10 Terrifying Things People Discovered After Moving In

Moving into a new home is always an adventure – you never know what surprises the previous owners might have left behind. Some people find old furniture, a few forgotten trinkets, or even some loose change. But others? They stumble upon secret rooms, unsettling objects, and mysteries that leave them questioning everything.

From a lost teddy bear that magically returned to a shoebox full of human hair, here are some of the strangest things people have discovered after moving into a new place.

1. A teddy that found its way home.

My own teddy. In the early days of the internet, I was talking to someone from Mexico. He sent me a teddy bear which was quite distinctive. After a few years, I donated it to a charity shop. It ended up in the window of the shop, and I felt really guilty that I'd got rid of it. After a few days I decided to buy it, but the next time I went past, it had gone.

A few years later, I moved out of my parents' house and into my own. The previous owners left loads of stuff in the garage, including a bag of toys. I was sorting through the bag when I found my teddy. It was 100% him because the label from the charity shop was still on. He's now in my bedroom.

© PsychologicalNote612 / Reddit

2. The hidden cellar with a mysterious bedroom.

After moving into our new place, we found a secret cellar in the cupboard under the stairs. When we went down there, there was a boarded up doorway, which had a room behind it set out like a bedroom – but no carpet or mattress.

So creepy. We never went down there after that.

© IMissCuppas / Reddit

3. The nightmare basement.

Not me but a friend when him and others moved into a large student house in Manchester.

In the basement, which was partially-flooded and grim, there was a heavily-soiled mattress in the darkest corner with one plastic chair sat facing said mattress.

© treemonkey58 / Reddit

4. The shoebox full of human hair.

In a dark cellar full of junk, I opened an old shoebox. I reached in and all of a sudden felt hair, human hair. I took the box into daylight and saw what was inside. It was stuffed with long curly black human hair together with a passport photo of the chap who sold us the house and was bald, but from his twenties when he had a long full black mane of hair. Still shudder when I remember the feel of the hair in the dark.

© chromedifferential / Reddit

5. An unexpected housemate.

I found the previous owner taking a shower… He asked me to come back in a couple of hours.

© lil__chef / Reddit

6. A figure in the attic.

We had just moved into a new place with a huge attic. No lights yet, so I climbed up with a torch. My stomach dropped as the beam landed on a figure lurking in the corner.

Trembling, I crept closer to get a better look. It was a full-sized mannequin. Scared the living daylights out of me.

7. A story about a relative.

Not me, but a friend. He bought a house, pull up the carpets and floor boards for renovations. Under the floorboard he found a newspaper clipping.

It was an article from 50 years ago, about his grandad.

© SickBoylol / Reddit

8. The hidden jackpot.

Not weird, but we found $1000 in gift cards hidden on top of the boiler! Jackpot!

© Emergency-Eye-2165 / Reddit

9. A creepy nursery in the attic.

My house’s attic isn’t big enough to stand up in. There’s a cot in there that is fully assembled, but wouldn’t fit through the attic door all in one piece. I cba disassembling it to throw it away, but that means it was assembled up there.

© TinFoilTrousers / Reddit

10. A secret underground hideaway.

I used to be a builder, restoring old properties, there is a long list, but the biggest was a tunnel 800 meters long. Including access to a huge underwater lake and a storage room for food.

© Unlikely-Ad3659 / Reddit

Whether it’s a secret room, an unsettling relic, or a forgotten fortune, moving house always comes with surprises. Some are heartwarming, some are chilling, and some just leave you asking, "What on earth happened here?"

And these homeowners aren’t the only ones who’ve had unexpected moving day shocks. From bizarre finds to unexpected house problems, check out more wild stories here.