Taking light bulbs from old house to new house

[EasterBun2001]

When we bought our first home we invested in LED lightbulbs throughout which are not cheap but have paid for themselves in ridiculously low energy bills.

Now looking at moving, my sensible head wants to bring the bulbs with me but I feel like this would be unreasonable for anyone moving in.

What would you do?

@AlandAnna I'm not remotely tight but refuse to leave £500 of light bulbs!!! I absolutely would swap them for cheap ones.

£500 worth of lightbulbs??? Think you’ve been shopping in the wrong shop if you’ve been charged that much 😳

I believe you have a legal obligation to leave a light source so if you decide to take your bulbs you must replace them with a working alternative. You should also indicate you will be taking the bulbs with you on the appropriate form.

Or you live in a mansion!

So much lightbulb stealth boasting in this thread

£500 worth of lightbulbs??? Think you’ve been shopping in the wrong shop if you’ve been charged that much

we have a couple of hue's and a few broad spectrum (growing light) leds.

they are considerably more expensive than a standard supermarket bulb.

People saying the OP is being cheap clearly have never bought premium LED's. They can run £6-£20 EACH. Yeah, taking £1000 of lightbulbs is cheap....do as suggested. Buy cheap replacements and take them

We've got Philips Hue (white not coloured!) and LEDs everywhere else. I'd definitely take the Hue's but it would depend on what they buyer was like as to whether I left or replaced the LEDs. If they'd been an arsehole (like the buyer of our old flat) I wouldn't feel guilty if I didn't replace them! If they were decent I'd probably leave.

I bought my led bulbs off of Amazon, yes they are more expensive than normal bulbs, but as the op said they have already paid for them selves. They were max one of two quid each. I honestly can't imagine going round the house and changing all my bulbs. It really is as tight as.

Some folks will take everything they can though. Even the carpet and the curtain poles if they can get them. It's really unbelievable.

As Said, we had this happen years ago. They took the light bulbs, we get thr keys late afternoon in a November evening when it was dark, we were moving in the next day, and we genuinely thought there had been a power cut. We couldn't literally work out why no lights worked, it as pitch black, before we realised.. And we had our three year old daughter with us, we had to go immediately to thr supermarket then come back and fit them.

They had also taken the ends of the toilet rolls, so literally not a square in the house. And we paid asking price. Honestly don't know what's wrong with some people.

When I oved into my starter home the vendors had removed every lightbulb, all the loo paper and the every piece of carpet! Talk about mean.

Even the carpet and the curtain poles if they can get them. It's really unbelievable

We took the curtain poles although obviously we made it clear they weren't included in the sale. The windows were roughly the same size and I liked them so why not?

Did you replace them?

It was a while ago but I don't think we did - the buyer knew he wasn't getting them as they weren't included on forms and he wasn't moving in anyway, he bought it as a buy to let.

I can see how these things add up (a quick tot in my head and we have 50 odd lightbulbs in fitted lights) but it can be a slippery slope for example we have a smart heating system that treats each room as a separate zone. We had to buy special automatic thermostatic valves for each radiator in the house which cost over a £1000. Those who say take the special bulbs would you think it unreasonable for us to those when we leave and just leave basic valves?

If you bought a second-hand car would you expect the previous owner to take the bulbs out of the head-lights?
If you bought a vintage coat would you expect the previous owner to have cut the nice buttons off?
Seriously, why do people think it's ok to show someone around a house and remove anything that can be deemed fixtures and fittings rather than contents without explicitily making it clear before the sale?

Life was so much simpler when it was a straight choice between bayonet and Edison screw incandescent bulbs. The sheer variety we now have in an ordinary house is so confusing. I have a drawer full of bulbs and never seem to have the right spare.

Just buy basic bulbs . Not nice for anyone to move in to a place and have no lights .

Blimey @EasterBun2001 "what's normal"?

What's normal is having the decency to leave some form of lighting for the incoming tenants. Why would you have to post this type of question.

Scratching my head that you would contemplate leaving no bulbs in place. Tight or what?

I can see how these things add up (a quick tot in my head and we have 50 odd lightbulbs in fitted lights) but it can be a slippery slope for example we have a smart heating system that treats each room as a separate zone. We had to buy special automatic thermostatic valves for each radiator in the house which cost over a £1000. Those who say take the special bulbs would you think it unreasonable for us to those when we leave and just leave basic valves?

When we got the hive heating I am sure the bumph that came with it said that Hive effectively modifies your heating system so you have to leave it behind. In any event I don’t think light bulbs which (special bulbs notwithstanding) require replacement relatively frequently are comparable with radiator valves which ideally, wouldn’t.

Most of the Hue and other smart bulbs are the standard bayonet, Edison screw and small Edison screw types. You don’t need specialist fittings at all. But yes, of course it would be wrong to leave no light bulbs at all.

wonkylegs Ithink the heating system questions would depend on a) what was put in your sale particulars and whether you’d boasted about the system and b) whether the system could be controlled if you removed it. I have Nest but the system would be left with no programmer if I removed the smart thermostat. So if I sold would leave that making sure to remove it from my account so the new owners don’t have to give Google a call in order to set their own accounts up.

I have known people replace metal plug sockets/light switches with plain plastic ones when they moved. Who could be arsed with that palaver.

I’d replace them with cheaper ones if needs must. Leaving the new owners with no working lights is horrible.

30 years ago the first house we bought the previous owners took all the light bulbs. There was one fluorescent tube left in the kitchen. We expected them to take the curtain poles as we refused to pay £500 for the curtains & poles (2 bd starter home, no way the curtains etc cost that much). But they even took the wooden backboard put in by the builders as a fixing point for the poles. They also tried to remove some of the carpet grippers in the living room & damaged the flooring. They left the stretchy net curtain holder in the bathroom (probably forgot it rather than deliberately left it).

So please leave them some light bulbs, cheap ones if necessary. Good luck with your move.

Having discovered that LED bulbs are going for £17 for nine on Amazon, I have no idea why anyone would bother taking them with them. I certainly wouldn’t.

I had a flat mate who took the light bulb from her room when she moved out... it was 40 years ago. Funnily enough you don't forget people who are mean.