Making good damage when selling a house

[Sinkingfeeling]

We are selling our house and accepted an offer some time ago. Our solicitor has sent through a fairly long list of queries from our buyer's solicitor about various things, including asking us to confirm that we will leave the property in a clean and tidy condition and 'make good any damage caused by the removal of items'. What does this actually mean? If we remove, for example, curtain rails and pictures and leave behind small holes in the wall, are we supposed to fill them and paint over them? Can't really see how we'd have time to do this, tbh. Should we be asking the same of the owner of the house we're buying? We're not too bothered though as it's a renovation project. What are the consequences if we don't 'make good the damage'?

If we remove, for example, curtain rails and pictures and leave behind small holes in the wall, are we supposed to fill them and paint over them?

Yes - polyfiller and paint

My dd moved into a flat last year and the previous owners left live wires hanging form every single light in the ceiling - they had a light in the bathrooms and spot lights in the kitchen they left. But the rest they took and left not only in a unsightly manner but actually bloody dangerous.

It is not fair to leave a house you have sold in a state and the new owners can seek damages - my dd did and has got the cost of the elecy to come out which was around 100 pounds - the people quibbled but the solicitor sent them a snooty letter

Are you removing curtain rails?

Currently in our third house, think each one so far has had gaping holes where something has been removed.

Recently moved a large bookcase to find big holes in the wall where the previous owners had had furniture attached ; had forgotten about that after 5 years here.

Well, we're taking two forged iron curtain poles which will fit in our new house. The other curtain poles were made to fit box bay windows in our current house and we'll leave those. I guess we could replace the poles we're taking with standard curtain tracks. We certainly have no intention of leaving the house in a dangerous state and wouldn't dream of leaving live wires dangling from a ceiling. I can't really imagine what other 'damage' our buyer's solicitor can be thinking of

There probably won't be any come back if you are just leaving small holes from pictures etc as it would cost far more for the solicitor to follow it up than for a tub of pollyfiller. But yes it means fill holes, if you are taking a chandelier replace it with a standard light flex etc.

WRT the curtain poles you are taking, check the fixtures list, if thay are listed as to be left then you need to leave them, if not just fill the holes.

If you damage anything when you move, you agree to repair/replace it. e.g if you knock the banister off when you move the wardrobes out, that kind of thing.

To be honest unless the buyers are incredibly picky they aren't going to be bothered by a few screw holes, this clause is mainly to avoid situations like ivykaty's DD was left with.

Thanks, Oreo, that makes sense. We did say we wouldn't be leaving those two curtain poles on the fixtures and fitting list. Better go and buy some pollyfilla then!

Just remember if you piss off the people moving into your house it can bite you on the bum at a later date, mail going missing as the Post office are pretty crap at mail redirection and if you piss off the new owners enough they will find it very hard to put mail in the post box and it will not doubt end up in the bin....

I had a request through my Solicitor when selling to remove the fridge, which I was more than happy to do but it would have meant them having no door on their cupboard as it was intergrated and my Solicitor advised me not to remove as that would cause damage which I would have to repair.

I think this is a standard clause not something your buyers have requested personally, I wouldn't worry to much, it is just to prevent people taking things they shouldn't and causing damage like removing fixtures rather than chattels.

I spent ages removing picture hooks, filling holes and re-painting when I sold my house because of that particular query. Moved into my new house and found that not a single hole had been filled - there were great big fecking nails all over the place despite the vendor being under the same obligation to "make good" as I was. I was mildly annoyed but am just about over it 3 years later