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AIBU?

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Original poster

Seller trying to charge £'000s on top for existing fitted window shutters!

347 replies

MrsKT123 · 16/01/2022 00:08

We're buying a house and have had the fixtures and fittings report back and our seller has noted that the fitted window shutters are not included and would be an extra few thousand £s if we'd like them to stay! (Don't want to give exact amount in case they're on here!)

We're already paying considerably over asking price, had no quibbles on around £5ks worth of work required noted on our survey and have said we're happy to exchange and complete in order with their timescale (they have asked for an extended period between exchange and completion). We love the house and just want things to go smoothly.

I'm really disappointed by this as I would not have expected them to be taking these as they're made-to-measure and I know the house they are buying and there's no way they'd fit. To me, it's like taking the kitchen cupboards or built in wardrobes with them.

Surely it's more hassle to them to get them removed and put good the decoration for all windows in the house (large 5-bed with some bay windows)?

YABU - you shouldn't expect fitted window shutters to be included
YANBU - of course fitted window shutters should be included

OP posts:
A580Hojas · 16/01/2022 13:00

I guess I hate them because different people like different things 🤷‍♀️

backtolifebacktoreality · 16/01/2022 13:01

I'd tell them you don't want them. If they leave them then great. If they take them then you can probably get brand new ones installed (if you also want them) for not much more than the sellers are asking for them!

dafey · 16/01/2022 13:03

But hate seems an extreme reaction for what is essentially a window treatment 😆

lljkk · 16/01/2022 13:12

We stayed 5.5 m in a rental property before moving to present home (in England) -- worked very well for us.

Having 2x bought in England & once involved with sale in California... plus my cousins have bought & sold...

the difference is that in CA both sides start signing contracts with penalties 3 days after offer was accepted. As soon as a next hurdle is passed (say, survey for termites) - a new round of contracts is signed, with escalating penalties & fewer reasons you can get out of the sale without penalty. So people can't mess about idly. Focuses whole process. Sales do indeed still fall through sometimes.

Many of my cousins lived low rent with another relative before buying, that's not uncommon.

NoraEphronsNeck · 16/01/2022 13:14

@A580Hojas

I guess I hate them because different people like different things 🤷‍♀️
Grin
BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 16/01/2022 13:20

YABU, they are f&f, totally different to kitchen cupboards or taps and light switches.

A580Hojas · 16/01/2022 13:33

Alright then, strongly dislike. Will that do?

BigYellowHat · 16/01/2022 13:43

I remember reading that if you imagined turning a house upside down and shaking it, everything that remained is considered a fitting and should stay. Everything that falls out is a fixture and can go with the seller. The blinds are therefore a fitting.

Fedupsotired · 16/01/2022 14:00

@BigYellowHat

I remember reading that if you imagined turning a house upside down and shaking it, everything that remained is considered a fitting and should stay. Everything that falls out is a fixture and can go with the seller. The blinds are therefore a fitting.
But curtain poles can be taken and light fittings and they wouldn't fall out!
DdraigGoch · 16/01/2022 14:10

The property before last that we bought, decided they were taking the shed it had been there quite some years and was included in the property details etc. Adamant that they were taking it. By the looks of the mess left behind it probably fell to bits 🤞but we really wanted the house and it wasn’t worth losing it over a dilapidated shed.

@Roselilly36 they probably did you a favour. Would probably have cost more to demolish it.

Forensicpsych · 16/01/2022 14:32

Absolutely agree that they’re trying it on and are likely to just leave them.

ballsdeep · 16/01/2022 19:53

@Porridgeislife

I know in many other countries banks give 'bridging loans' which allow you to make a house purchase before you've sold your own house and have the cash from that sale but for whatever weird reason they just don't do it in the UK.

It’s entirely due to the broken system of buying and selling in the UK. In the US and Australia, you are very certain within 2.5 weeks of offer that your property will be bought or sold so bridging finance is cheap and accessible.

Whereas here, you can wait months and months and have buyers/sellers back out at any point for spurious reasons, so it’s too risky to offer bridging finance.

I wish there was a brave government minister who took this issue on.

It took us 6 months from start to finish. A house up the road sold in August. They still haven't moved because the person they're buying off lied and said they could move in with family..... That was a lie and they refused to move out before Xmas. Now they're just waiting It's awful and such an horrific experience to buy and sell, knowing that people can pull out at any time and it taking such a long time.

I really think seller's should get the bulk of the paperwork, searches, surveys etc done before eputting House on the market.

ballsdeep · 16/01/2022 19:54

@StrifeOfBath

They are actually moving to a house which is on the same road we're on now - our agent has sold all 3 properties and mentioned it to us in a 'what a coincidence' kind of way

The EA is your secret weapon here. No way will the EA want to potentially lose 3 sales if the chain collapses.

Talk to the EA about this. Say that as they know you offered above asking. You kept to your offer even though the survey reveals xyz. Given the survey etc you are now at top of budget and cannot be pushed further. ESP given the inconvenience of their timescale. Say the shutters need to be included or you will consider pulling out.

Ours was the same and he fought tooth and nail to keep the chain together. If it was with any other EA I don't think the sale would have gone through
BalladOfBarryAndFreda · 16/01/2022 20:51

@Porridgeislife, ‘bridging loans’ exist in the UK but are astronomically expensive and so should only be used as a last resort.

Porridgeislife · 16/01/2022 21:02

@BalladOfBarryAndFreda well yes, any sort of finance is available at a price. It doesn’t make it any more feasible for average Mr and Mrs Homebuyer whereas in most other countries, it’s cheap and flexible.

cabbageking · 16/01/2022 21:48

The TA form will list everything included like curtains, carpets, any light fittings etc. If it isn't on here then it isn't included in the sale.

They can take anything not listed which can include ovens, shutters, specific fittings you may have seen on any visit to the house. It may also include any items they wish to negotiate for but this often changes. We inherited a fridge freezer simply because it was too difficult to move. Was on the form as being left if we wanted it, otherwise they would have to remove it.
The cost does not include anything you assumed was being left.
Get your TA10 out and read it.

KarmaStar · 16/01/2022 21:54

They probably spent a fortune on them and want to recoup some of the cost.
I've not had shutters so don't know if difficult to remove,if you say no would they take them down and just sell them privately?
Maybe negotiate 20/80 in your favour of you really like them?
They are c.f. Though.

marpelier · 17/01/2022 01:42

A hundred apologies for the derail OP. Was not intentional. Hope you get your shutters and don't have to pay extra for them.

daisychain01 · 17/01/2022 04:55

@rwalker

I wouldn't expect them to be included . As for make good are you going to ask for rooms to be redecorated where theres been pictures hanging and removed . They'll of cost £1000's not a surprise they are taking them.
Making good,mdue to marks caused by picture hangers on walls is not in anyway equivalent to removing fitted blinds attached to window frames. Most people expect to redecorate. You don't expect to have to do expensive remediation of a window frame, which is part of the fabric of the house. Not a useful comparison,

It's highly unlikely those fitted blinds will be useful elsewhere - a sensible and magnanimous vendor would leave them rather than being CFs to squeeze every last penny out of the sale.

LoveFall · 17/01/2022 05:35

We have no chains in Canada. If you want to buy a house, you make an offer and a deposit. The contract is written up at that time and may have "subject to" clauses such as buyer obtaining financing, inspection, or even buyers home be sold by "x" date. The dates that the subjects must be removed are specified and are usually short.

The completion date is also agreed then.

It is usually a couple of months or so.

It is then binding. If the seller doesn't give possession or the buyer fails to complete there are lawsuits.

It seems to work much better than what I read on here. A chain would be a nightmare.

We also have what is called a Torrens system of title which means the titles are all registered and guaranteed by the Land Title System.

Talkwhilstyouwalk · 17/01/2022 06:04

Technically a fixture or not they are being money grabbing and petty. Tell them that you'd like to have another look at the survey if they wish to play this game. Could they feel that they accepted a low offer on their house? Either way, their behaviour is stingy.

GrannytoaUnicorn · 17/01/2022 14:32

@Iamthedom

I have shutters in my house and they are easily removed wouldn’t take me more than an hour to remove 7 shutters and fittings They are made to measure but my windows are a pretty standard fit so I could easily sell them or give them to a family member who windows I know they would fit

If I was moving house I would be taking them with me as they cost over 3k and only 18 months old .
I have fitted blinds behind the shutters and I wouldn’t be leaving them either as they were an extra cost
And I wouldn’t leave my blinds on my patio doors as they were bloody expensive as well 😂

HmmHmmHmm
FreedomFaith · 17/01/2022 14:55

@DPotter

call their bluff and say no thanks - will cost them more to have them removed and the walls and frames made good and re-decorated.

I would class them as a fixture and fitting, just like a staircase balustrade or a fitted wardrobe

This. Call their bluff, say no and have it written into the contract that removal of said shutters must not cause any damage to the windows and it should not be obvious they have been removed, obviously in lawyer speak.

They won't do it. It's a lot of hassle.

threatmatrix · 17/01/2022 17:34

Call their bluff and say you don’t want them but expect not to find holes etc as if do them you’d need a discount.

Naaaaat · 17/01/2022 17:41

People can be so petty when it comes to things like that they think because they spent all the money on them then they should get it back but it doesn’t work like that.

Call their bluff as I guarantee once moving commences they will not have the time nor energy to remove them. Having said that a friend of mine moved into her new house where the vendor had took the carpet! 🤣