Glen Elmy won the house in 2021The £3 million property in Devon(Image: Omaze)
An Omaze winner who won a £3million mansion in 2021 handed back the keys to the property after spending just three days inside, the Mirror has reported.
Winner Glen Elmy was left “totally gobsmacked” when he won Stealth House, a Devon property built on a rocky coastal outcrop that boasts an infinity pool and incredible vistas, in an Omaze draw.
The foundry worker said the win was “life-changing” for him and his family, with his wife having lost her father and his son made redundant in the space of a year.
He hailed the six bed, six bath home, built in 2019, as “like something from a Bond film”, but reportedly left it after a few days and requested a lump sum payment instead.
A spokesperson for Omaze dismissed speculation about the structural soundness of the property, insisting the organisation carried out “extensive professional surveys” before it was purchased.
Glen told the Daily Mail he and his family loved the home, and emphatically declared upon their win in 2021 that they would be ‘keeping it’ as ‘there’s no other house like it in the country’.
Glen Elmy at the property(Image: Omaze)
He added: “My wife Debbie lost her father to Covid this year, and our youngest son was made redundant last week, so winning this house is just what the family needed – it’s life-changing for all of us.
“This house is so spectacular we’re going to enjoy our first family holiday for two years right here. I don’t think we’d find a better place anywhere else in the world!”
But, after spending a mere three days at the property, Glen returned the keys and requested the cash equivalent of the property’s £3m value instead.
A source who met the dad when he was at the plush home “for the publicity” said he seemed to be planning to stay for a week, but “left after three days and that was the last we saw of him”.
The source added: “The corner of the house goes almost to the cliff edge, it’s about two metres away from the edge.” An anonymous neighbour said they hadn’t seen “anybody going in or out since the win”.
The home in Devon(Image: Omaze)
An Omaze spokesperson said: “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.”
Years after it was handed back by Glen, Stealth House remains on the market and is listed by Savills for £3.5m. According to the real estate firm, it is currently “generating a substantial income as a boutique holiday let”.