Angry at house seller?

People really need to understand that what they think their house is worth doesn't matter if no buyers agree with them.

In your head you "had" to take a low offer, but in reality you took the highest offer anyone was prepared to make within whatever constraints you placed on the sale.

I think it comes down to what you were led to believe when you put the offer in. Did the estate agent listing etc explicitly state the house had these fittings? What did the estate agent say on the viewings? If neither mentioned these then the seller probably isn’t being unreasonable.

I disagree - I think it's totally unreasonable. I bet when you went to view the property the column radiators were a key feature you fell in love with and no doubt one the estate agent drew attention to in the particulars for the property.

Their advice was to pull out you then basically wrote the same thing saying 'their only option is to pull out'... not sure why you felt the need to be pedantic to this poster and over explain just to say the EXACT same thing they said.

I don't think you're being unreasonable at all. It's normal to buy a house with its fixtures and fittings and I assume one of the reasons you offered was because you liked them. Unless it was made clear before you offered, if I were you I would get straight back to the agents and say that as they're taking this stuff away your offer has dropped by the cost of replacing them - £25,000 (including labour and making good).

My living room light fitting are antique and unique and rescued from my parents house. They are a personal item which belong to me nor were they original to my house. The same with curtains, my taste, my purchase to take with me if I want.
Radiators might be slightly different but statement radiators are a personal purchase. If you leave functional radiators then surely that's all you need to do.

When you buy a house you are paying for bricks and mortar and location. The accessories probably don't feature much in the valuation as they really are just dressing the house.

That's all fine but if no-one tells the vendor you planned to do that then their offer would, quite reasonably, be made with the expectation that the radiators would be left. It's fine to take them but should be clear from the outset. If I was the OP I would reduce my offer to reflect the fact that I had to reinstate decent radiators (which I thought I was buying when I offered on the house).

Was your offer well under the advertised price? If so then I'm not surprised they are keeping their expensive nice fixtures and fittings. When we had to take a low offer I'd have chipped the Victorian tiles from the wall if I could have done. I did take my expensive French lighting and replaced it with some cheap ones from a car boot sale. It's still in a box in the garage as it doesn't fit here. Petty yes I know.

The form is the basis of the contract on what is included so you have a choice to pull out if it really means that much to you.

I’m on the fence about the radiators.

My copper column radiators cost a bloody fortune. It would be far cheaper for me to have them removed and refitted with big standard screw fix radiators than to leave them and buy them again.

The OP hasn't bought the house. The viewing and making offers stage is just haggling. Everything on both the buyer and the seller side is changeable until contracts are exchanged. Until exchange either side can pull out, either side can change their mind about price and either side can change their mind about what they want included in the sale.

💯 this!

If nothing was mentioned about the radiators in the viewings or earlier in the contract process, I would definitely pull out. You bought the house, thinking it was worth what it was worth with column radiators.

There is some iffy legal advice going on here.

For those saying the radiators are fixtures or the radiators were in estate agent pictures and are therefore included are wrong. In England no sale is final or binding until a contract is signed. Whatever is included in the contract is what matters. You can include in the contract any exceptions you want as long as both parties agree and sign.

Is it abnormal to remove the radiators, yes. If you have some expensive and fancy radiators is it slightly understandable, also yes.
Is the Op understandable to be a bit frustrated, yes again.

Op your options are basically:

1. Accept it move on
2. Push back and drop your offer
3. Offer to give them a bit of money to keep them

My take on this is to say you are ok with them taking things.

But counter with the fact that everything must be put back to an acceptable un noticable condition.

For example, you can remove the mirror but if it has electric power supply then this must be either removed or reconnected to a replacement. If there is tiling around the specific mirror this must be put right. If there is discolouration behind the mirror then this must be redecorated.

The same kind of stipulations apply to all the radiators too.

Basically, they are fine to go and remove those fixtures but in doing so they must not cause damage or reduced value in the house that you would have to immediately have to put right.

Lets see if saving a few quid on a few fixtures and fittings they thought they could rip out is really so attractive if they have to redecorate everything.

Remember this works both ways. Its their contact to say their intentions. Its also your contract to say what you will accept before completing the purchase. You can definately say no

It can feel bit like Maccies advertiment vs what you get, doesn't it.

Fair enough if people want to keep these things, but lots of it is part of the "character" people pay for as well as fixture reasonably expected to be included when people offer.
Like door, fireplaces, kitchen cabinet door etc. Rather than ceiling light (unless very very good and original or something).
So imho they should be taken out or it shpuld be made clear on viewing.

Exactly this. It will be the flooring or doors next. Most of which won't fit in new house probably.

Just a tactic to make OP offer more money.

Radiators are part of the house.

People who take all the expensive fittings after using them to get a higher price offer ARE CF.

sorry if the truth hurts you but it is still the truth. Its deliberately underhanded to mislead up until the paper work stage when people have spent money and feel trapped into buying.

Why do they want radiators? It’s pretty obvious why.

TBF their not suppose to do that.

They can take the bog roll but legally they are suppose to leave working lights (that means WITH a bulb) as its a safety issue, even if its just a bare pendant light.

Uninhabitable houses obviously don't have the same strict rule but if the buyer is moving in the lighting should be working as it was per viewing.

How rude! Calling people names on something that has nothing to do with you!
Of course people offer for things they'd like left behind and it's the seller's perogative to throw things in, not a given.

@no18currentowner stated everything on the list that's why @perfectpotato knows about it, she didn't find out on exchange day, it's been clearly communicated.

If she wants to pull out then she should.

We offered for a pair of lights as they suited the property but could see how the seller might have wanteded to take them. Luckily they let us have them, but we certainly didn't expect it.

Talk about entitlement!

Yes, most modern reno's are about adding these character features back in or unearthing/restoring them not ripping them out.

Renovating doesn't mean all ends up in a skip though. I eas ooking at doer upper planning complete reno and lots of these features would stay.

People are very quick to believe a random unverified post... there are people that deliberately go around pretending to be the other side just to stir drama.

Regardless of if it is or isn't though, OP is allowed to ask advice online and the advice is pretty clear than the seller is a bit of a CF.

Seller CAN remove them but should FULLY expect OP to reduce the price shes paying... you can not advertise a luxury product then swap it for a cheap one and still expect the full 'luxury' price. If shes gutting it so the OP can treat it as a doer-up then she gets doer-up money.

As a general rule, people don't go around while viewing a house asking "and are the radiators staying? And the boiler? What about the rather nice expensive shower? Kitchen cupboards, the boarding and insulation in the loft, the built-in oven set in the wall, the fitted wooden flooring, the fireplace, the burglar alarm, the mature fruit tree in the garden?" They probably would ask about light fittings, curtain poles, curtains, non-integrated white goods etc.

I have some antique light fittings which I would want to take with me and would make that clear at sale but not leave bare wires. Some people even take the light bulbs.