finding her once-pristine home with smashed windows, torn out ceiling fans and dog excrement all over the floor.
The house was dismantled by its former tenants, who turned the house into what owner Rose Care described as "an unlivable pile of crap."
Ms Care came from Perth on the weekend of October 8 – 9 to find the home in a chaotic state.
Her tenants of six years had stripped the home of anything they could take, leaving behind nothing but a massive mess in every room of the house.
They had also left a dog - living in its own excrement - which was seized by the RSPCA.
Ms Care, who has privately leased the home for 21 years, said she felt shattered and betrayed by the tenants.
"I just couldn't believe it – when I walked through the house with some friends people were literally vomiting on the floor because the smell was so bad," she said.
"The floor was squelching when we walked on it because of all the urine.
"I've had the tenants for six years and they always paid rent on time and we never had a huge amount of trouble from them, so it was just gut-wrenching to come and find it this way.
"There was a dog left to die and children living in the house with the tenants – no child should have to live this way."
Damage to the home included a number of broken windows, floors that needed replacing and curtains that had been torn.
The tenants had also helped themselves to light globes and the stove needed to be replaced.
Outside, the yards were left in an overgrown shambles and a thick layer of grime covered the bathroom.
Ms Care has gone through 30 litres of bleach and 10 buckets of filler in an effort to repair the home.
The clean-up has cost her almost $8000, a nest-egg she was saving for retirement.
"That's probably the hardest thing to stomach – I've worked really hard to have those savings and to have to spend them on something like this is really disappointing," she said.
"It's sickening to have to walk through here the way it was."
A week-and-a-half after inspecting the house, repairs are ongoing.
But despite the heartbreak of her broken home, Ms Care said the nightmare had shown her the generosity of the community.
"Without all my friends, my son and all my family who have helped out I would have nothing – I can't describe how grateful I am to have them with me," she said.
"We've had people here guarding the house on night duties and other people just working all day to help.
"Even people on Facebook, who I have never met, have offered to lend a hand. It really shows how many people out there care and not all people would do something like this."
- story from The Mandurah Mail
0 comments
New User? Sign up