2023-08-09 09:00:00
A real horror scene. This is what Fabio Lavalle discovered on Tuesday. The Mons entrepreneur has in fact recovered the commercial space and the apartment that he had made available to a couple, at the head of the “Portes de l’Horreur” since the end of 2022. Located at number 64 rue de Nimy, in Mons, this haunted house promised visitors a moment of dread thanks to the reproduction by actors of scenes from the greatest horror films. Today, the owner is actually in the middle of a nightmare.
The walls, floors and ceilings were covered with fake blood, both in the commercial area of 500 square meters and in the apartment. Chassis, windows or radiators have not been spared. Parts of the sets were also left behind. “When I was contacted by this couple, the guy told me that he wanted to fulfill his wife’s dream, which was to open a house of horror,” explains Fabio Lavalle. “He presented it to me as a show room. Halloween was fast approaching and I thought the concept was cool. So I rented the surface and the apartment upstairs from them.”
The rent was no longer paid
From September to December, the establishment welcomed the public. “And then without telling anyone, not even on the Facebook page, the activity was interrupted due to the manager’s health problems. At that time, the rent was still paid, even though there was a lot of delay. Knowing the situation, and because I was too dumb (SIC), I offered to pay only 1,700 euros in rent instead of 2,500 euros. The closure was supposed to be temporary and they wanted to get the business going once more. They finally paid another month or two, late, before giving no more sign of life.
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For almost four months, no more rent has been paid. “I can no longer reach anyone, they are playing dead. I said to myself that there was a problem and I tried several times to go there. This Tuesday, I ran into someone who had just left the establishment. It is obviously someone who manages the affairs of the couple. He let me in and there… The shock, the total carnage. Everything needs to be repainted and replaced. They went so far as to nail in the parquet and the ceiling of the partitions.”
Annoyed, the owner estimates that he will have 30,000 to 40,000 euros worth of work. “There are at least four or five containers needed to clear all the mess they left. A large minimum of 40% of the commercial surface will have to be completely redone. As for the apartment… I can start from scratch, it’s totally ransacked. I will only be able to keep the walls, which will obviously have to be repainted. To these costs will be added stress, time and energy. And taxes claimed by the city of Mons for unoccupied building. If I wanted to share my experience, it is not to complain but to show the reality behind the status of owner.”
And to continue: “people sometimes think that everything is rosy, that we are content to collect rent but not at all. Their dream has become my worst nightmare. When you are faced with such a situation, you have to have strong nerves so as not to collapse. How can one destroy in this way what belongs to others? I considered legal action but nothing will change with one or two years, during which I might not rent the surface once more, and it would cost me very dearly, with no guarantee that they would have the means to restore the premises. ”
What remains of the commercial surface. ©DR
Today, Fabio Lavalle is trying to keep his spirits up despite everything. “It will serve as a lesson to me… I should have, or I might have suspected it. I thought they were just going to set up a theater. I trusted and I find myself paying for it.” This Wednesday, we tried to reach the managers but the number given on the Portes de l’Horreur Facebook page is no longer assigned.
The front commercial area. ©DR
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