If you closed and took possession 10 days ago, the dog poo and paint is yours. Unfortunately.

The time to have the previous owners handle it was before closing. Wasn’t your final walkthrough before you closed?

WOW on the dog urine and poo! As for the paint it is common curtesy to leave so new owners can do touch ups of the existing paint. As for having them come and take it away. Unfortunately in my state it would be the owners problem. All things need to be addressed before closing - ie that means you have to note and generate an agreement before closing for things to happen. Whatever you find after closing is left to the new owner, unless you can prove they hid something and want to file a civil suit.

In my area as long as the paint is dried we can throw the can in the trash. Don't argue with me whether this is right or wrong. Just stating what the rules are. My old city had a place where we could take it to dispose of. In my current area I haven't disposed of any, but if I had to all that is needed is to open the lid and let the paint sit until it is completely dried up. I recommend checking what is needed in your area.

@littlebug zone 5 Missouri TY I took care of the dog poop Long ago, unless some more lurks within the paint. Every once in a while I think or I do smell something in that area. It's either the paint or ??

Not trying to use it as an excuse but at 72 it is not easy to get in that space.

Yes I can just hire someone, but eventually money runs out.

Guess it's another expensive life lesson.

@lyfia TY Oh part of me wants to do a weekly dump of paint cans hidden within my trash, yet the other side keeps saying NO.

As to it being paint left to use, I doubt it. Got into the area enough to see that it was not new stuff.

I saw a product at Home Depot that you can add to paint and then are able to just toss the can in the trash. I have never used it.

It appears that most places allows Latex paint to be thrown in the trash if it is dried. Oil paint is a different story. Are the cans you have latex or oil paint?

Lowe's has a suggestion for how to allow the paint to dry quicker, mix in some cat litter and let it stand open. See link below and go towards the end.

https://www.lowes.com/n/how-to/store-dispose-paint-properly

@cooper8828 I was told cat litter but I will check that out Thank You..

I try to look at this way maybe in 6 months I will have all the seller's crap discovered & fixed with this being a nice home.

Latex paint can just be left outside with the lid off to dry, then thrown in the trash some at a time, no truck needed. Instead of buying expensive drying products or carting a heavy bag of litter from the store, you can even put the poo in it to absorb some of the paint, and just let nature dry them out.

If you are in a large metro area, many have latex paint programs where you drop them off. You can keep the tools, donate, or throw them out. I imagine the dogs' pee was there when you first saw the house.

@3onthetree It was strange but now in thinking back I realized what they did. During both walk throughs, initial & inspection they had two crock pots with dinner. Guess I discovered a new way to mask orders beside using ari freshers like Febreeze.

Like I said, its overall a very expensive life lesson to learn.

Check paint stores in your area. Sherwin Williams store in my area takes old paint cans and responsibly recycles them.
Doesn’t matter how old they are.

LOL I've seen cookies and brownies baked for that smell of "home," not usually extra garlic-y pot roast. It stings to have something pulled over on you, but realize that's minor and you probably bought the house for many other reasons than the condition of the carpet and some rubbish left behind. As long as the pee hasn't soaked the wood, you have the location, an investment, a neighborhood, and unlimited possibilites to make the house into your home.

72 is not old.

@cpartist TY I know! Majority of time I'd agree with you LOL

Yesterday I was cutting down boxes for trash & had to undo my trigger finger that kept locking up,. I finished though.

Now this morning it hurts to type & my right foot that has nerve damage is really acting up

Today Moving Van finally comes only about 2 weeks late...So tomorrow after church I can stare at boxies if need be lol.

However I am blessed--I woke up, can see think hear and sort of walk I've been given another day.

Around here, paint goes quick if you offer it for free! Put it on the sidewalk with a "free" sign, post it on CraigsList, BuyNothing or any number of websites where people give things away. Someone will come into your basement (if you feel comfortable with that) and clear out your paint for free, and will thank you for it.

@Carrie B thats an idea if any of it is decent. Thank You.

As stated previously, the Walk Through was the time to look and deal with these issues at the closing.. They are yours to fix now. Paint cans are not that big of a deal. Open the lids, let them dry out and put them with the trash. In our town we also have a Hazardous Waste day at the town dump. They take old paints. You might try calling your town hall to find out.

Pour kitty litter in the cans of paint. They will dry out quicker. Then, toss into the trash can. Easy peasy. Running across oil-based paint is becoming a rare occurrence. 72 is not old.

I feel certain that the paint will be good.

>>>> . Oh part of me wants to do a weekly dump of paint cans hidden within my trash, yet the other side keeps saying NO.

Listen to the side that says "No". To dump cans of wet paing (not dried) is irresponsible and damaging.

The paint issue is easily solved. As noted above, there are several products that can be used to quickly harden paint, such as this one: https://smile.amazon.com/Waste-Away-Paint-Hardener-Pack/dp/B005NDILIW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1JW18NYQD0SB2&keywords=paint+drying+powder&qid=1639406806&sprefix=paint+dry%2Caps%2C357&sr=8-1.

Regarding the dog poop and urine smells, yep, you own that mess. Sounds to me like you didn't do a thorough walkthrough, not that the walkthrough was a farce.

The final walk-through is not a sacred cow... it simply allows buyers to ensure the property they are receiving is in the same condition it was when they agreed to buy it. It is not an acceptance of that condition and you are not required to delay the closing if problems are found.

The closing represents a massive shift in negotiating leverage, but the parties are still bound by the contract and the norms. You can absolutely bill the seller for removing items that should have been removed prior to closing. You can absolutely bill the seller for items that were damaged between offer and closing. Those things don't suddenly become your problem just because you closed on the house and they certainly don't become your problem at the final walk-through.

Now, this specific question is problematic because there is nothing you can do about the dog urine as that condition existed when you made the offer on the home. Moreover, I doubt there is anything you can do about the paint because it is customary to leave paint that was used in the home. So long as the paint was used in the home, most people would find having it left a benefit, even if only for the label. So, I think you are out of luck on both counts.

However, if they left a lot of junk in the house, you could pay to have it removed and send them the bill. It is doubtful they would pay, because people who leave a lot of junk in houses rarely decide to repay the cost of removing it. Then you can trying suing them in small claims court which is a great way to get a minute's worth of justice for many hours of work.

Habitat for Humanity accepts donations of paint.

...but up to you to take it to them (at least, where we are.)

In fact, I am trashing an entire kitchen as Habitat only accepts it if you remove it and bring it to them.

You bring it, we'll take it. (ten feet of pantry and glass cabinets on other wall.)

if it looks like the paint is what is on your walls, be sure to save the labels (if you trash them) or take pictures of the labels before you donate them so you’ll have a record of what’s been used’.

The previous owners of our house left two barrels of nearly 200lbs of wheat each in my basement that was their emergency food storage and was too heavy for them (a couple in their 70s) to move. We had to find a way to dispose of it ourselves. People sometimes leave things when they either think the next owners might want it (touchup paint, extra tiles, etc) or if it's too difficult for them to remove and they don't want to pay someone to remove it for them.

As for the dog urine and feces, I imagine this was a problem long before you toured the house and probably continued until they relinquished posession of the house. I have toured some houses where it was very clear that the pets had been urinating (and maybe defecating) in the house. I've heard a horror story from my realtor friends of a house where the entire basement was several inches deep covered in dog feces. (They politely declined to be the realtors for those people.) Some people live in disgusting filth, by choice or by sad circumstance. It is very common for people to have carpets cleaned and put on crock pots of scents or oils to mask the odors in a house for sale. And once a buyer has put down an offer, their pets continue to urinate in the house and they don't care, because they never cared.

I am very sorry that you are having to deal with the mess that the previous owners left. I honestly don't think the paint is a big deal, or all that uncommon. The urine and feces is clearly disgusting. I'm sorry I have no experience going back to the sellers after the fact.

The previous owners left several cans of paint in the garage, and I assume it's colors which are already in the house. But is that paint any good? The temperature has been in the teens recently (the garage is unheated). (We closed 5 days ago).

I think, many years ago on this forum or some other one, new owner followed the smell to the basement and found a 32 gallon trash can **filled** with used cat litter. Too heavy to haul up the stairs, I suspect even up the bulkhead would have been a challenge.

Come to think of it, even if one could muscle it out, what do you do then?

In rereading this thread, I find it sad that someone would trash a kitchen that someone else might be able to use. Habitat is mostly volunteer based; they depend on the kindness and generosity of the public in order to help others. Most contractors have trucks that could be used for hauling a donation to their store. A receipt would be given so the donation could be tax deductible and your mileage to haul it would also be deductible. There might even be a way to deduct the hours/time spent doing the volunteer work of removing and hauling that kitchen. It seems kind of stingy and ungenerous to destroy it instead.

If one has to take extra care removing it to keep everything intact, which would increase labor costs,

And transport it and pay for that themselves,

They may decide it's more cost effective just to pay the fees at the transfer station. While habitat for Humanity does take and re-sell cabinetry, as far as I know, each new home is equipped with new, not used fixtures.