Filthy, rubbish-strewn house sells for £50,000 more than guide price at auction

A filthy, rubbish-strewn house that went up for auction has sold for £153,000 - a whopping £50,000 more than the guide price.

The three-bedroom, terraced house is filled with old appliances and hundreds of old carrier bags stuffed with rubbish. Shocking photographs show the living room and kitchen areas strewn with clothes and in one room rubbish can be seen piled up almost as high as the window frame.

Amazingly the property on Scott Lane West in Keighley, was put for auction in its current state with a guide price of £100,000.

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But on Wednesday (Nov 6) it was bought for an astonishing £153,000.

The kitchen inside 68 Scott Lane WestThe kitchen inside 68 Scott Lane West
The kitchen inside 68 Scott Lane West

Bradford Council, who bought the property with a compulsory purchase order (CPO) said the house had been empty since 2014.

Before the auction, the listing on Right Move previously said the property was in a "sought-after location" - despite the amount of rubbish in the house.

It said: "A renovation project comprising a semi-detached dwelling sold with vacant possession and requiring a full scheme of renovation. The property is sold as seen and contains a large amount of rubbish.

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"Arranged over two storeys, the property offers three bedrooms and also benefits from gardens to the front and rear and a rear garage, as well as its sought-after location. Once renovated, the property would make a pleasant family home."

Bradford Council said the property's owner "made very little contact" before it was bought by them through the CPO.

A council spokesperson said: "The property was acquired through a CPO as part of the council's empty homes programme which aims to bring empty residential properties back into use, particularly those that are long term and problematic.

"The property was a long-term vacant property and had been empty since at least 2014. The owner of the property made very little contact with the council in response to enquiries with numerous attempts being ignored over a number of years.

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"The property was neglected and in very poor repair. A CPO was used as a last resort given the issues that the property created for the community and the wasted housing resource in a time of much needed accommodation.

"Empty properties are risk assessed by the council, taking many factors into account, and CPO action is only pursued where the council has sufficient evidence to demonstrate that unless it intervenes, the property will remain empty. The case for a CPO has to be made to Government Office.

"If successful, the council sells properties acquired on the open market, in their current condition so as to avoid incurring any further costs and so as to use public funds responsibly, and this is understandably reflected in the sale price."

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