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Original poster

Vendor taking everything from house - normal?

33 replies

AngryFeet · 25/01/2013 19:21

I have just received paperwork from our solicitors including the fixtures and fittings list on the house we are in the process of buying. The vendor is taking all carpets, light fittings, gas fires and surrounds. Is this normal? We are not too bothered as it needs complete redecoration so we planned to take the house back to brickwork and replaster before we move in (luckily we have somewhere to stay) so we can put in cables etc and avoid all the dust this entails. We were not planning to remove the carpets straight away due to funds but apparently the ground floor has parquet floors through so we can live with that. Upstairs would be just floorboards (presumably he has to remove the underlay if taking carpets?). It will save us the bother of removing and disposing of the carpets but might be difficult if the floorboards are in bad condition (splinters etc). We are first time buyers so not really sure what to do regarding this? Is it unusual?

OP posts:
ISeeSmallPeople · 25/01/2013 19:35

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lalalonglegs · 25/01/2013 19:36

It is normal if your twat. I have no idea why people do this, it is far more costly in terms of time and nuisance removing all these worthless pieces of junk fixtures and just seems very petty. I suspect they want you to pay extra for them but don't offer to and I bet the estate agent comes back and says that you can have some of them. If they are taking things such as gas fires, light fittings etc, they do have to leave the rooms safe (ie: Gas Safe engineer removes fires, electrician puts in replacement fittings, they can't just leave bits of wire and pipe dangling).

ISeeSmallPeople · 25/01/2013 19:36

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lalalonglegs · 25/01/2013 19:36

sorry, should read if you are a twat.

SpringHeeledJack · 25/01/2013 19:39

god, wish our vendors had done this

getting rid of carpets is a PITA

not least because you have to get all the shit and boxes you've dumped furniture off it first

we're stuck with a rather dreffle 80s patterny number in the living room after a year

MisForMumNotMaid · 25/01/2013 19:41

It is unusual, but not unheard of, to take anything that is bolted down like. The fireplaces.

You can get your solicitor to write into the contract a minimum fitting to be left after each removal for example if they are removing a light they replace with a ceiling rose/ bulb holder don't just leave you with bare exposed wires. Any gas appliances that are removed need to have valves shut off and end caps over the exposed pipe.

For electrics its good, especially at this dark time of year, to have even crude lighting in each room to aid your renovation.

mirry2 · 25/01/2013 19:46

Our sellers dug up plants and shrubs from the garden (leaving big holes in the ground) and changed the dimmer switches to ordinary light switches. We didn't know they were going to do this until we moved in.

GrendelsMum · 25/01/2013 19:48

Presumably the sellers know that you're going to do a complete renovation? In which case I think it sounds rather helpful - you have no idea how much room all this stuff will take up in a skip!

Original poster
AngryFeet · 25/01/2013 19:55

No they are not aware that we are renovating grendelsmum. I have made a list of everyones points here to ask solicitor. He also says trees/plants/shrubs are not included so i will find out what he intends to remove there.

There is a death cert in with the papers as his wife died 18 months ago. Just noticed her place of death was in the house. Hmm not really bothered by that - luckily i dont believe in ghosts! Would anyone else be put off by that?

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ISeeSmallPeople · 25/01/2013 19:57

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specialsubject · 25/01/2013 19:59

no grown adult should be bothered by the fact that someone died in the house at some point.

Original poster
AngryFeet · 25/01/2013 20:00

Ha ha! No she died of a heart attack by the look of it. God knows why he wants to take the carpets. The whole house looks like it hasn't been decorated since the 70's. He is a bit odd to be fair.

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Original poster
AngryFeet · 25/01/2013 20:01

No I thought not specialsubject. I bet some are though.

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GrendelsMum · 25/01/2013 20:05

I wondered whether he had grown up children who have tactfully suggested that maybe he might take away his favourite carpets and curtains when he moves because someone else might not appreciate it?

tigerdriverII · 25/01/2013 20:05

My pals sold a house and fell out with the buyers so they took the velux windows with them. They are builders so they did reuse them. Buyers not happy as you can imagine.

Narked · 25/01/2013 20:05

A death there isn't an issue. Make sure you find out exactly what you'll be left with and get it in writing.

bran · 25/01/2013 20:07

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Sparklingbrook · 25/01/2013 20:10

We had this. Sad The lady that sold us this house was a bit odd. We weren't entirely sure she would actually move out TBH. Was very shaky from the start.

I wrote a letter to the Estate Agents asking what she wanted for the fixtures and fittings, and as we had to go into rented accomodation when she would be moving.

No response from her, and we didn't want to rattle her cage and her back out so left it.

So on moving day, DH arrived (I was working) she was still in the house. She threw the letter at him and went a bit bonkers about what I had written. (Letter wasn't for her-it was addressed to EA) Then told him she had employed an electrician to take out every light fitting and the fire, and take them to the tip. Also the shed was dismantled and dumped. Loads of holes in the garden borders too. Sad

Happy Moving in. Sad

ivykaty44 · 25/01/2013 20:11

Make sure that you point out

you want the underlay taken away
you want the gas pipes and electrics left in a safe condition
The fireplaces will need to be left in a decent condition and although you will except plaster damage brick damage is not ok

The floor boards upstairs - you can hire a sander for a weekend and sand down the floor boards very quickly, which will then save you a bit of money until you can afford carpets of your choosing

MrsReiver · 25/01/2013 20:13

getting rid of carpets is a PITA

Slightly OT but our recycling depot takes them - they're used to make indoor training surfaces for racehorses [bshock]

GettingObsessive · 25/01/2013 20:31

They need to make good whatever they take out, so no bare wires, holes filled, pipes capped off etc.

Agree that they might be fishing for an offer for the carpets and curtains.

Original poster
AngryFeet · 25/01/2013 20:35

Ha they'd be lucky Getting Grin

God I never would have thought to say they need to leave them in a safe condition and all the other things people are suggesting here. Tis scary being a ftb. What else might we get wrong?

Thank god for MN!

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Mum2Fergus · 25/01/2013 20:49

Im a FTB too, Sols willing, I get keys in 3 weeks. The woman who owned it last passed away too, it was her daughter who did the viewing...she cried pretty much the whole time...bless. Our only condition was that she wanted a rather ornate curtain pole!

MisForMumNotMaid · 25/01/2013 20:51

You could ask for a clear house clause. I think from most contracts i've seen they're pretty standard but sometimes they stand out more and the consequences are clearer. I.e. if they leave two skip loads of stuff not listed as being left (like the carpets they've said they're taking) they have to pay reasonable removal costs.

Rhubarbgarden · 25/01/2013 20:57

They could just be covering themselves; saying they are taking the lot so that they don't have to make any decisions straight away and can change their minds if they choose to. You might move in and find it all still in place.

Then again, some vendors can be quite surprising - ours took the pond. Not just the fish, not just the plants; I'm talking plastic liner and the lot. All that remained was a big hole in the ground.