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

[MrsKT123]

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

@A580Hojas

Alright then, strongly dislike. Will that do?

I also strongly dislike the ubiquitous shutters...

Anyway, re: Op's shutter-gate conundrum; I'd tell the vendors to take 'em and make good.

They are made to measure so why would someone take them? I think they are trying it on. I would rather buy my own new ones than give in to this.

I’d expect you to be get everything you see when you look around the house - except for the things they tell you they are taking with them… these are usually mentioned at the start!

The timing implies they want to make extra cash out of you IMO

@userxx

Weird! When I move house my shutters will be staying with the house, I'd just add on an extra £500 to the asking price to cover the cost.

Not really how it works though - your house is worth what someone at the time is willing to pay. If a house is on at offers over £300K and the OP has paid £315,000 - where's your £500 in that price? Or the Vendor who put a house on the market for £300k and the biggest offer they received for a year is £295,000 - what did they not want to pay for - your shutters and maybe the bathroom or was it the white goods or the garden plants or shed? It just doesn't work like that.

If it isn't on the sellers list then they can ask you to pay some money for them. They are very expensive to have fitted as I have a small one I'm our en suite and I was shocked how much it cost. Call his bluff as will he really want to be taking them down! Offer him a much smaller amount and ser if he takes it.

'There are a few items that are a grey area when it comes to fixtures and fittings as they are technically fixed to the property, but can be classed as fittings. These items include items such as curtain rails, blinds and shelving. Sellers must specifically state if these are to be left in the home or not.'

If they were listed in the sales blurb by the estate agent then use that as ammunition as the vendor had to vet that. If not then I am afraid it was an assumption they would be left rather than having checked.

You could negotiate a much smaller fee or simply say you assumed they would be left as a fixture, your not paying extra, their shout. Call their bluff, if they call yours in return you have the choice to pay something or walk away.

I meant to say you also need to check the TA10 fixture and fittings list to see how they were declared on there.

The woman who I bought my flat off tried to pull the same stunt. She was incredibly awkward. We declined to purchase her made to measure blinds and just bought our own.

I would have assumed they were included too OP (although I guess the fact that they're not listed as included is something you can't argue with) - as they're highly unlikely to fit anywhere in the seller's new home or have any re-sale value. We had to have new shutters in the bay window of our home when we replaced the windows - as the new window handles prevented the old ones fitting (changed the colour to ease the pain a bit). They're very made to measure.

I do like 'ubiquitous shutters' have have then on 10/18 windows in my home but there is no way I would pay £5K or anything close to it if someone pulled this stunt. If you like them I would say that you would prefer them to be left (possibly offering a much smaller amount) but if they can sell them elsewhere/have a use for them then you'll accept that they will be removed and the walls made good.

I've just made an offer on a house with fitted blinds. I've made an offer conditional on the basis that the blinds are left (along with other fixtures and fittings which would leave holes in the wall if removed).

When I bought the house that I am currently in the vendors removed toilet roll holders and fitted bathroom cabinets leaving holes in a recently renovated house. I'm not having that happen again!

It is an old trick to wait until this stage and then for the seller to take things with them. At our last purchase, our seller took light fittings, light bulbs and one carpet. I would reply saying you are not that fussed, will look to replace in the first six months anyway. Offer 250 and if they do not accept then call their bluff and ask them to remove them. Then if they do not you are fully entitled to charge for their removal.

Agree with other comments - say no and tell them to make good. I had a friend who was about to exchange when the owner said they would be removing the tiled toilet roll holder / towel holder / rail - obviously fixed / matched to tiles and they asked if they could please leave as, although not to our taste, we'd then have holes in the tiling have to redecorate. Nope, sellers insisted alongside taking bulbs and some other odd things, so my friend pulled out of the purchase for a £600K home a day prior to exchange. The house stayed on the market for another year and sold for less!! Friend was happy as found a much nicer house. A fixture is just that and I struggle with the 'offer less because I want something different / more' camp too and you are paying for what is, not what you ultimately would like it to be imo.

This happened to me last year, we called their bluff and it paid off. We asked estate agents to tell them they have to make good the walls on all the windows they will be removing blinds. And once done we will need to inspect work before we go any further. The blinds were suddenly included in the sale. They also tried it with lights and cctv told them we didn’t want them. They was all left when we moved in. Greedy people so glad I held my nerve.

@Lindylou52

This happened to me last year, we called their bluff and it paid off. We asked estate agents to tell them they have to make good the walls on all the windows they will be removing blinds. And once done we will need to inspect work before we go any further. The blinds were suddenly included in the sale. They also tried it with lights and cctv told them we didn’t want them. They was all left when we moved in. Greedy people so glad I held my nerve.

Excellent!

I have an integrated washing machine and dishwasher that both cost quite a bit, and depending on how old they are at the time and their condition, I'd probably take them with me if I moved, I'd leave the doors etc. maybe even go as far as to get brand new replacement doors and fittings for the new owner, but that would be it

Unless the carcasses would fit new appliances without alteration I would take the price of a new kitchen off my offer price, if I was interested in your house.

THEY are being unreasonable not you. I had a neighbour who kept asking me if I wanted to buy their shutters when they moved and I said no thinking "obviously not I've already got new blinds you've even seen!" The woman who bought her house said she practically forced her to pay hundreds for them and it had caused endless stress going back and forth between the solicitors so in the end she just agreed to pay what she'd asked. Moving can bring out the worst in people BUT she was always demanding and rude like that when she lived there. My advice: DO NOT PAY FOR THEM!

When we were selling our house, our buyer asked us via the solicitor how much were were charging them for the shutters. It hadn't occurred to me to charge them as they are fitted. Slightly regretted not charging but equally, that's just a bit "grabby", especially as the buyer was paying a significant sum of money for the house.

Why don’t you get an estimate to find out how much they would really cost to install so that you’ve some idea as to whether they’re trying to con you into buying theirs. Personally I’d not even bother trying to negotiate with them, just let them take them with them.

Just cannot believe that people would want to take something which is made to fit the house they are moving. I left all the made to measure stuff in my last house when I moved out. What would I have done with them anyway?

We had sellers that tried to charge us £200 for an ancient gas cooker. We said we didn't want it. They took it when they moved out but to shut off the gas the literally just bent the gas pipe over. The house needing gutting but our first 5 mins in there was racing off to find a proper gas cut off cap.... arseholes

The seller should have factored into the price of the house. My dad spend £18k on internal wooden blinds when he bought his house. The only windows in his property are huge bi-folding doors on the front room either end and his bedroom no windows. He knows he will never recoup the money and doesn’t expect to move again.

If you do tell them no thanks, please put it in writing that any damage has to be made good again, we had this happen with a built in cupboard, we said no thanks to "buying" it from them, when we moved in, we found they'd taken it out - along with half of the wall too! It cost us way more to get the wall repaired than it would have cost to buy the cupboard from them!