Yahoo News This four-bedroom house is up for sale for just £45,000 due to its disgusting pigeon problem
A four-bedroom property is being sold for just £45,000 because it is covered in pigeon poo.
The problem was so bad that the owner has fled the house in Ilfracombe, Devon.
The property, Number 1 Coburg Villas, is a large terraced house with plenty of rooms and outdoor space and stunning views over the Bristol channel – but the inside is full of pigeon droppings.
In some areas of the house, the thickness of the bird excrement is two feet.
And that’s not the only issue – the home is also missing windows, has no staircase to the first floor, has collapsed ceilings and several rotten floors.
The top floors are completely covered in bird faeces.
The home is in such disrepair that prospective buyers aren’t allowed inside – instead, they must view an online video tour of the property.
Estate agents Webbers are marketing the home. Its director, Lee Hussell said the house was lived in until the end of last year.
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He said: “The lady who lived here kept herself to herself and has now moved into rented accommodation.
“The property is in a very sorry state of repair but has massive potential.
“Due to the structural state of the building and the large amount of pigeon waste, which is a hazardous substance, we are not able to offer any viewings on this property.”
A virtual tour of the property was filmed for marketing purposes by Panoptic Motion, which featured a man wearing a large pigeon head hovering behind a door on the third floor.
Mr Hussell said: “The people at Panoptic Motion were able to go in and provide a virtual tour – which obviously has a big surprise on the third floor.
“We knew nothing about this until we looked through it ourselves, but it’s very funny and tongue-in-cheek and the more we can get people talking about this property the better.”
He said the state of the property – as well as the surprise in the virtual tour – has led to tens of thousands of views of the property online.
“It’s gone properly viral – we’ve had people contacting us to say it’s been shared in Australia.
“So far, thousands of people have seen the property online so I’m hopeful for a fair bit of interest when it comes to auction.”
Number 1 Coburg Villas is part of a wider auction lot of properties in Ilfracombe and Woolacombe which will take place at midday on Friday, April 5 at the Lantern Centre in Ilfracombe.
On the website the premises is described by Webbers as a “proper renovation project not for the faint-hearted”.
It continues: “The house is on the market for the first time in nearly 40 years.
“The three-storey accommodation is in a very poor state of repair with some areas open to the elements and the bay windows in a state of dilapidation and in need of rebuilding.
“There is no staircase to the first with access being required by ladder only and some of the floor areas being held up on acrow props.
“There are several areas of rot and dampness with the property likely to require a complete strip out and re-fit.
“As a result of the works required we can almost certainly say that the property is not suitable for mortgage lending purposes.
“The popular location is just metres from the high street, seafront and picturesque harbour and the many top quality restaurants, bars and small independent shops that the town has to offer.”
