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?

Agree
Ridicules.
But Unfortunately some people ( petty ) take all the light fittings , curtains poles and toilet rolls.
We’ve never had this , or done this.
(we always clean throughly out , retouch any walls that pictures have marked, leave all fixtures and fittings (which we tick on the firm) light bulbs , toilet rolls, bottle of wine and a welcome to your new home card).
I’d be questioning the radiators bit.

I'm an electrician, light fittings, always has been very normal to take them (they must be replaced with a working, safe, fitting or a blank plate if the room has many fittings, though.

Radiators, never heard of that - I would focus on that as a point of negotiation.

Taking radiators seems bizarre tbh. But the other stuff i might have hoped they'd leave them, but its not a given. I remember when we bought ours that on moving day we found the sellers had taken all the light bulbs. Every single one. It was late afternoon in winter and we had to pop to tescos to buy light bulbs before we could move our furniture in!

As someone who’s just moved house most of this is normal to take, the radiators though does seem strange. However if they replaced them technically I don’t think they have done anything wrong legally? I asked my buyers if they wanted any of our lights/mirrors (bathroom only for mirrors) or bathroom cabinets but they would have had to pay extra for this as this is our furniture not a fixture. It wouldn’t have crossed my mind to take the brand new radiators with me lol

Light fittings are just that, classed as fittings, it's what they are called.

No.

The buyer assumed, based on the viewings, that they were buying a house with expensive radiators and no decorative problems. That is what they believed when they made their offer.

The seller actually plans to sell them a house with cheap radiators, holes in the walls and gaps in the decoration.

No one is wrong here. The seller simply has information that the buyer did not have when they offered.

That is why there is a period for the buyer to gather as much information as possible between offer and exchange, so that as many of the buyer's assumptions as possible can be checked before the price and sale are finalised.

Can you ask the sellers where they go the fixtures, buy replacements for them & ask them to leave the originals? That way it saves you installing new ones, and they get to take the ones they like with them?

It’s actually quite common for expensive fittings to be removed and replaced with standard. The mirror is counted as furniture so that would expect to be taking

They would have to replace the light fittings with at least basic fittings that allowed a bulb to be fitted, they can’t just leave live bare wires hanging! They would be in breach of contract if they did that. This is why I have insisted on the estate agent letting me inspect the new place to check the vendors haven’t pulled a stunt like that before allowing my solicitor to release funds.

Our sellers were very much like this. They took a fitted in microwave from the kitchen, which was a custom size and wasn’t easily replaceable, so we ended up with a gap in the expensive fitted kitchen while we figured that out. They did multiple things like that, though. Dickheads. Pretty sure it was retaliation for something we didn’t want to buy from them.

I took a radiator (cost £850 as part of the design of the kitchen) which I replaced with a normal one. Also a bathroom sink cabinet ( Fired Earth, gorgeous, saved up for 6 months for it) replaced with a pretty good copy. However, at viewings these two things were pointed out as not being part of the sale.

It is called negotiation. i.e I am happy to buy radiators for 50% of new cost.
Saves them the hassle of removal, and you the hassle of putting back.
Did you offer below the asking price?!

Fuck that. Im happy to buy your house at agreed price with radiators. Without them I will drop the offer to x.

I’m an estate agent and have been for 20 years, I’ve never heard of radiators being removed. Light fittings, yes, but then I’d mention that they would be removed and replaced with other fittings, in the sales
particulars. Same with the bathroom mirror.

So long as there are radiators and light fittings then they've done nothing wrong.

Sweet lord. when I sold my house all light fittings radiators curtains and poles etc where left. they were classed as part of the house. we also left our barstools (asked the buyers if they wanted them) as they were designed for that kitchen wouldn't have suited anywhere else. I would be very p off if i was you

It would never cross my mind to remove any of those things - I think your sellers are CFs. I would ask for a make good payment to cover replacing them like for like and the work of fitting them.

Cannot believe people think OP is unreasonable.
I have never had someone take radiators from a house, totally unacceptable.
Fitted mirror in bathroom way too much faff too remove.
Light fittings maybe but don't think I would.
The thing is those things fit in that house, if removed they will leave holes/ issues with decor which would be hassle to repair/make good.
I hate the holes left by picture hangings, whether leaving them or moving in to a property with them.
You are not being unreasonable, I would not be happy about the radiators, massive red flag for me, column radiators are a strong selling point and replacing them with normal radiators is a big job.

I thought it was just me, @Stillgroupie
I’m in the USA, but here, anything affixed to the house stays with the house.
I think it’s very weird that somebody would pack up all the light fixtures when they sell and move and take them all with them - and leave the bare light sockets behind.
Weird.
I feel bad for any buyer having to moving into a home stripped of everything like that.

Lights is quite a common one but radiators aren't.

I would suggest you work out what it would costs to replace them like for like and then reduce your offer by that and extra to cover the inconvenience on the basis your current offer was based on them being included .

I assume you mean the vintage metal radiators that are VERY expensive and the new fad?

If they recently had them fitted they aren't going to want to pay again at the new house. While it might seem a faff to some at that cost it will likely be worth it too them as it could easily be many thousands of pounds worth of goods.

Marble sconces are about £100-£200 each and the bluetooth mirror about the same again.

There have been threads about people taking the bath and the log burner/fire place before.

You can query it through the solicitor, say your offer was based on the state of the house being 'luxury' and you want a discount if thats no longer the case but legally they can take what they want.

This week I have had to do the inventory of what we are leaving/taking from my Dad's. I was given a form with pre-printed things to tick leaving/taking, with space to add my own. I, like you, was quite shocked that all the things you mention were on the inventory (we are leaving them all!). Given they were though, presumably it is expected that people may want to take these things and you and I are naïve to be shocked!!

Cannot believe people think OP is unreasonable.

If OP was the seller saying she was planning this then lots of the same people would be telling her she was unreasonable.

People saying 'holes in the wall'... anything removed has to be listed AND the property needs to be 'made good' so items replaced, painting done, holes filled etc... or the buyer can sue for the costs to fix it.

Radiators is bloody weird. Light fittings and mirrors can go either way. Be sure that they make good any damage, and that the replacement radiators are as powerful as the ones they are removing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they change their mind and ask for more money for them.

We moved when I was a kid - around 1980 and we took carpets - it was relatively normal then. I knew someone else who moved into a house when I was a teenager and the sellers had taken the entire central heating system, not just radiators and I know someone else who didn’t realise that the kitchen wasn’t fitted and turned up to just a double unit with sink - everything else gone. More recently I read about someone buying a very posh and expensive renovated house and discovered that none of the bathroom was plumbed in - no water in the taps, no drain or soil pipe - they’d fitted it like it was a film set - beautiful but unusable.