Winning the Omaze million-pound house prize draw sounds like a wonderful thing, but it’s not all singing and dancing as several winners have found out over the years
Imagine being told you’ve won a prize draw and bagged a mansion worth several millions of pounds. The dream, right?
Well, maybe not. The Omaze prize draw is one of the UK’s most lucrative in terms of prizes, with huge houses and wads of cash being given out to one lucky winner. But it’s not all stardust and shiny new kitchens – as previous stories have shown.
Take, for example, the story of Glen Elmy, a foundry worker who 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.
He claimed that the house was “falling into the sea”, which has been thoroughly denied by Omaze bosses since then.
An Omaze spokesperson said earlier this year: “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”
Another £3m home was bagged by Uttam Parmar and his wife Raki, who were all set to move to the Cornish coast – but eight weeks later they decided to list it . . . rather than love it.
Mr Parmar said: “We were absolutely thrilled to win the house, Cornwall is such a magical place and we have enjoyed spending time as a family in this extraordinary property, we’ve especially loved waking up to such spectacular views. Everyone in Cornwall has been so welcoming, it has really felt like home.
“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.”
If that wasn’t bad enough, there’s also the story of Darren Wordon and his family who were hit with a flood warning by locals shortly after bagging their dream home in the Costwolds – the dreamy valley pad is apparently prone to flooding yearly.
Back in 2021, neighbour Julia Boardman said: “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.”
Despite the controversy, an Omaze spokesman told the Daily Star recently that selling the houses is actually something the organisation welcomes.
They said: “Everyone at Omaze is absolutely delighted for the Grand Prize winners who decide to turn their winning entry – which cost just tens of pounds – into millions of pounds by selling their houses to transform theirs and their loved ones’ lives forever.
“All Omaze winners are free to decide if they either live in their 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 clearly promotes the fantastic choices available to its lucky winners.
“They are free to put the house on the market and bank the cash as soon as they get the keys, it’s totally up to the winner what they want to do with their life changing prize. Many Omaze winners choose to enjoy their new home for a period before selling to become a cash multi-millionaire.”
So what would you do? Flog it or live there forever? Let us know in the comments below.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
#Omaze #curse #winners #flog #millionpound #mansions #straight #struggle #cope
