AIBU to leave small decorating and repair issues when moving?

[Newhouse20938]

We're moving house soon after spending 10+ years in our first home, and it's got me wondering what everyone else does when it comes to all the little things you've hidden over the years....

We've decorated and changed colours in most rooms, but because there was heavy furniture in the way, we've often just painted around it rather than moving it. For example, the wall behind my daughter's bed is still pink, even though the rest of her room is now sage green.

Now I'm thinking ahead to moving day and what it's all going to look like once the furniture is gone. I don't have any of the green paint left, so I'm worried it's going to look a bit of a mess. One wall is literally going to be green and pink!

Another example is in our bedroom, the carpet is ripped underneath the bed after I tried to move it once and caught it on the metal support bar. The bathroom window doesn't lock, and I've lost the key for the back room window, so it can't be opened at all.

I'm probably overthinking it, but is this the sort of thing most people just leave when they move, or do people tend to fix and touch up everything before handing the house over?

I suppose deep down I don't really want to paint a wall or replace carpet when I will be busy anyway moving.

Just buy new window handles for about £10 and fit them. Just touch up paint as best you can if you still have it.

I don't have the paint. Its all gone.

I think there's always some odd bits in any house you move into because when you're living there you just don't notice any more that a door is a bit stiff, an unaccessible light bulb needs changing or you don't discover a damp patch until you move your furniture out.

OP, I don’t know anyone who would just paint round things. I don’t think your buyer will be very pleased. Just don’t expect any mail to be redirected to you.

It’s a bit presumptuous to expect the new owners to forward mail - that’s what the Royal Mail’s forwarding service is for.

Sounds all OK from my experience.

Mind you I bought somewhere where not only had the previous occupant smoked like a chimney inside, but the garden was growing into the house through the windows. Oh and the kitchen was falling off the walls, and the counter was kept up by the broken white goods that got left behind. Oh and the electrics were so "wrong" the whole house needed re-wiring and a new fuse board put in before moving in (and that last one I did not know about!). So perhaps I am not the right person to ask.

But we all know when we buy a house there are going to be a few surprises. As long as it's cosmetic then it's an easy fix, and as the new owner you just get on with it. As long as the electrics aren't about to blow, or there is a large water leak about to bring down a ceiling then you are good I reckon.

No point replacing things like wall paint or carpet, when the new owner will just replace it again with their own preferred colour or material.

You'll need to sort the window as that's a major safety risk. If you can't get a new key, you'll have to replace the locks. Same with the front door lock.

The paint and carpet, I wouldn't worry about as the new people will change that anyway, no one wants to live on the previous owners old carpet.

I know, but Royal Mail are not that good and there is always some that slips through which the disgruntled new owners may put straight in the bin!

Of that list, the only thing which would annoy me (other than thinking you were a lazy fuck when it came to painting) would be not being able to open the window or indeed any other locks not being functional and secure.

That sort of thing really I would try to sort if I were you.

I can't believe people expect to buy a house and not expect any issues like this. Every house I've bought has had walls full of holes where screws and nails have been, some have had walls where people have painted round furniture, always something broken or not working properly. Usually they're rather dirty too.

But it's to be expected. Who moves in and expects walls to be decorated just as you want and things to be perfect?

I'd just leave everything, don't bother doing any repainting. I would tell the buyer about the lock though.

She doesn't need to sort it herself, she should tell the buyer though.
No need to sort the front door lock either, don't most people change locks when they buy anyway? You never know who previous owners have given a key to.

There are two doors, and 2 other big windows on the bottom floor that someone could climb through.
I wont replace the front door lock either.

When I sold the family home, some rooms were faded and dated, and tiles were working loose in the bathroom I told the prospective buyers that I saw no point in doing things up to my taste when I was leaving, and the asking price reflected the fact that work was needed. The husband was a DIY enthusiast and was intending to do just that, and appreciated the small price cut.
The house I bought also needed plastering work; the vendor contacted me, offering to get the work done before I moved in if I was prepared to stick to my offer price. I agreed, even though in the short term the rooms looked less attractive. Much easier to do between occupants!
In both cases, it worked because we were all upfront with one another, and knew what we were getting.
Better that than a quick fix before sales to hide a multitude of sins.

Did the buyers not raise the issue of the window lock when you listed it in the questionnaire?

If you listed it, you’re good.

If you forgot to list it, you really need to get it fixed.

well no, I never mentioned it. Not sure why I would to be honest. I see it as one of those annoying things, rather then a big deal.

Now I'm home, I've spotted another couple of things.

One of the plug sockets in the back room doesn't work at all because it was never actually wired in. It's been like that since I moved in. When we had the electrics done, I just replaced the faceplate so it looked new rather than removing the socket completely and replastering the wall.

Also, every TV in the house is wall-mounted, with all the cables chased into the walls. The HDMI cable in the living room stopped working, and replacing it would mean cutting into the wall, pulling the old cable out and running a new one. As we've now got a smart TV and don't actually need the HDMI cable anymore, we just left it as it is.

So we’ve gone from a few decorating bits to broken window locks not declared and cables sticking out of walls that need the plaster removing to fix?! Wow.
surely when you had the cables but into the wall to mount the tv you had a channel built so you can pull wires through so things can be changed? I’m starting to think this thread isn’t true and you’re just trying to get reactions by drip feeding stupid things.

The lock thing, do you have a hardware shop you can access? We had two window keys for a 3 bed house when we moved in. Took photos and the guy saw what we needed and we bought the 10 or so we actually needed. Window locks are not unique. (Ours needed to be ordered as they weren't one he was used to selling.)

It'd be a big deal if there was a fire and you're trapped in that room by it.

You should've listed it. If you're not going to fix it, you at least need to tell them about it.

I cannot wait to see a thread by your buyer @Newhouse20938 😂

We had the paint thing when we moved in. The house had been on the market for a while and they’d obviously decided to go with more neutral colours to try and sell but couldn’t be bothered to move furniture. It was mildly irritating.
The leaky shower and dodgy back door were more annoying. The window lock would be similarly annoying, I’d prefer to know about it before hand.

I actually don't know, an electrician did it and my husband and I didn't pay that much attention to it!
I mean I could cut the head of the cable off, chisel out a bit of the wall and then put some quick drying filler over it, sand and paint.

That would be hilarious! 😂

Cosmetic things aren’t a big deal. Just leave the house super clean. I’d change the door and window locks. You can get a tin of colour matched paint if you wanted to fix the wall. There’s nothing you can do about the carpet unless you get new carpet laid.

I would be interested to know whether the people who think this is all absolutely outrageous and that it should all have been declared before sale have ever bought a house. Maybe I've been unlucky, but in my experience this is all totally par for the course.