Angry at house seller?

[perfectpotato]

Had our offer accepted, in the middle of the legal process and we’ve had got the fixtures and fittings form from the vendors.

They are taking with them all the column radiators (will be replacing with basic ones), all light fixtures - they had these beautiful sconce marble light fixtures that they will be taking and they are have a fixed mirror in the bathroom, has Bluetooth and different lighting and they are taking that too.

My partner doesn’t seem bothered but I’m really upset, Aibu?

Whenever I've moved, I've left new soap in the bathroom, a kettle, mugs, teabags, biscuits, milk in the fridge as well as a bottle of wine and some flowers.

It just seems petty not to...

Nothing in that article says that.

And all fixtures are remaining, just not the same ones but that isnt relevant. And nothing remotely about that specific situation is even hinted at in the article.

That's lovely, but just more stuff to chuck/put away as I'd have a box of all those items to unpack first.

Best thing a seller can do IMO, is leave the place spotless, with nothing left on the property.

Who takes radiators! Mental. It's like saying who leaves the carpet? Those oak doors? Nope, we're going to put in some cheap white ones.

@perfectpotato It depends on how much you really like these items and or the house.

Be prepared to walk away or renegotiate based on the removal of these items.

If they mention these items before making an offer, it's fair game, but after an offer has been made, it's not on.

On the contrary, each time I’ve done it the solicitor has emailed me to say the purchaser was so delighted and appreciative.
Not all people are that organised and the removal men often want a cuppa on arrival.

That's why I said IMO, I wasn't speaking for everyone.

Great that it's been appreciated when you've done it, just saying not everyone will.

Fixtures are items that are fixed to the building; therefore, they should not be removed. The item must be either physically a part of the building or on the land that the building sits on.
Some examples of fixtures are:

• Light fittings
• Radiators
• Security/alarm systems
• Fitted furniture
• Basins
• Bathtubs
• Plug sockets
• Faucets
• Dishwashers
• Central-heating boilers
• Ovens/hobs
• Integrated fridges and freezers
• Worktops

I personally would try and renegotiate the price. If they won’t lower the price to cover the cost of buying the fittings they are taking, I’d walk away from the deal. Sounds like they’re the type to remove all lightbulbs etc.

@perfectpotato

Hasn't returned for three days. Let's hope it's all settled amicably.

I can't believe that someone is going to the faff and expense of having the radiators removed and replaced, however cheap the new ones are. They really should have made that clear when you viewed the property. The mirror is easy to move but risks damage in the move. I have a really fancy mirror/cabinet in my new bathroom but i'd probably leave it and treat myself to a new one in my next house. It's quite common to take expensive light fittings but you have to leave something in their place.

I very much agree. The vendor probably has an emotional attachment based in the time and effort they spent making their choice, and having them painted and installed. They have thought less about the cost of having them removed, chipping the paint, and finding they don't fit in the new house, and paying for replacement radiators, valves and installation. They have not asked themselves the question "what are second-hand radiators worth."

Listen, to all of you posting this is unreasonable for them to take radiators, I'm going to hazard a guess that the buyer Perfect Potato has not paid the asking price for this house, in which case the owners have though (petty maybe but correctly so) they will make the shortfall up by removing the contents. I'm almost certain the vendors would be happy to leave theses items if you offer to pay for them.

I myself know I will be in the vendors position when I come to sell my house and I will make this clear upon sale, I'm selling all this for X price and if you want to pay less, you will receive less.

The problem comes from taking the radiators out making the EPC null and void and a new one will have to be done

Cant sell a house without an EPC.

An EPC might cost them more than the 2nd hand radiators they removed

A house is sold for the market price. It is worth what somebody will pay for it. This need not be the number you first thought of.

This is not how house purchasing works.

@perfectpotato come on OP, did you lower your offer or just pull out?

There is a very simple solution. Don't accept offers under what you want🤷 It's not like they hold a gun to your head.
The idea of "I accepted your under x offer and now I will punish you for that" is really weird.
You are just risking sitting on a market for year+ like one seller near me because they want x price which is ridiculous for the area and state of the house.
And honestly if seller did what you just said to me, I would walk away.

Which is why i said i would be up front about that information unlike the seller in the scinario. I think that's acceptable to say "thank you for your offer, I will accept however under the condition that I will be removing X, Y and Z. I agree its silly to do that after the fact as that risks wasting everybody's time. I agree with the "don't accept offers under what you want" but the bartering process in England means it's likely you will be given an offer rather than a "yes please here's the money" so that's where the barter comes in, it obviously has to go both ways. The EPC is where they may come unstuck, food for thought for myself, If I ever come to sell.

You know the more I think about it, forget the asking price, I know that's rarely given but I'd still say in this case the seller is pissed about having been knocked down far more than they would like but also their hand is being forced for whatever reason to sell, so this is the retaliation. Much like the taking of light bulbs and the like others have posted about. Not all sales end up in a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine sadly.

Ok, I got what you meant.
Again I would walk away though because it gives difficult seller vibes.
And I am not even talking about light fittings and such. Out of curiosity if I offered you 10% under what would you then exclude?

It's such a situation dependant question, I'm saying this after seeing what my mum has gone through after trying to sell hers for a year, finally someone has made an offer 15k lower than asking and it's just left a bad taste as she has no option but to accept realistically. Her home has nothing of real value to remove but I said to my partner we are fortunate to not be in that situation and if that ever happens to us, I'd bloody well rip out our cast-iron radiators and expensive lights etc. The house in this Op sounds like a house that's had more than the average spent on it so that seller may be thinking the same. On the other hand I may be wrong but we don't know the full story and it doesn't t look like the OP is coming back to tell us. In a perfect world this conversation would never be had, the Scottish system is so much better as everyone always says.

If I needed to sell a house I'd put blood, sweat and tears in to (which I'd say was a given by the fixtures and fittings listed) and then a buyer came along and took advantage and ripped me off I'd want remove to the value they remove so 10% could be everything I could and the light bulbs! Haha. When we first bought we offered the asking price first offer and we were treated kindly for doing so, it made all the difference and made for a friendly transaction but you hear far more horror stories these days then good experiences sadly.

A house is only worth what someone will pay for it. An offer below asking isn’t taking advantage or ripping the vendor off. You have no God given right to whatever asking price you decide to put on your house. I feel extremely sorry for whoever buys your gaff.

Your mother was clearly asking an unrealistic price. Did you value it for her as you don't seem to know how house valuations work. A house is only worth what someone is willing to pay.

Nobody ever gets ripped off at the offer stage. Buyer offers what they consider property is worth based on location, market, and state of property as listed/ photographed/ viewed, and seller decides to accept it or not.

The only ripping off comes later if vendors start removing fixtures and fittings not stated as for removal on the listing, or buyers unreasonably (out of line with any survey results) start reducing their offer at a later stage threatening a chain.

If you want to take your precious radiators remove them and store them before marketing the property.

Haha no I didn't, I probably should of said that 15k was knocked off half way through the sale not in the initial offer process which is why it left such a bad taste as everything was already underway. I'm a believer that in selling you need to find the seller for the house and that doesn't always happen straight away. All I'm saying it that this Op stinks of retaliation as yes taking radiators is madness but as I said I could be wrong only Potato can say.