I totally agree. I always thought the house looked very cold, unwelcoming and unloved. Especially the garden. Did she plant anything at all whilst there apart from vegetables? It probably could have been lovely but despite what she says I never got the feeling that she really liked it there and she always seemed miserable.
There's no doubt that the previous tenants left it in a bad and unacceptable way, but lets face it, it wasn't in good condition to begin with, and I think she was also completely unrealistic about what a house like that in that area would look like when it's just left. I can't believe she thought they could just turn up and live in it again. Saying that she is massively over reacting about what needs to be done before she can live in it again and isn't taking into account normal wear and tear. I'd love to know how much rent they actually charged people for it. It doesn't sound like anything went through proper channels and so I suspect they weren't exactly great landlords from the other side of the world.
There's no doubt that the previous tenants left it in a bad and unacceptable way, but lets face it, it wasn't in good condition to begin with, and I think she was also completely unrealistic about what a house like that in that area would look like when it's just left. I can't believe she thought they could just turn up and live in it again. Saying that she is massively over reacting about what needs to be done before she can live in it again and isn't taking into account normal wear and tear. I'd love to know how much rent they actually charged people for it. It doesn't sound like anything went through proper channels and so I suspect they weren't exactly great landlords from the other side of the world.