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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Are curtain poles a fixture

92 replies

lucylockett27 · 14/08/2019 01:39

I am buying a house. A house that I know we are paying slightly over the odds for, but it is all done so we decided to go for it. Anyway the seller has said they want £1000 for curtain poles and light fittings! I have sold 2 house before and assumed these were fixtures, as in fixed to the house, so I left them and the 2 houses I have bought previously they were always left. AIBU to think the seller has to leave them?

OP posts:
Mileysmiley · 14/08/2019 01:45

Curtain poles are part of the fittings and fixtures I'm afraid. Some clients will leave them but some won't it depends on how expensive they were and whether or not they will have to purchase new ones for their new house. However they cannot remove a fireplace and take it with them which happened recently to somebody I know. The solicitor then demanded they put it back because that is breaking the contract.

Mileysmiley · 14/08/2019 01:49

I forgot to add that there should be a list of the fittings and fixtures ... have you looked to see what is included?

Original poster
lucylockett27 · 14/08/2019 01:53

Is a fitting and fixture not included. I though anything fixed was?

OP posts:
campion · 14/08/2019 01:54

It has to be agreed on the inventory before sale- they don't have to leave them if they've specified. But £1000 is cheeky unless those light fittings are gold plated. They're probably the sort who take all the lightbulbs too.

I think like you, OP, but not everyone does,sadly. I wouldn't pay £1000 for someone else's light fittings though!

Original poster
lucylockett27 · 14/08/2019 01:54

We are before the list stage, the sellers are just getting with a preemptive demand, which I find so disappoint given we paid the asking price.

OP posts:
avamiah · 14/08/2019 01:55

The seller doesn’t have to leave anything that isn’t in the contract that you have signed .
Anything else is by negotiation only .

Mileysmiley · 14/08/2019 02:45

I have come across this before ... they are trying get more money out of you for their property. You could call their bluff and say you don't have anymore money to spare but as a good will gesture you will give them £50 for the fixtures.

SleepIsForTheWeeak · 14/08/2019 03:00

Just tell them you don't want them, they are probably cheap crap anyway or they'll charge you and replace them with rubbish (that happened to someone we know, house bought, stuff listed, but the owners removed all the nice light fittings and replaced them with the cheapest b&q ones).

They are just trying to squeeze more money out of you. Our previous owners tried to get £500 for the shittest wardrobe I've ever seen! I told them we certainly don't want their shit 20 year old wardrobe and requested they take it. We didn't pay, moving in day shit wardrobe still in situ!! Had to saw it up and take it to the tip for them.

Mileysmiley · 14/08/2019 03:13

I have known clients dig up plants from their gardens to take with them to their new property

Henrysmycat · 14/08/2019 03:30

I found dealing with shitty vendors like this, it always ends in tears.
On my first owned flat in London, They removed everything (including lightbulbs and towel rail) and even replaced the Victorian doorknobs with cheap crap. Should have walked away.

TORDEVAN · 14/08/2019 03:43

I was under the impression they have to leave something for light fittings, even if it's just by replacing the light fittings with a single bulb fitting

Your solicitor is the best person to ask!

RebootYourEngine · 14/08/2019 04:09

Some people will try and get away with anything when it comes to selling a house.

Original poster
lucylockett27 · 14/08/2019 04:41

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback. Not really sure though where I go from here, my dh is furious and wants to pull out. I think there is a certain amount of cutting your nose to spite your face if we do, but I also understand his reasons. If they remove the rails it will be need skimming. Plus the light fittings will cost us to get a electrician in and we are already at the very top of our budget. A figure we agreed to as we thought the property wa s going to be move in ready.

OP posts:
AdobeWanKenobi · 14/08/2019 04:52

I have known clients dig up plants from their gardens to take with them to their new property

Given a lot of people plant things with sentimental meaning this isn't really unexpected nor something that would bother me.
A seller taking a rose with their mothers name for example.

Mileysmiley · 14/08/2019 05:03

@lucylockett27

Talk to your solicitor/conveyancer about this, he/she may be able to talk to the sellers solicitor to express your concerns about them taking light fitting and curtain poles and making the property look in disrepair. Your seller might then realise they might lose you as purchasers and stop pratting around by asking too much money for fittings.

BogglesGoggles · 14/08/2019 05:48

Fixtures are distinct from fittings. Fixtures form a part of the house, while fittings do not. Whether an it is one of the other will depend of how it is affixed to the property (is it built into it or just standing in it?), whether it is intended to be in the house permanently or not (paint on the wall vs picture hung on the wall), whether it is intended to improve the property (vs being merely kept on the property). Curtains are fitting but I can’t remember re curtain poles (obviously they are more attached to the house). You should be able to look it up on google.

Marchitectmummy · 14/08/2019 06:07

In short they can take anything with them but anything electronic or gas must be left safe, so if they take a radiator even the gas should be capped. Anything that is listed on the fixtures and fittings list must be left, nothing else should be left as you will incur a cost to remove it.

A fixture and fitting list can be commented on by the buyer also.

I would start by going back via your solicitor and saying your offer was on the understanding light fittings as viewed were left therefore you are not willing to pay more. Let the solicitor go back to theirs with that and see what response you get. Equally you could ask the estate agent to of yyph have a good relationship with them. They will try very hard if they think you might pull out

Limpshade · 14/08/2019 06:10

This reminds me of the vendors of our London flat. They had curtains that fitted the very wide bifolding doors at the back and we paid handsomely to have these included. Vendors said we could not have these exact curtains for some reason but they would replace "like for like". On moving day, we found they'd left us with a dust sheet with holes cut in for the curtain rings and to add insult to injury, the dust sheet only reached halfway down the doors.

If you're reading this, London vendors, fuck you!

Sorry to derail your thread OP - please take a look at the small print!

Pikapikachooo · 14/08/2019 06:40

No no no
You knows what they might not end up taking them all in the end anyway

That’s so cheeky

DDiva · 14/08/2019 06:52

Our vendors swapped the internal door handles. They were all different evem different sides of the same door. The bathroom and toilet handles were not connected and didnt work. However they did leave the lovely gold embellished light switch covers Confused

PurBal · 14/08/2019 06:57

Technically they can take the door handles too. As for lighting they do have to leave something by law even if it's just a bulb (though I can't remember if its per room or not)

PhilCornwall1 · 14/08/2019 07:00

Last time we moved, we took curtain poles and our lights, we did say this was being done.

For lights, I'd have thought they would need to replace it with a standard single bulb pendant wouldn't they? Otherwise it's bloody dangerous!! I did and popped a bulb in for good measure, not exactly an expensive thing to do.

I replaced the curtain poles with shitty Homebase curtain track, don't think I had to do that, but it was only the lounge and dining room ones. Upstairs had blinds and they were welcome to them. Sodding dust catchers!!Smile

thewayoftheplatypus · 14/08/2019 07:00

Sadly not! As previous posters have said- you can even remove built in cupboards, door handles, light fittings. We are going through the same thing and they are trying to charge us for everything (and more than retail value in most cases!)

Bluntness100 · 14/08/2019 07:01

You need to fill a form in as folks said, listing the fix and fittings you are leaving, and yes you can exclude anything uou wish.

I had sellers do something like this to me. I was fuming and was going to pull out. And then someone said to me, do you love the house? Are you really going to loose it over some window treatments. So I thought about it and said no, I don't want to loose it. And called the agent and said tell them to take them. And they did.

In hindsight it was irrelevant. If you love the house, don't loose it over some curtain poles.

HappyParent2000 · 14/08/2019 07:04

I will have to take the lightbulbs and a few things when we leave. Part of home automation.

As new curtain poles are dead cheap I would be happy for them to keep them if they like them so much...

Then you know you have to source them and bring them when you move. They don’t take long to put up but I agree it’s not a great day 1 job,