…so he opened the app.
Now before anyone panics — no, we didn’t spy on them through cameras. Those were removed before closing. But the house still had integrated environmental sensors: air quality monitors, humidity trackers, and the smart HVAC logs.
And what we saw made us both sit up straight.
The air quality readings had been perfectly normal for the first week after they moved in.
Then suddenly — ammonia spikes.
Every single day.
At the same times.
Late morning. Early evening.
My husband pulled up the smart thermostat history. The fan had been switched to “circulate” nonstop, even though the system had been set to auto when we left. Continuous circulation will absolutely amplify odors.
Then we checked something else.
The mudroom motion sensor logs.
Multiple entries labeled: “Pet Door Activated.”
We didn’t have a pet door.
They had installed one.
Two days later, my husband drove by the house “just to clear his head.”
There were two large dog crates visible through the front window.
And a very fluffy golden retriever barking at the mail carrier.
He came home smiling.
We didn’t respond to the letter. Instead, we forwarded the smart system logs to our realtor and our attorney — along with time-stamped data showing no odor issues before their move-in date and clear HVAC setting changes afterward.
A week later, we received another letter.
Very different tone.
“Upon further inspection, we’ve discovered the odor may be related to environmental changes since move-in. Please disregard our previous request.”
No apology.
But no lawsuit either.
A month later, our realtor called laughing.
Turns out the new owners had adopted two rescue dogs the weekend after closing. Sweet dogs — but not house-trained yet.
The “stinky dog energy” wasn’t inherited.
It was introduced.
We changed the master app password that same day and signed out of every remaining device.
Lesson learned.
And honestly? I feel bad for the dogs.
But I don’t feel bad for not writing a $10,000 check.
