Andover: Pensioner unable to move into 'disgusting' swap

Pearl McNeill and her daughter Tiare house swapped from their property in Aberdeen to a house in Porters Close in Andover and were due to move on September 23

When the duo arrived, they found the property full of the previous owners’ belongings, with floors covered in cat wee, the toilet and kitchen cupboard smashed, and holes in the walls.

Pearl said: “I have never seen so much filth in my life, it’s just disgusting, absolutely diabolical.

The Andover property and Pearl(Image: Pearl McNeill)

“I could be a nice little house but it's stacked from ceiling to the floor. We couldn’t even get in the bedroom, it was jam-packed.”

After leaving the house, Pearl found fleas on herself and her daughter, and they had to cover themselves in Dettol to get rid of them.

Pearl, who left her property in Aberdeen ‘spotless’, has been paying rent for the new property and has contacted SNG for help, but has been repeatedly told to ‘be patient’ for house clearance.

The state of the Andover property(Image: Pearl McNeill)

In the meantime, Pearl and her daughter have temporarily moved into her late uncle’s house in Eastbourne, which is currently on the market, as the Andover property is unfit to live in.

Pearl is also being forced to pay for a storage container for her furniture, as there is no room to put her belongings in the new house.

She said: “As a pensioner on £155.79 a week, I don’t have the money to pay for storage,

“We don’t have time to be patient. We’re at our wits' end, we don’t know what to do. We can’t go on like this.”

A removal van for the previous owner arrived to take some of the belongings away, but the house is still 'full' of items, including 'used stuff and boxes, all in packaging and tubs of money.'

Pearl detailed that she was also concerned about the house’s gas certificate, as safety checks didn’t take place until September 29, after they were supposed to move in.

Pearl's property in Aberdeen(Image: Pearl McNeill)

A spokesperson for SNG said: “Mutual exchanges are customer led, but we do ask customers who are moving out to ensure they leave their home in the same clean and clear condition they’d expect from their exchange partner. In this instance and given the poor conditions left by the previous customer, we have since gone in and cleared the property and we’re following up on any outstanding repairs.

“We can confirm that the gas safety check at this property was completed within the legal guidelines. Once all resolved, the family should be able to move in and enjoy their home.”