When moving house, what condition do you leave your house in?

[Zeeky]

As clean as possible obviously. But was wondering about other things e.g. should i try and give the lawn a last mow before we leave and cut back all the dead/dying plants from summer? We are taking some shelves, wine rack etc and there will be lots of picture hooks everywhere - do we remove them all and fill the holes and paint over (seems like a lot of work )?

A friend of mine moved house recently, the previous owners left the place filthy and still with a loft full of crap. I wouldn't worry too much about picture hooks!

we do. all dead leaves gone, picture holes filled and patch painted, grass mown, window sills wiped down and windows cleaned inside and out.

but i suspect we've been brainwashed by the military, where if you don't do those things, they bill you for them.

(oh, and all the carpets professionally deep cleaned because we have pets. )

I would clean - not professional level of clean but normal clean. I would fill any big holes in the walls (eg from removal of shelves) and paint over if I had the paint but I wouldn't go out and buy paint to do it with. I would leave picture hooks.

however the above is just what I would do. Most house sale contracts these days have an obligation to make good any damage caused when you remove items from the home. (this is a clause found on the standard fixtures & fittings list which forms part of the contract of sale). So in theory you are required to not only fill but also paint over any holes.

I wouldn't bother with the garden I must admit!

ours didn't leave it clean, fill in any holes in the walls and they ripped out fitted cuboards leaving exposed brickwork!! like oldlady said, i wouldnt worry too much about the picture hooks! i bet we have a loftfull of crap too ive not been up there to check.
if you can do the garden then great but if not wouldnt worry too much i bet a lot of people dont. ours wasnt done either & they left a lot of crap in the sheds and down the bottom of the garden too.. including an old toilet?!
we should probably check our contract if thats the case minipie! but cant be bothered chasing them for anything as we have just done the work ourselves already and happy with the house
op if you leave it clean im sure itll be fine

I clean (well, dust and hoover once the removal men have got everything out). Didn't bother filling in any holes or remove picture hooks, in fact they had been there from the previous owner and we made good use of them.

madwomanintheattic hee hee hee, it's a hard habit to get out of is it not?

Madwoman - the two times I've sold and moved, I've still done it to handover spec. It's not just a habit, it's a matter of pride.

I always clean, but leave the garden tidy but don't worry too much! Depending on what time of year you move, most new owners make their mark in the garden pretty sharpish - as it what the new neighbours see! :-)

it's really disappointing when you move into your new house and can't complain about the jam on the kitchen shelves though.