Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Charging for items left when you sell house?

39 replies

CoffeeMum · 04/04/2011 10:40

What's the general rule of thumb here? If you're leaving things in your house, such as blinds, curtains, washing machine etc, do you charge for them, and if so how much for? Is that considered a bit tight?

We have quite a few sets of shelves that are fitted to nooks and alcoves in our house that we obviously won't be able to fit into our new house, but they are a really nice thing for the buyers to have, so i'm inclined to make a charge. Would this be okay do you think?

Would be interested to hear what others have done in this situation, thank you!

OP posts:

lalalonglegs · 04/04/2011 10:48

I think it's a bit chiselling if you can't reuse them yourself. To be honest, I would consider shelves a fixture so removing them, especially if they are specified in the sales details, would be a bit dodgy.

The general rule of thumb seems to be that buyer agrees a price slightly higher than initial offer but specifies they want to include white goods/curtains/whatever.

DuplicitousBitch · 04/04/2011 10:50

i think it is a bit tight arsed myself.

ChristinedePizan · 04/04/2011 10:50

I wouldn't charge for fitted shelves - especially if you can't use them in your new place. I would only pay/charge for freestanding stuff. TBH it's going to be more hassle for you to take them off the walls and make good the holes rather than just leave them in situ.

thaigreencurry · 04/04/2011 10:51

I would expect shelves to be included as part of the fixtures and fittings. You wouldn't remove fitted wardrobes or kitchen units.

LawrieMarlow · 04/04/2011 10:53

When we bought our house the owners charged us for a large kitchen table which they couldn't take with them. We were happy to pay. We intended to charge the people for it when we moved but somehow DH agreed that the chairs and table were included in the sale .

Wouldn't charge for shelves tbh. Not sure about white goods - if integrated then they are included. We freecycled ours as moved to somewhere with integrated ones and didn't feel like leaving them behind.

VivaLeBeaver · 04/04/2011 10:53

I don't think you can charge for shelves - if you take them down you have to fill in the holes and match the paint up. Or you can be sued for having the room decorated.

I think its tight to charge for curtains/blinds.

You could offer the washing machine at normal 2nd hand value. We left ours free of charge for the lad who bought my last house but it was on its last legs.

Original poster

CoffeeMum · 04/04/2011 10:55

haha, well i agree with you lot...but DH is up for charging. He reckons that we've spent the time and money on making fitted shelving that works really well in the house, and why should the buyers waltz in and get it all for nothing? I sort of see his point - and he also argues that we did drop the price of the house quite alot for these buyers, so they'd be taking the mick to get extras for free. I'm more in the 'we don't need them, let's just leave 'em' camp.

thanks for the opinions everyone

OP posts:

nocake · 04/04/2011 12:01

So your DH will take the shelves down, throw them away and repair the holes left in the wall if the buyers refuse to pay for them? That's sensible

SoupDragon · 04/04/2011 12:04

Shelves such as you describe can't be charged for real (IMO). Blinds, curtains and washing machine type stuff I would list on that sheet you have to fill in with a price if you want to sell them.

coccyx · 04/04/2011 12:05

you dropped price of house because it did not sell at higher price surely.
If i was the buyer i would say take them with you and make good the mess you make!

purepurple · 04/04/2011 12:06

It'sa bit tight to charge for things like that. If you don't want them ten just leave them. If they are attached to the wall then they are classed as fixtures and fittings. The contents list should detail what you intend to leave.
We left all curtains/blinds/curtain poles/carpets/doorbell/light fittings when we moved. We even left 2 free-standing double wardrobes because they wouldn't fit down the stairs without taking them apart.

EldonAve · 04/04/2011 12:09

I would say the same as coccyx

wannaBe · 04/04/2011 12:14

the people who lived here before us took the custom-made blinds from the lounge with them. each window is a slightly different size; there's no way those blinds would have fitted anywhere else.

We're moving soon - and can i be arsed to take the blinds with me? I think not.

mollymole · 04/04/2011 13:27

will the arse you are married to make good the mess when he takes the shelves out - you sound really mean, especially as you have no use for them yourselves - people have lost sales over such petty matters

ninedragons · 04/04/2011 13:54

I wouldn't take them. It looks really mean.

If I were the buyer, I would expect to find them intact, and if they weren't I would forever after bin your post rather than forward it dutifully.

maggiethecat · 04/04/2011 13:56

Sounds like the lightbulbs may be going next.

The others are right - attached shelves are fixtures - I'd sue you if you they were a feature I was keen on when I looked at your home and, being fixtures, you removed them.

bigTillyMint · 04/04/2011 13:57

Tell him to not be such a tightarse - if you don't want them, just leave them.

Of course, the buyers may not share your taste and rip 'em out anyway

mrsravelstein · 04/04/2011 13:57

i've just done a fixtures and fittings list for my house sale and it made it very clear that anything fixed to the wall has to stay, so the shelves are definitely not something you can charge for.

ragged · 04/04/2011 13:57

I thought you could charge for fixtures, there's a special name for it, it's exempt from Stamp Duty, iirc, and sometimes used to reduce the Stamp Duty liability below a certain threshold. Requires a separate contract of sale.
You need to talk to your soliciter about the options.

noddyholder · 04/04/2011 13:59

I usually sell curtains and blinds and any freestanding kitchen appliances.

NessyBay · 04/04/2011 14:01

Details normally state 'including carpets & curtains'..i.f not you can take, but I wouldn't ask for someone to pay for them if you are not going to use anyway.

We inherited two massive sofas because our vendors didn't need them, they asked us if we wanted them and they left them. Saved them the removal faff.

Original poster

CoffeeMum · 04/04/2011 14:06

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have had my own opinions confirmed - i don't think it's on to take the fixtures and fittings, and i think it's a bit tight to do so, but I am happy to have had it confirmed here that this is the general consensus. I didn't want to be the mug who was giving away stuff for free if everyone else was making money My DH has never moved before - i have - so he genuinely doesn't know what the form is.

mollymole, I think you've been a bit personal here TBH. If you knew my DH at all, you would never in a million years think he was an arse. Trust me. He is the finest person I have had the good fortune to ever meet. Lucky me

coccyx and Eldon Ave - we did accept a lower price as we have a strict deadline for selling, we HAVE to move by a certain date. The buyers got a bargain frankly - DH was just a bit that they'd be getting lots of 'extras' too. However, i shall put him right this evening that these are not 'extras' after all!

Oh and we would never have dreamt of taking the shelves out and binning them or something! As if! No more than i would think of taking the lightbulbs. Christ, everyone - chill out!! But thanks for the constructive parts of your replies - much appreciated

OP posts:

PatriciaHolm · 04/04/2011 14:09

You can attempt to charge for whatever you like, as long as it's in the contract. However, if they refuse to pay and you decide to remove a fixture (like these shelves) then you have to make good the damage made - so fill in holes, paint over. It's likely to be more hassle than it's worth.

I expect you've done a bunch of things to the house - painting etc - which the buyers will get the benefit of. They've chosen to buy your house based, at least in part, on these. You've dropped your price to sell, that's what your house is worth; it may feel that you're giving them a bargain, but it's a fair market price in this market. They are paying for these things, in the price they are buying your house for.

And the tax dodge of having fixtures and fittings paid for separately is pretty much closed down now; the taxman will take a close look at any such deals these days, and you have to be able to prove the F&F are worth what you are charging.

crystalglasses · 04/04/2011 14:14

Our vendors took the fitted carpets. We wanted them included in the price but they refused and and wanted to sell them to us as an extra at an exorbitant price. They also replaced the light fittings and light switches for cheaper ones and dug up some of the shrubs in the garden, leaving large holes.

We could have made a fuss about it all but didn't.

Original poster

CoffeeMum · 04/04/2011 14:14

Thanks Patricia. As i said, it would never come to taking out the shelves and making the walls good! I know I will be able to show DH that the right thing to do is to leave the fixtures and fittings that we won't need anyway. He just literally doesn't know people do in this situation - and some of the replies above indicate that it's not unheard of for people to charge for F&F.

I accept your point about us getting a fair price for the flat given the state of the market - but if the buyers assumed they were definitely getting all the F&F, why have they even asked us what we were leaving?? As far as they know, we could be taking the lot - so they're not bargaining on having it all at all are they?

OP posts:

Flip

1 2