A couple who purchased their first home on the Northwest Side of Chicago found themselves in a nightmarish situation after discovering a strong, putrid odor emanating from their newly acquired property.
Jeffrey Martini, 38, and Ryan Trent Oldham, 37, are suing the seller, their inspector, and their real estate agent after uncovering a staggering amount of cat feces and urine in the unfinished attic of their Albany Park brick bungalow.
The home at 5015 N. Keeler Ave. was previously owned by a 66-year-old widower, who was found dead in a state described by the medical examiner as a “hoarder environment.”
More than 40 cats had reportedly lived in the home, which had become a tragic scene filled with animal neglect.
When Martini and Oldham toured the house, they were captivated by its fresh paint and new carpeting, completely unaware of its grim history.
“It just looked like there was so much potential,” said Oldham, expressing their excitement about finding a home in their desired neighborhood.
However, their joy quickly turned to despair when they realized they were not informed about the severe issues lurking behind the attic hatch, barely accessible through the basement stairwell.
Martini expressed that they felt taken advantage of as first-time homebuyers.
In June 2024, the couple filed a civil lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against several parties, including Grandview Capital, the company that owned the property, and Grandview Realty, which marketed the home.
The lawsuit claims that Grandview did minimal work to mislead the buyers into making a purchase.
Although the inspector, Russ Valleyfield of Pinnacle Property Inspection Services, reportedly inspected the attic, he failed to notice significant amounts of feces and the heavy scent of air fresheners present in the home.
Oldham criticized their real estate agent, Kyle Bordner from Compass Realty Group, for not looking out for their best interests, a claim that Bordner denied.
Before purchasing, Oldham recalled a conversation with a neighbor who mentioned the house’s history with cats to their agent.
Despite this warning, Bordner allegedly assured them that the property had been successfully rehabilitated.
After closing on the house for $350,000 on June 30, 2023, the couple was immediately greeted with a ghastly odor as they entered their new home.
Martini described the smell as an overwhelming stench of uric acid.
Friends who came to celebrate their new purchase were equally taken aback; one friend, who was pregnant, felt physically sick upon entering.
It was shortly after moving in that they began discovering even more alarming surprises, including a small bone found on the basement floor near what appeared to be cat fur.
As they continued to investigate, they found a cat’s spine in an air duct, and during a bathroom remodel, they uncovered a cat skull hidden within the walls.
With the stench becoming unbearable, the couple engaged a contractor who accessed the attic to investigate further.
The contractor’s response was grim: “There’s nothing but turds up there!” he declared after inspecting the situation.
Martini confirmed that every corner of the attic was covered in cat feces and soiled insulation, leading to their disillusionment with homeownership.
Originally filled with excitement about their first home, the couple now found themselves engulfed in panic.
“This is horrible. It just was taken away so quickly,” Oldham lamented.
The couple started to dig into the property’s history and came across news reports from 2021 revealing the shocking circumstances of the previous owner’s death.
Authorities had discovered the body during a wellness visit after concerned neighbors noticed that his car had not moved for several days and his mail was piling up.
Animal rescue teams arrived at the scene and removed dozens of surviving cats while discovering an alarming state of neglect throughout the home.
Martini and Oldham secured a video recorded by the rescuers showing the home cluttered with piles of belongings and a gaping hole in the dining room ceiling that provided an easy passageway for the cats to reach the attic.
Allegations in the lawsuit assert that Grandview had superficially patched the hole and painted over it without addressing the underlying issues that persisted in the home.
Moreover, they had completed only minimal renovations, which included installing new carpeting while leaving the problematic subfloors untouched.
A seller’s disclosure form filled out by Grandview indicated that there were no material defects in the home.
Scott G. Richmond, the attorney representing Grandview, asserted in a statement that the company had only faced two lawsuits in its 15 years of operation concerning homes sold, and the previous case was settled without any findings of liability.
In defense to claims made by Martini and Oldham regarding the bones found in the house, Richmond suggested they were discovered in the basement ceiling and were unknown to Grandview during their ownership of the property.
Furthermore, Grandview’s legal filing argued that it was unfair for the couple to wait nearly a year before addressing their grievances.
The defendants claimed they were not aware of any problems related to cat feces, damaged flooring, or other issues prior to receiving communication from the plaintiffs’ attorneys.
Martini and Oldham revealed they had already invested $20,000 in cleaning the attic and replacing damaged portions of the ceiling, alongside previous expenses incurred to tackle the persistent odor.
Despite their attempts, they stated that the smell of cat urine still lingered in the walls and subflooring, presenting a challenge that might never be resolved.
“There are parts of this house that cannot be replaced that are soaked in urine,” Martini noted.
A neighbor, Nancy Everett, shared that the house had a notorious reputation for its overwhelming smell, prompting her and others in the area to lodge complaints with local authorities multiple times.
Evoking frustration, she commented, “Frankly, I wanted the house torn down.”
Friend Mat Biscan expressed deep regret for giving advice to Martini and Oldham about purchasing the house, as they had assured him it was the best decision they could make.
Now facing ongoing legal struggles, the couple contemplates their future in a home that has become a symbol of distress rather than a joyous milestone in their lives.
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