A PROPERTY guru who took a “gamble” on blind flat purchase was left retching after first seeing inside – but worked his magic to double its value after just four weeks.
Taylor Kay said he instantly thought “I’ve made a massive mistake” after being greeted by mounds of urine-soaked rubbish on his first visit.
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The 29-year-old admits he took a risky chance by forking out £85,000 in cash for the squalid one-bedroom flat in Luton, Bedfordshire.
But the pricey wager paid off, as Taylor turned the disgusting apartment into a luxury £180,000 property.
He made the gamble when a fellow investor offered him the property, despite having no idea of the condition of the flat as no-one was able to gain access until they were the legal owner.
Taylor filmed his first entry into the home as he battled his way inside, and said he was immediately welcomed by “the worst smell I have ever smelled”.
The property investor can be heard vomiting as soon as he enters, instantly realising his first renovation project may have been a massive blunder.
But despite the disgusting state of the flat, Taylor managed transform it into a luxury oasis in just four weeks – with a new tenant moving in just days later.
Taylor, from Luton, said: “I had no information on the property itself. We knew it was a maisonette but we didn’t know what it was like inside – how many bedrooms it had or how bad it was.
“It was a bit of a gamble but the price was attractive enough to be able to take that gamble.
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“£85,000 for any property in Luton is very low. These kinds of apartments are worth anything from £160,000 to £180,000, so it was a bit of a no-brainer.
“When I agreed to buy it I drove round and had a little look but you couldn’t look through the windows because they were covered up.
“I walked round the back because there was a little alleyway for wheelie bins and I saw the garden was overgrown and the fences were falling down, so I knew it wasn’t going to be in great condition.
“The day that I picked the keys up I couldn’t get through the front door because there was so much rubbish in the entryway, I had to walk around the back.
“It was the worst smell I have ever smelled. All of the rubbish I was walking on was held together with urine so that smell was lingering.
“It was absolutely disgusting so as I was recording I was being sick, you can hear me gagging. I could only get to a certain point and then you physically couldn’t go any further.”
Instantly I thought ‘I’ve made a massive mistake’
Taylor Kay, 29
After getting the keys to the flat in March and discovering the mess hidden inside, the property investor called in some clearance companies to tackle the stomach-churning job.
He claims the first three companies he contacted refused to even offer him a quote after seeing the state of the property, before a fourth company agreed to take it on for £2,500.
Four workers then took five days to shift the rubbish that swamped every inch of the flat, with some rooms piled half-way up the walls.
With the clutter out of the way, Taylor carried out his stunning £34,000 renovation, hiring a team of builders to work tirelessly for four weeks to turn the grubby blank canvas into a luxury abode.
‘HARD WORK’
The facelift included fitting a brand new kitchen and bathroom, renovated windows and doors, updated electrics, and re-plastered walls and ceilings.
Taylor, known as Lord TK on TikTok, said: “With my occupation I go out and value properties so I’ve seen a lot of bad properties over the years but nothing ever like this.
“So many things were going through my head, like ‘how do I even start to get this to look better?”
The house-flipper said the problems with the home kept getting worse, as mould was found after he stripped back the first layer of rubbish and grime.
He continued: “It was as expected under the rubbish – there was mould so the walls had to be stripped bare and replastered and the flooring was mush and all had to be replaced.
“Everything you can think of that needs doing when you build a property needed doing.”
Just days after the mammoth job was completed, new tenants moved in, and the savvy landlord could breathe a sigh of relief that he salvaged his risky purchase.
After overcoming his challenging first ever refurbishment job, he now plans on taking on more projects and growing his property portfolio.
Taylor added: “This was my first ever refurbishment job. It was a lot of hard work but it was worth it.
“Now the work has been done and I’ve got great tenants in there paying rent, it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
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