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AIBU?

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Original poster

What was included when you bought a house?

63 replies

sawseesaw · 01/08/2018 22:45

Not sure what is reasonable to expect.
Did your vendors include things like made to measure blinds or charge for them? What about built in appliances? What about curtain rails?
Our vendors have made it clear that they don't want/need blinds and appliances but want well over £2000 for them. Is that normal?
We (selling) have included all fitted appliances and fitted blinds and curtain rails (all are made to measure or cut to size) but have taken curtains as we like them. Should we have tried to chisel every last penny? Are our vendors being greedy?

OP posts:
S0fasurferz · 02/08/2018 00:04

My current house came with a really old (1970s ?) Electric cooker which I am still using. The original 1950s cupboards are still in place. All the curtains and blinds are still in place, but I've put up one new set. Some things were left in the garden like benches and bird bath that are still in use. The swirly carpets are still there. The bathroom is brown and pink, a new shower has been added. My idea is to live in the house for a while and decide what needs modernising first. Everything is functional, just not new and modern.

tigercub50 · 02/08/2018 00:13

We left curtains & upstairs carpets ( downsizing anyway) but were shocked to find that our sellers had taken all their curtains as that was never discussed. We left a built in oven & have one at our new place but I can’t wait to change it! We are also finding more & more examples of decorating & general jobs around the house that were obviously done on the cheap and/or bodged so there is quite a list of things to do.

Seeingadistance · 02/08/2018 01:36

The last house my ex and I bought the seller left a massive shed filled with all the junk you can imagine and more - think old washing machines and cars, in bits, but probably at least one entire car if you put it back together, hallowe'en costumes, records, bits of wood, what looked like the contents of a hardware shop, a joke shop and several bric a brac stalls. There was a slightly smaller shed - filled with similar. And a lean-to shed down the entire side of the house with doors, old skirting boards, bits of metal ... and some Victorian stained glass windows which I kept.

Seeingadistance · 02/08/2018 01:42

Pressed wrong button there.

The house had a cellar which was also filled with junk, including several black bags filled with small plastic soldiers. A bag of hallowe'en masks. Can't remember the rest.

He had taken the crappy not really fitted but nailed to the wall wardrobes, which he had carpetted around - twice. One of the nailed to the wall wardrobes had been hiding a massive hole in the sloped ceiling behind it.

Nails hammered at random into walls, floors, doors.

Oh, and a strong smell of gas in the shared driveway at the side of the house, which turned out to be coming from several sizeable holes in the gas pipe which ran along the side of the house, about 18 inches down.

These are just the highlights!

BlueBug45 · 02/08/2018 05:20

I paid £200 and was left anything I wanted. This was mainly all the free standing large kitchen appliances of various ages, curtains of various qualities, light fittings and garden equipment. I suspect the money was used to pay to dump the large stuff I didn't want which included sofas, beds and various bookshelves/cabinets. (I was suppose to pay £40 to dump every 3 large kitchen appliances/large items when I did my kitchen up. I paid nothing thanks to my builders who were chatting to the council guy who picked the stuff up.)

I'm sure vendors have to be careful selling their second hand stuff to you as it looks like they are trying to increase the price of the house. Also second hand stuff isn't worth anything especially curtains and blinds that have been made to measure. So regardless even if you have odd sized windows I wouldn't pay for the curtains/blinds if that's the only thing you want and even then I wouldn't pay £2,000 for a load of stuff. If the kitchen appliances are free standing then just be prepared for some of them not to be there as a few friends of mine buyers became rude so they gave away their newer more expensive appliances rather than leave them for them.

Redglitter · 02/08/2018 05:35

All blinds in living room & bedroom, including black out blinds. Fridge & freezer are integrated but I also got a washing machine, tumble dryer & dishwasher

Happygummibear · 02/08/2018 05:35

When we bought our house the vendors kindly left us lots of ghastly light fittings and some blinds (at least we had something) but we had discussed previously what lights they were taking.

However they did charge a silly amount for the oven, but we liked it and it fitted the space....however on reflection I wish we hadn't paid for it.

They also left dog mess and soiled newspapers and old dog blankets etc.... we tried to get compensation but it was too hard....

3 years down the line I still get post for the hubby... I have started having to contact the companies on the envelopes because I am so fed up with it

echt · 02/08/2018 06:21

Our house had been rented out fully furnished before we bought it and the vendors said they would leave everything, and we only had to say what needed to go. We didn't need lot of it as we had a houseful of goods between us.

It was cleaned from top to bottom when we moved in, with a bottle of wine and welcome card. Smile

IceColdCiderPlease · 02/08/2018 06:21

We left our dog with one of house sales BlushGrin

BookWitch · 02/08/2018 06:25

We've just moved in, lovely vendors

They left blinds in every window but one, curtains in two rooms ( not going to bother with curtains at other windows as they all have blinds.
I paid them £100 for their dishwasher, large range style cooker and a large wardrobe.

Oysterbabe · 02/08/2018 06:28

All curtains and blinds were left in our last purchase. We immediately took them all down and binned them though as they were quite tatty.

Grumpbum123 · 02/08/2018 06:29

Ours wanted £30 each for the fitted lights in the conservatory. £60 for the bathroom cabinet which we were planning to rip out. £100 for the shed and £300 for all curtain poles, lightbulbs etc. We advised them to take the lot but to make sure they filled any holes and made good the walls.
They left the lot

FolderReformedScruncher · 02/08/2018 06:41

When I moved into Chez Folder. The previous occupant left everything as if they had stepped into next doors for a brew and this included 90% of her clothes and shoes by the looks of it. I had a three day beacon and burnt most of it.

Your vendor is being ridiculous. Don't pay. Get new or chances are they will leave the stuff anyway and are trying it on.

MaverickSnoopy · 02/08/2018 06:42

When we moved we took: 1 special expensive curtain pole, curtains, light shades, bathroom cabinet and a sort of free standing fireplace (but the house didn't have a place for a fireplace so it didn't look odd). We declared it all on the fixtures and fittings form and we also filled every single hole in the house, as well as painting like new. We also paid for professional cleaners to clean the whole house and we left a bottle of champagne and instructions for everything as well as handy notes. We left all made to measure blinds, all bar one curtain poles, all light bulbs including various garden lights (some of which were removable). We also left a load of spare light bulbs (special hard to find light bulbs) and all leftover paint in case they wanted to do any touch ups.

Conversely when we moved into new house they had left all curtain poles, curtains, light shades and light bulbs. However the house was filthy (thank god I lined up a professional clean) and there were LOADS of holes in the walls.

I think being upfront about things is the important thing. As well as good open communication.

DontCallMeCharlotte · 02/08/2018 06:42

Their cat.

GoneWishing · 02/08/2018 06:56

They left the normal fixtures and fittings - including curtain poles and measured blinds. Everything had been very thoroughly listed by solicitors, whether staying or going. We had nice normal, considerate vendors, though. They even left a single toilet roll in the loo (in an otherwise immaculately clean and empty house), and a bottle of wine for us.

We paid them £70 for the Ikea wardrobes, which was fine, as they were large and in good condition, and we would have needed to buy something similar anyway, and a would have been more expensive to get new.

We didn't want the white goods, since I'd budgetted for new ones, and was keen to buy certain kinds.

MaryShelley1818 · 02/08/2018 07:15

We were so very lucky, our sellers left all of the curtains and blinds for every window (lots of very large windows) and also several beautiful big chandelier and drop pendant light fittings. They were all Laura Ashley and very much matched the decor and our furniture.
They just asked if we wanted them.

GandolfBold · 02/08/2018 07:26

50+ baskets of fake flowers. Nothing else mind, just those in each room. Dusty and faded.

PrettyLovely · 02/08/2018 07:37

Do not pay the extra £2000 that is alot of money for those things being second hand you could get them brand new for cheaper.

We left all built in appliances thats dishwasher, fridge freezer, oven, washing machine.
The vendors also wanted all the blinds we left them too.

Bluntness100 · 02/08/2018 07:43

Kitchen appliances, curtains, curtains poles, are not left as standard and they are usually. Listed on the fixtures and fittings form to tick if the vendor is leaving them or not.

We have moved five times, always leave them but have found vendors differ.

OutwiththeOutCrowd · 02/08/2018 07:45

The previous occupants of a flat I had a while back took the toilet seat with them!! (Saw it whilst viewing the flat and, admittedly, it was quite a nice wooden one.)

lastqueenofscotland · 02/08/2018 07:51

Mine left quite a lot tbh
Blinds on all the windows
The fridge/washing machine/cooker
Ladder for the loft
Hosepipe/gardening tools

PlayingForKittens · 02/08/2018 07:56

In our old house before we completed I was scouring freecycle for furniture as we had none and found our vendor offering a double bed and bar stools and stuff so I messaged her and she left it all for us plus some other bits. All curtain poles left although mostly broken and the living room was held together with tape and a pencil.

Around 8 years later me moved out and left the same curtain pole behind having never got round to replacing it. We took all our curtains, they were all ill fitting ones off freecycle that were supposed to be temporary. They are now being temporary in a different house. We still have the bar stools.

PaintedHorizons · 02/08/2018 08:03

The seller states in the fixtures list what s/he will take and is willing to leave. It's not greedy. If you want it then negotiate to buy it, if you don't then they take it.

I have said blinds are included but appliances are not, (except integral oven). If they wanted me to leave the dishwasher I'd then have to buy a new one for my new place. It's a cost. They could have the lost for a sum.

Just say no thank you . Simple

shinyredbus · 02/08/2018 08:07

Vendors are being greedy and trying it on - my brother’s vendor tried this - said he didn’t want the crystal chandelier but wanted to charge him half price at 10k - my brother said no - take it down and he left it anyway. My brother doesn’t really want it but to take it down and to get rid of it will cost money so it’s up there still.

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