Omaze prize draw ‘curse’ as winner requested for £3m refund after simply three days

The Omaze Million Pound House Draw has seen a handful of lucky winners bag themselves a dream property – but not all has been as it seems, from floods to erosion fears

Channel 5’s new show focusing on the Omaze dream house competition has everyone’s attention, especially as it reveals the latest winners across the UK. While the properties up for grabs are worth millions and winning seems like a dream come true, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the winners.

A new competition is currently live, offering the chance to win a breathtaking £4,000,000 Highland retreat situated on the shore of Perthshire’s Loch Rannoch. This stunning property, nestled within woodland meadows and boasting a tennis court and jetty, is marketed as an opportunity to ‘live in, rent out, sell up’.

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also £250,000 in cash thrown into the mix.

Last December, a 24-year-old nanny became the youngest Omaze winner in history, undoubtedly sparking envy with her incredible luck. However, as previous winners can attest, an Omaze win can bring about its own set of challenges.

Lauren Keene was overjoyed when she found out she’d won a modern five-bedroom house in the Wirral, complete with stunning coastal views, a cinema room and a heated outdoor swimming pool. But those who’ve previously struck gold in the property draw know all too well how quickly the dream can turn sour, from staggering hidden costs to alarming flood risks, reports the Mirror.

Cliff-side mansion on ‘brink of collapse’

Glen Elmy, a foundry worker, was left utterly “gobsmacked” when he bagged Stealth House – a swanky James Bond-esque abode in Devon, boasting an infinity pool and killer ocean views. But his joy soon turned sour as he discovered that coastal erosion could be threatening posh pads like his.

Merely three days post-win, Glen, hailing from Walsall in the West Midlands, chucked the keys back to Omaze, opting for a cash sum equivalent to the property’s £3million tag, as per Mail Online.

Despite claims that the house is ‘falling into the sea’, they have been thoroughly denied.

An Omaze spokesperson has come out swinging, saying: “As with all its properties, Omaze carried out extensive professional surveys, searches and inspections prior to purchasing the house in Devon. Omaze can confirm that none of these reports raised any material concerns with the property, including in relation to coastal erosion. The property is fully insurable.”

‘Lifetime of headaches’

A lucky family-of-four got more than they bargained for when their Omaze raffle win landed them the keys to Willowbrook House, a stunning abode in the charming Cotswolds hamlet of Radford, just a stone’s throw from celeb hotspot Chipping Norton. But amid their celebrations, Darren Wordon and his family were hit with a flood warning by locals – the dreamy valley pad is apparently prone to flooding yearly.

Back in 2021, neighbour Julia Boardman told Mail Online: “This valley has been flooding for hundreds of years, it is just the natural way of things. Before, there was just a cottage at the side of the plot, which never flooded, and the water was able to flood down and drain slowly away in the stream. Then they built this horrendous house. The local council was so weak that it never managed to stop it, and we ended up with this house.”

An Omaze spokesperson has since clarified that they tackled the situation. They said: “A blocked culvert within the vicinity of the property referenced caused water to temporarily pool and back up towards the property.

“The culvert was unblocked and bypassed, allowing water to dissipate immediately and prevent any further issues.

“Omaze then had a specialist engineer carry out works to further secure the property against future extreme weather events well before Darren took ownership of the property, which was in pristine condition. Darren was made aware of everything and had no issues with the property whatsoever for the duration of his ownership – he and his family very much enjoyed their time there before selling.”

In August, The Sun reported that Darren and his wife Mandy—who never had any problems with it—have since sold the property, which, of course, any winner is at liberty to do.

Unaffordable upkeep forced family to leave

A couple who bagged a “fantastic” £3 million Cornish coast mansion in an Omaze competition were forced to bail after just eight weeks due to sky-high maintenance costs, despite reports to the contrary from Omaze. Uttam Parmar and his wife Raki, hailing from Leicestershire, fell head over heels for the four-bed eco-mansion with its stunning Camel Estuary views but couldn’t justify the expense of staying put.

Gifted the house mortgage-free, with legal fees and stamp duty sorted, the costs still proved too steep for the pair, as per the Mail. David Adams, luxury property guru, told the Mail about the potential financial nightmares that can blindside Omaze winners, turning their dream home into a costly surprise.

He said: “If you are used to living in a normal home where you pay a couple of hundred pounds a month in electricity, maybe a few thousand a year in council tax, it comes as a huge shock when they receive the first bill for £20,000 or £30,000. It is completely unsustainable, and at that point, a lot of people will decide it’s not for them.”

David highlighted luxuries like underfloor heating, swish air conditioning, fancy monitored security, and high-tech electrical systems that need a whizz IT pro to keep running – costs that make owning a massive manor more of a money pit.

Mr Parmar became a mansion owner thanks to a lucky £25 punt on Omaze and told them: “As much as we’ve loved our time here, our lives are primarily based elsewhere, and it is such a hugely valuable asset to not use more regularly, so we decided to sell. I know the next owners will enjoy this house just as much as we have.”

‘Fishbowl’ home became too much for gran

A 74-year-old gran who bagged a posh pad through Omaze but couldn’t handle the fishbowl vibe after staying just once for a three-month stint. June Smith won big with a six-bed stunner in Fowey, Cornwall, that’s got lush views over the estuary and a whopping £4.5 million price tag.

But locals reckon they can’t fault her for putting it back on the market – no one fancies being gawped at by ferry passengers all day, it seems!

One neighbour voiced their concerns to Mail Online: “You couldn’t pay me to move in there, it’d be like living in a goldfish bowl. It has stunning views of Fowey and the estuary, but that goes both ways. When you go across on the ferry you can see the bed and all the furniture through the windows. Plus, when the big china clay ships go by, they must have a fabulous view in.”

Ms Smith had her say with Omaze, revealing how she parted with her home after just one family visit and “used the money to help all my children and grandchildren with the next chapter in their lives”.

In slightly less fortunate circumstances, Marilyn Pratt, aged 68 at the time, won a £2.9million Fulham pad in April 2021 but offloaded it within eight months – regrettably for £100,000 under the original prize value – to assist her two daughters and grandchildren financially. Marilyn and hubby David chose to stick it out in their cosy two-bedder in south-east London, where they’ve been for four decades.

Omaze’s second ever winner Marilyn commented: “We decided to sell the house so we could release the money to help both our daughters – one of which bought her first house, the other already owned a house, so used it help pay off the mortgage and keep some for a rainy day.”

A spokesperson for Omaze said: “All Omaze winners are free to decide if they live in their new house, rent it out for a supplementary income or sell it whenever they wish, to become a cash multi-millionaire – the choice is entirely theirs.

“Omaze Grand Prize winners receive £250,000 in cash to maintain their new property and help them settle in. Estimated running costs for each house are available for entrants to view on the Omaze website. If they decide to keep the house, they could afford to comfortably stay for many years using just the £250,000 settling in money.

“As with all Omaze properties, there is no mortgage, stamp duty or legal fees to pay – and the properties come with all the furniture featured in the adverts. Omaze styles each property with well over a hundred thousand pounds worth of furnishings and essentials, so they are all ready for a winner to enjoy.

“As well as the £250,000 they receive, it’s worth bearing in mind that if a winner was already paying rent or a mortgage for their previous property, the money saved could also go towards the running costs of their new home. Alternatively, if they do already own a property, they could choose to keep it and rent it out as a supplementary income.

“Should winners wish to rent out their new property, they can achieve long-term rental values of thousands of pounds a month. Whatever their circumstances, all Omaze winners have several fantastic life-changing options available to them.

“Omaze is immensely proud to have created 34 millionaires whilst also raising more than £77 million for good causes in the UK since it launched here.”

In a delightful turn of events, youngest winner Lauren is over the moon after scooping up her “Hollywood Hills”-style Wirral mansion, enabling her to move out of her dad’s two-bedroom flat. The property, which comes mortgage-free and with all legal fees taken care of, is quite the prize.

If Lauren opts to let the property, she could potentially pull in around £8,000 per month – not too shabby for a £20 entry fee. Lauren and her beau Ryan Mitchell, who have been an item since they were 18, had been squirrelling away funds to buy their own home, but this extraordinary windfall has dramatically altered their future.

Recounting the moment she realised her life was about to take a dramatic turn, Lauren shared: “It was just an ordinary Friday, really; I was heading for a McDonald’s after work when I got a call from Omaze telling me I’d won something. I was sceptical – and hungry – but went straight home to see what I’d won.

“The next thing we knew, the Omaze team were all there telling us we’d won a £ 3 million mansion. I was gobsmacked. It was definitely worth missing my McDonald’s for, it’s made me a multi-millionaire. We ended up celebrating with a Maccies afterwards, and it was a very, very happy meal.”