To think fitted wardrobes come with the house...

[NeverMovingAgain]

We've taken bloody months and months to get to this stage and we're finally on the home stretch towards completion and exchange so it's entirely possible I've lost sight of what is and is reasonable but am I wrong to think fitted wardrobes should come with the house?

We've finally received a fixtures and fittings form today along with the paperwork we need to sign before we can complete and exchange and it says the fitted wardrobes are excluded from the sale.

Am I losing the plot to think they would surely be coming with the property? We're leaving them in our property, it never occurred to us not to because they are fitted to the space, so surley the whole point is they're designed for that room and you don't take them with you?

I've emailed to get clarification but was it presumptious of me to think they would be staying in the house?

Marking so I can check back monday

I'd double check in case they ticked the wrong box.
But that is the point of fixtures and fittings form - you specify those things so there is no confusion. I always take my door knocker as it was a present and from abroad - I make a specific note of this and if possible will replace it with a regular one.
When I leave my current house I will take my pendant light fitting in the main bedroom (and the door knocker)!
As long as they have told you then it's ok, but it is unusual if bespoke so I'd double check.

Hopefully I have a positive update on Monday but I'm doubtful it's a mistake as the box just above is the kitchen units and those are marked included. It seems more unlikely its a mistake if the box above isn't also ticked.

there is a difference between fitted and buit in.

built in remains as it would damage the fabric of the house to remove it.

Same 😅

Op, i'm sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time. Hopefully the sellers will reconsider when the realise just how much they will have to spend on making good if they take them.

Historically the division between fixtures and contents was, if you turned the house upside down and shook it, what fell out were contents and what remained were fixtures. That is the starting point.

Now if the sellers wanted to negotiate a deal where they took the wardrobes, I suppose that is their (probably foolish) prerogative, but it needs to be made very clear from the start. Similarly with anything planted in the garden - pots are fine to take, but nothing planted unless clearly specified up front.

Therefore you ANBU to assume the wardrobes listed in the sales particulars are included.

The first thing I would do is query this - it's always possible they have misunderstood the form or made an error. If it's correct then you have every right not to take it lying down, push back OP.

No-one needs this kind of hassle, hood luck.

So would fitted if it’s been specifically designed and integrated into the room. The rule of thumb is that if you remove anything you have to make good. Built in isn’t mentioned on these forms - it’s fixtures and fittings. Fittings are things easily removed and taken with you - light fittings, curtain poles, decorative wall items such as mirrors etc. Fixtures are anything nailed or screwed down, plastered in or designed/integrated into the room, and should be left. And if the sellers really do insist on removing the fitted furniture I would make it clear that the room needs to be left as though it had not been there in the first place - so any damage re-plastered, re-decorated to match the rest of the room, and re- carpeted so there are no gaps in floor coverings. Should also bear in mind that ceilings could be damaged on removal if fitted furniture is full height.

They should also check with the EA to find out what their understanding was at the time of marketing the property. Given that the furniture was described, photographed and appeared on the floor plans in the brochure - and also whether their value was factored in to the house price as a home improvement.

Some of these stories sound like pure malice!
"We're moving, we can't enjoy our custom-fitted wardrobes, shelving, window seats any more, so we'll make damn sure no else can."
Such nasty people, with a horrible disregard for craftsmanship and raw materials.

In this case you would need to find out whether they could be considered as a home improvement - in other words have they added value to the house and are reflected in the asking price. If so, I don’t see how they could be removed.

Honestly there's no one more spiteful than some of the people you come across when buying and selling. The whole process has been a nightmare.

I know it's galling when you've paid lots of money but it's just part of life. Clearly I'm way too nice because it never even occurred to me to ask for money, remove or destroy the wardrobes we have had fitted into our current property.

Let's hope it's all a misunderstanding but if not thanks to the fabulous advice on this thread at least I know what to do next.

That’s nonsense in England. Fixtures are included with the house. A fitted wardrobe that’s screwed into the wall is a fixture.

OP my guess is they’re hoping you’ll offer extra money for it. Say to the agent that you’re surprised their client is trying to remove fixtures when fixtures are sold with a house, and that you hope their client has just ticked the wring option on the form. Say that the wardrobes should not be removed but if they are removed, their client will need to make good any damage to the wall plaster and paint caused by removing a fixture that should never have been removed in the first place.

My understanding is when you imagine turning a house upside down, then anything that remains fixed it is part of fixtures and fittings. I wouldn’t pay for them and l would insist on making good -that won’t be cheap! The last house we bought then they took the toilet seat with them. We joked about it being a family heirloom! What is it about moving house that turns people into dicks?

I was just coming here to see if anyone had used this exact analogy! It's what I've ALWAYS been told is the way to see if something should be included or not.

Imagine turning the house upside down and shaking it - anything that remains is part of the property.

The fact that the fitted wardrobes were shown on the floor plan proves that they're part of the property. It'd be like removing a conservatory!

@NeverMovingAgain love your username by the way. Just been through it myself and feel the same! I reckon you have a strong case for re-negotiating the price if they refuse to leave the wardrobes. It would have been fair to assume they were being left.

Personally I wouldn't care as I don't like fitted furniture and would rip them out as soon as I could. It'd be one less job for me to do! However I appreciate that not everyone feels the same way I do so I can understand why you're annoyed by this. I would definitely ask for clarification!

You can stipulate that they do leave the walls in a clean and complete state, there should be a place for this in the contract. If you think they won’t, you can ask for a retention of the purchase price robe held by your solicitor, to be released after inspection of the empty property by you and the EA. I have often done this, it usually results in things being left very nicely.

I'm not going to lie I'm not sure which surprised me more the fact they wanted to take the wardrobes or the fact this username was actually available.

Hopefully a mistake, but if not then I probably would make it my hill to die on given they’ve been sly about it. I’m a stubborn made though 🫣🤣

@NeverMovingAgain
Obviously, if it DOES turn out to be correct & they do want to take the wardrobes, they'll have been looking at new ones & realising just how expensive they are..
Nevertheless they SHOULD be included with being fitted, & that's what you pay your solicitor for, flower, so try not to worry too much. Let us know?

It's probably just confusion at their end, looking at the same form and thinking the same thing - that fitted wardrobes aren't a fixture/fitting that they're part of the property.

You need to get your solicitor to clarify this. If they are intending taking the wardrobes (which seems unlikely) you need an assurance that the decor will be "made good to the standard of the rest of the room, including the floor, floor covering, paint/paper, walls and ceiling".

I’m really hoping it’s a mistake. I should change my name to Pollyanna.

Some great suggestions here to de-stress a move (agreeing a working definition of f&f versus contents, clarifying what will be left early and in writing, finish on walls and 100% of room having continuous flooring etc).
It almost seems like the 'professionals' dealing with property transactions day in and day out would modify their standard communications to deal with difficult and unreasonable buyers and sellers. One can hope, I suppose.

It’s their right to tell you what they want to take with them. If you think your offer is now too high, this is your chance to request a reduction in sale price. I think you’re being overly dramatic tbh.

Probably a mistake, but you're wise to check