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Original poster

buying goods when you move house

31 replies

hopefulmover · 29/12/2004 15:33

we're currently trying to sell our house. It has been suggested that the buyer should pay for some items not included in the contract by giving a cheque to the agent to pass on to us when they are sure everything is there and undamaged. I find this very offensive. If you've bought anything when moving did you do this? If not were they included in the sale price, did you give the vendor a post dated cheque or what?

Be interested to know if there are differences between London and the provinces on this - I've never heard of it before.

OP posts:
iota · 29/12/2004 15:49

When I bought my first home about 18 years ago I paid by cheque for the washing machine and fridge freezer - I think my solicitor held it and paid it over on completion

Original poster
hopefulmover · 29/12/2004 15:55

thanks iota. I don't like the idea of the money having to be held back to see if things are working - they obviously are now and if they broke we'd either renegotiate or get them fixed. Only one of the items is old and if anything breaks it probably won't be that because we aren't using it.

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NotQuiteCockney · 29/12/2004 15:58

This may be a way to avoid paying stamp duty on these items? If it's a separate transaction, maybe stamp duty wouldn't apply ...

I don't remember what we did, I think everything was included in the contract.

Original poster
hopefulmover · 29/12/2004 15:59

Not stamp duty - just an estate agent who can't negotiate (but that's another story).

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iota · 29/12/2004 16:00

Could you tell them that they're sold 'as seen' or you will not include them and will take them with you?

I recall someone on MN having terible trouble with her purchaser claiming stuff was broken, such as the garage door

joashiningstar · 29/12/2004 17:49

My brother recently bought a new house and paid for extra items directly to the seller.
Not sure if I would like money to be held back for things that are not in the contract. We plan on taking most things with us when we move to Cornwall next year (curtains, blinds, shelves, curtain poles & rails, light fittings [replacing with standard fittings], even the chrome socket and switch fittings [replacing with standard fittings], chrome bathroom items [loo roll holder, shelves, towel rails, etc] two upstairs carpets, even the fire suite from front room - unless the buyers pay for them seperately). I realise that it sounds mean, but we've worked hard and paid a lot of money for what we've got - we're going to have enough to do starting a business, without having to start all over again refurbishing a new house. Our current house is enormous and what we have will fit anywhere. We have looked into this because we've never done this before, but have been assured that it's perfectly okay as long as what we are and are not selling is made clear in the details. We were also told that a buyer pays for extra items directly to us - not in with their mortgage.

cupcakes · 29/12/2004 17:54

joashiningstar - I don't think you're being mean at all. If I was viewing a home I would expect all the things you've listed to go with the seller. That's what those fixtures and fittings lists are for.
When we sold our last house we left quite a few things which we had agreed a price on. The solicitor was supposed to sort out the payment but didn't and we had to contact the buyers after the sale to ask for the cheque...

KBear · 29/12/2004 17:56

When I sold my house I sold the washing machine, dishwasher and fridge to the new people and they gave me a cheque for £400 the week before we moved so it would clear and I suppose they trusted us to actually leave the goods and that they would work! Didn't occur to either of us to write it into the contract!

We also stored tons of their stuff in our garage for about two months as they moved out of their house before they could move into ours.

jingleoooggs · 29/12/2004 20:20

Sorry to hijack but joashiningstar whereabouts in Cornwall are you moving to?? It would be great to have some more company down 'ere

JudgeFlounce · 29/12/2004 20:22

Message deleted

Original poster
hopefulmover · 30/12/2004 05:11

it was too close to exchange to fuss amending contracts. Kbear I'd guess you aren't in London, our buyers are Londoners purchasing a holiday home. We'd planned to leave a fire laid and milk in the fridge if they were arriving that day. As is it I'll remove the grate (not stated to be included in the F&F list) and the fridge will be clean but empty.

We don't actually want to take them with us. We've got a fitted kitchen in the house we are moving to.

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tigermoth · 30/12/2004 08:38

hello hopefulmover

Is there time to get the items serviced or checked over by a professional (assuming this would not cost too much), and then insisting the buyers pay for them immediately they take posession of them?

Alternatively, can you invite your buyers round to your house so they can closely examine the items or see them in action?

KBear · 30/12/2004 09:55

hopefulmover - I am in London - SE. Some of us are nice here!

joashiningstar · 31/12/2004 00:01

jingleoooggs ... sorry I didn't reply yesterday, we had friends round.

Anyway, eventually we would prefer North Cornwall, around Bude. In reality, because I've applied to do a Social Work degree based at Camborne College, we'll be as close to Camborne as possible for at least the first three years. Where are you?

jingleoooggs · 31/12/2004 17:07

I'm in Saltash. Just in Cornwall. But nevertheless we are here. Love Bude and the canal. Don't know much about Camborne. Our house is on the market at the moment but we are staying in the town. Just need somewhere bigger.
Good Luck with your move and hope you find what you want, where you want it. Oh and of course at the right price

Angeliz · 31/12/2004 17:19

We rang and met up with the seller when we bought this house.
They left lots of GOOD curtains, (not my style but great quality and i knew that i wouldn't get round to it at once........infact some are still up ).
Anyway, we asked what they wanted and they said "oh a hundred quid", can you ring them?

Original poster
hopefulmover · 01/01/2005 05:49

tigermoth they are too far away to come round easily and if I had someone check them over it wouldn't be worth it - I haven't asked for much money for them! I'd do better to take them with me, store them in the garage and sell them to someone local. Having offered to sell them though we'll have to stick to it. They are, I believe, planning to be here on the day of the move so it would have been easy enough to switch them on and hand over cash. As it is they get directions on how to operate the Rayburn but they won't be shown how to do it - very much easier than trying to explain in writing.

If you ever make that move to Devon don't behave like our buyers!

Kbear I used to live in London once - but generally I find Londoners more suspicious and distrustful than the people here. If you know news of any dishonesty will be all around the surrounding country you have a big incentive to be honest.

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Original poster
hopefulmover · 01/01/2005 05:53

Angeliz I did phone them once and e-mailed a list of items we were willing to sell but they prefer to talk to the agent. I suspect the wife has just phoned up about the 2 single beds we offered to sell, but without giving a name.

Tigermoth - sorry, its too early in the morning, I know you would never be such a pain.

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tigermoth · 01/01/2005 09:37

So the buyers are coming round on the day of your move? that sounds really stressful - I'd have hated our buyers seeing the chaos we were in when we left our old house. Still, you're probably much more organised than we were. Grasping at straws here, but on the day, could you spare the time to show them the stuff is basically working? also let them examine the things for marks, dents, scratches etc. Give them a checklist so, in your presence, they can tick things off as being satisfactory as they go (the sort of thing you do when you hire a car). And then get them to sign it, along with an agreement to pay you within x number of days. At least that narrows down the possibilities of them saying something was damaged/not working later on. This sort of thoroughness might deter them from inventing a complaint and excuse not to pay you, if that's what they had in mind.

I hope your new neighbours correspond to your theory that country people, in general, are less dishonest. We once acquired furniture and a washing machine off a London buyer many years ago, but it was agreed they included it in their selling price, rather than us bargaining them down by £1000, so no actual money exchanged hands.

Happy new year, by the way!

Original poster
hopefulmover · 02/01/2005 05:32

Happy New Year, tigermoth. The new neighbours seem nicer than our current ones, despite being in a small town Country people generally seem more honest but they can have other disadvantages (like being narrow minded) and there are always exceptions

I don't know when the buyers are getting here - I sort of assume they will have the sense to stay out of the way until we've left.

Angeliz no need to be embarrassed at keeping your vendor's curtains - we still have one garden tool that got left behind two houses ago. I'd never have thought of buying one but its proved its value.

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Original poster
hopefulmover · 05/01/2005 07:02

the light has now stopped working on the fridge so we've given them the opportunity to cancel the agreement - not surprisingly (given the amount we've asked for) they've decided they don't want to do so.

However in a moment of anger earlier on I told the agent I'd take the fire grate if they were going to be such a pain since it wasn't explicity mentioned on the fitting list. They are now apparently unhappy about that - would you expect to get one? We don't actually want it so we're planning to leave it behind but I don't think I'll tell them that yet in case there are further problems. They've already suggested that we might damage the floorboards if we take up the carpets they weren't prepared to pay for.

Ever regretted agreeing to a sale?

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Original poster
hopefulmover · 05/01/2005 07:05

joashingingstar Making things clear in the contract may not help if you have buyers like ours. They were told carpets weren't included, they didn't want to pay £300 for them (not exactly a vast sum of money but based on the value to us) but are now trying to ensure we don't remove them.

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tigermoth · 05/01/2005 07:16

So carpets are not included in the sale. Your buyers have specifically refused to buy them. Surely that's a tacit agreement that you take the carpets, then? I assume it you've got something in writing about what is and is not included. If the floorboards are damaged when you remove the carpets, who's to say the damage was actually caused by the carpet removal, anyway?

Original poster
hopefulmover · 05/01/2005 12:37

tigermoth we have a contract with a list of furniture and fittings and a tick against the box for not included. Doesn't seem to matter and our estate agent is trying to persuade us to do whatever they ask. I have just reminded the agent they are supposed to work for me

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Pamina3 · 05/01/2005 12:39

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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