Incredible before-and-after photos explain why new homeowner was shocked at the state of the backyard when it was time to move in
A new homeowner has expressed her shock after discovering the property's rear garden was in a state of disrepair when she moved in, contrary to online photos showing it to be perfectly landscaped.
Kaitlyn Bilston, who recently bought the house in South Australia, was shocked to find nothing but soil and weeds after the plants were removed.
Ms Bilston used TikTok to share several before and after photos of the backyard, showing how it had been properly landscaped and decorated with planters.
She uploaded photos of the garden that the previous owner had shown her a week before she got the keys to the house.
The images showed a well-maintained area with gravel covering the garden, a few wooden park chairs and a table creating a serene outdoor setting.
But when she moved in, Mrs Bilston discovered the garden in a very different state.
Ms Bilston previously uploaded a video to her TikTok page showing soil and mulch everywhere after the plants were pulled up.
The footage showed weeds where the planters had been and several rocks had been thrown across the ground.
Parts of the gravel had been scraped away and some roof tiles could also be seen scattered across parts of the garden.
Mrs Bilston agreed with the former owner that they could take all the plants with them when they moved.
Text messages between Ms. Bilston and the previous owner shared with real estate.com.au informed the owner Mrs. Bilston that they would be taking most of the plants.
The owner also told her that they would remove “the dirt” from the plants.
“All the plants have been taken out and leveled,” the owner said.
However, the new owner was disgusted with the state of the garden after the plants were removed.
Dozens of users who commented on Ms Bilston's post said the garden should have been tidied up.
“That's awful,” one user wrote.
“That happened to us, it's so disappointing,” wrote another.
“There's no excuse for doing this.”
Others were less sympathetic to the woman's plight, arguing that she should not have agreed to the former owner taking over all the plants and that she should have raised the issue before the settlement agreement.
Mrs Bilston was shocked to find the back garden covered in soil and mulch with weeds growing out of the ground (pictured) after the former owner removed all the plants.
The photos received by the new owner showed a well-maintained space with gravel covering the garden, a few wooden park chairs and a table creating a serene outdoor setting
'You agreed with the previous owner to take all the plants with you??!! YOU are to blame,” one user wrote.
'It is your responsibility to check this before settlement. Your carrier will then handle these types of matters. So not on the previous owner, but on you,” said another.
Ms Bilston claimed that the resident had not left the house by the date of the settlement and that she had carried out a final inspection of the property before the sale was completed.
“They hadn't even gone to settlement yet…real estate couldn't get into it…we visited real estate a week before, it didn't look like that,” she said.
Those purchasing a home should do a thorough check during the pre-inspection of a home, including gardens and garden beds.
Buyers must notify a conveyancer who will carry out all legal and financial checks on the property to determine if there are any structural issues before final settlement takes place.