New North House by Staytor

We didn’t have unrealistic expectations for a property under £200 a night in Devon over a bank holiday—but we did expect it to be clean and safe. It wasn’t. The living room had a large stained, filthy rug. The couch was also stained. Pillows smelled of body odour. Pans, bowls, mugs, and the fridge were dirty. The floor left our socks black. The shower had black mould, and the toilet needed bleach. Its pull cord was brown halfway down. Walls were stained, and the house smelled unpleasant. The backyard was full of rubbish, cigarette butts, and cat food tins. Other issues: the stair carpet was loose, exposing tacks—both a trip and injury hazard. Opening the dishwasher caused the plinth to fall off. A radiator was rust-covered. “Accessible parking” was advertised, but only paid public parking was available across a main road (£11/day). There were a few nice touches (new sink, hob, and framed quotes), but overall it felt like neglected student digs. We messaged the owner immediately—no reply—despite prior texts about a £200 deposit we hadn’t budgeted for or seen on Hotels.com. That felt cheeky, given the state of the place. We have timestamped photos/videos. We had no choice but to stay, as no other affordable option was available last-minute. To cope: we bought new pillows, rolled up the rug, used a throw on the couch, aired the house, rewiped dishes/floors, and got slippers to avoid the carpet tacks. We left it cleaner than we found it.