Angry at house seller?

As others have said, taking the radiators is insane - I've never heard of anyone doing that before.
Even light fittings seems a bit of a stretch but possibly a little more 'normal' in as much as there may be something very specific they'd want.
However, all that info should have been made clear at the outset, and certainly prior to the sale.

I would be bothered about the radiators- never heard of that before.

I assume they replaced the basic radiators with column ones and are now putting them back and taking them to replace in their new house unusual so would check what the price difference is

the mirror is standard of course you would take and light fittings is fairly normal

They will refit THE most basic bitch rads and you will need to refit those anyway most likely. I was amazed at how bad and how low the BTU can be on cheap modern rads.

A decent rad can be £500 or more...

Unless you LOVE the house I'd go back and say "its unorthodox but fine, accordingly we need need to drop the offer by 15k (wdot: re-reading possibly £20k) to cover the costs of like for like replacements, labour and the inconvenience of works."
And I would not blink or negotiate.

I'd start viewing other properties because the kind of people that would do this arent sensible or normal and generally dont concern themselves with others. This means you can expect boat loads of foolishness by the time you've fully completed and moved in.

Cheeky Fuckers!!

They’re fixtures.

Yes, they can choose to replace them with cheaper basic fixtures but… I’d tell them via the agent that you will reduce your offer by £10k to reflect the fact that they’re not selling you the house as it was originally presented and advertised.

Of course YANBU! Who on earth takes the radiators?! In what world are these not fixtures? I’d be contesting this or wanting a reduction if they are being replaced with really basic ugly ones. The vendor of my house didn’t leave anything at all - all mirrors, shelves etc ripped out. The issue is that the walls are then left in a dreadful state and immediately you have to redecorate (and not just painting, often holes / damage to plaster/tiles etc.) Radiator pipes for column rads will be at different widths to bog standard rads - will that leave pipe holes in the carpets? What about bracket holes? YANBU for being cross.

Agree, I would be pulling out or offering less as a consequence. Radiators can be expensive

They are leaving radiators though just basic ones. They aren’t leaving empty spaces.

I would actually withdraw my offer.

fuck knows what other batshit stuff they'll come up with.

if you still want to buy it without thise things I'd go for a cash settlement as putting in cheap 'replacements' would be a waste of money & do damage

but like I said I personally would withdraw my offer.

It's not normal to take radiators

Tell them you will reduce your offer accordingly, that you expect the walls will be made good, and that you will need to inspect the house again once the replacement ones have been fitted BEFORE exchange of contracts.

Tbh I’m surprised your solicitor hasn’t advised that - you shouldn’t be agreeing to buy a house knowing that things will be ripped out before having chance to view again.

Taking/replacing the radiators is so weird. That is not normal. The rest I do get, although the light fittings and mirrors would be a nuisance.

The radiators are the hill to die on as they shouldn't be taking them and column radiators are supposedly cheaper to run, so the running costs of the house increases if replaced with basic ones. How many radiators are there? Potentially it could be a few thousand pounds to buy and fit new ones the same as the ones they're removing, so you could reduce your offer by 3k...

When we brought our house our solicitor told us to imagine that if you turned the house upside down what wouldn’t fall out should be left.

They aren’t leaving you with no radiators though, you have some just not the expensive ones they are taking. The fittings and fixtures form is where they have to state what they are taking so they aren’t doing anything wrong. Obviously if you want the items they are taking then now it’s on you to either make an offer for them or negotiate on the asking price but be prepared theyll say no. I took my radiators with me when I moved as the standing ones are bloody expensive and my buyer didn’t pay for them.

Radiators are assumed to be included with the property unless otherwise stated in the sales contract.

@perfectpotato You need to consult your solicitor.

Also this is probably something to talk to the estate agent about.

from a legal perspective they are doing the right thing they’ve notified you that the are going to remove the items. It’s annoying but within the law. There’s not much you’re solicitor can do and it’ll cost you to have them working letters on your behalf.

Speak to the estate agent, express your incredulity at the bat shit craziness of taking the rads (they will absolutely agree) and get them nervous that you’re going to pull out/renegotiate the price. They’ll be in the phone to the vendor explaining the error of their ways immediately!

Taking the light bulbs is really mean spirited. When my brother moved house, it was a place with bespoke sized windows. Instead of just leaving the curtains that wouldn't fit anywhere else anyway, they asked if my brother wanted to buy them. He said OK, and they wanted £37K extra for them 🤣

I think the mirror and light fittings are fine, Iight fitting are expensive and individual and I’m fairly certain that as long as they leave you with a standard fitting and bulb that’s accepted practice. Taking the radiators is NOT normal though and I would very much argue they should be left. Speak to your estate agent and solicitor about that one.

I think it is annoying too. Part of the value of a property is how it is finished, and the quality of the fixtures. These are fixtures. It's like seeing a house with a beautiful solid wood in frame kitchen and them then saying they're taking it and swapping it for a b&q cheapie for the same price.

I would have thought radiators would be classed as a fitting. Unfortunately mirrors and light fittings are fair enough. Hopefully they won't do what our lovely sellers did and take all the light bulbs!

You are free to put in an offer for them to leave these things. Your previous offer was for the house, not extras.

Did they spend a lot doing the house up to go on the market? If they did and have only recently purchased things like new radiators and light fittings, then it’s understandable that they want to use them. It is unusual to take radiators, but taking light fittings, bathroom cabinets and mirrors is normal.

Never assume anything is included in a house sale.

Not even kitchen units or a toilet?

These responses are so weird.

It's classic MNs!

Exactly. It's batshit. And I'm sure they shouldn't be doing it!