Ok, so the vendors are taking pretty much everything with them...what next?!

[Sarahlouboo]

Three weeks before the agreed completion date, after chasing the vendors for the fixtures and fittings, they decided to exclude pretty much everything including the integrated appliances (which were advertised in the brochure), fitted carpets and fireplace and surround. I know they are completely in their rights to do this (well I didn't but I do now ) but it came as a shock and, obviously, an unwelcome additional expense at a time when money is already tight. To add insult to injury they are dragging their heels and taking ages to respond to any communication. They have made it clear that they will take everything out if we don't agree to pay for it. They are unlikely to have any need for the fitted carpets etc. as they are emigrating to Canada but we have offered them an amount and we are waiting to hear back. I am not hopeful that they will accept our offer as it substantially below what they were asking but it is all we can afford. In which case we are going to proceed with the sale but just replace everything as new. Better we think than having to pay for 4 year old appliances (they want £200 for a 4 year old fridge freezer!). So...has this happened to anyone else? Did the vendors follow through with their threats? Do you think it is a good idea to ask for a pre-completion inspection? I am dreading what we will be walking into. Bare floors in January with children is not what I was hoping to achieve when we set out to buy this house!!

I do think that house buying manoeuvres like this are lower than a smokes bollocks.

Don't let them ratchet the whole debate to panic stations OP, which is so easy because it's an emotional as well as financial commitment.

This thread should be making you think "hold on a second, no I'm not going to be pushed around anymore". If you want to buy the stuff, tell the EA this is the offer, no more or we are pulling out.

Although I'm with the PP rand saying fuck that! I'd get new and good luck with your stair carpet and integrated fridge in Canada.

To remove carpets they would have to go to A LOT of effort to take them up and dispose of them.

I did once see this kind of vendor (trying to milk the buyer) who poured bleach over all carpets on the day of completion because buyer refused to pay extra.

Good luck OP, in 12 months you'll look back and hardly remember this minor hiccup

Make sure you stipulate they will leave the property clean and with no rubbish etc. You don't want them to rip out the carpets and leave them in the garden. They sound like arseholes. Don't take it personally.

The way I read the situation is that the vendors went to the estate agent and put their property on the market. They made a contract with the estate agent who agreed to market and sell their property. You made an offer through the same estate agent (which the vendor accepted with certain stipulations about dates for exchanging contracts) and they, the vendors, accepted that. Your offer was made based on a viewing of the property and the details contained in the brochure. Irrespective of the disclaimer on the website saying that the brochure is a guide, the guide is supposed to be accurate. I'd be getting back on to the Estate Agent and asking them why they hadn't confirmed things with their clients before listing them in the brochures. Also, as far as I know (though it might be different in the UK to Ireland) anything that is screwed down and secured to the property must be included in the sale of the property and this includes 'integrated appliances' as they are different from free-standing appliances.

I'd get back onto my solicitor (if I were you) and say that you are willing (though not really but the vendors don't need to know that) to walk away from the whole deal if they start messing you around. You've waited since August to conclude the deal based on their requests and now it's your turn to play hardball with them.

Best of luck to you!

Our vendors tried this and they were also emigrating to New Zealand. The fuckers tried to charge us thousands for fixtures and fittings even down to their skanky watering can in the garden. We said no and gave them a couple of hundred for the blinds and a fridge.

Unbelievably, they gave the rest of it away rather than leave it in the house. Though they did leave a load of rubbish and some leftover alcohol while trying to claim they were doing us a favour. AND we'd paid asking price AND accommodated their bonkers demands and delays throughout the process. People can be utter cunts.

When we bought from an awkward bugger we insisted on inspecting the property before the money was released.

They are being arses but I think you can call their bluff

I'm sure they can't expect to charge you more for the fireplace surround. That is bonkers!

Sitting here and over the £5 compost heap!

Suggest to the EA that you want them to negotiate a reduction in price based on the fact that the vendors are now removing a number of fixtures and fittings that you understood were included in the sale.

That should get the wind up everyone and focus their minds!

I think you are in a good position to tell them that if they don't accept your offer you will withdraw. They sound keen to move to Canada very soon and will probably not want to go back to market and start all over again.

On the other hand, as others have warned, you don't want them trashing the place.

Our vendors did similar - accepted an offer below asking price then later on demanded extra for carpets and sheds! We agreed in the end re the carpets, by the time we said yes re the sheds (which had been listed in the brochure) it turned out they had already been removed and given away. Unexpectedly, on the day, we discovered they had removed two ponds, that we really liked, and hadn't even filled in the holes. Bizarrely, they left us some chocolates and a nice bottle of fizz.

Our buyers, on the other hand, wanted us to leave all our white goods, at no extra cost - which we did in the end (they weren't very new)

Fuck that. Can you pull out?

This happened to my parents. Saw a bungalow they loved but when the F&F list came back the vendors were stripping the place bare. Curtain poles, garden plants, shed. Even pulling out a fire place and leaving (I assume) a massive hole in the wall.

They said thanks, but no thanks (found the bungalow they now own in the same week). Vendors changed their minds and said they'd leave everything - although you could guarantee that they'd still take it all and my parents would turn up to a bare house.

That place sat on Rightmove for another year with the price dropping down £5K every few months. Did sell eventually but for a lot less than the offer my parents made.

The vendors lost out on about £30K. But at least they got to keep their precious curtain poles.

be careful with this, they may just rip everything out and throw it in a skip out of spite.

I would really beware with sellers like this, and possibly pull out. Actually, I would.

I would offer a reasonable (token) amount for fixtures and fittings, and if they don't accept I'd pull out of the sale altogether.

Start looking for a back-up house, and make sure your agent knows you are (I am sure he will communicate this to the vendors!)

I would not trust these people now...

also, remember, if there si just the one estate agent, he is acting for the VENDORS, not the buyers (you).

Remember that! he may try to seem reasonable ...and then lie.

It sounds dodgy as fuck, you are being taken for a ride.

I'd simply call their bluff. Don't offer them anything, and wait and see if they can be bothered to take the stuff.

It may not work anyway - we found that most things here weren't any good, once we had got the keys - the entire bathroom and kitchen for example, had to come out as it was so poorly fitted, or in some instances not fitted at all (bath was standing on two joists and not attached to the wall, taps moved round in circles when you turned them on, etc.)

The guy did similar to yours in terms of saying the shed would be left behind, when we met him, and then months later demanding £200 for it (broken doors and all) so we said that we would not be interested in buying it and if he wanted to take it with him, that was fine...guess what, he didn't - but he said we could 'have it' in return for his not bothering to repair the broken fence.

Some people are all about the money. But usually too lazy to bother to remove things when push comes to shove.

I wouldn't buy any of their things tbh, just put the money towards new stuff you've chosen and know the history of. Cheeky sods.

had similar with vendors of our hosue (except that they had ALREADY emigrated). House had been rented for 7 years and empty for 6-7 months so was pretty tired and jaded. But nice house under it all.

They wanted us to buy their "bespoke" curtains and blinds and old crummy white goods, "art deco" mirror" and all sorts of guff. I called their bluff and said I'd give them £100 for the fridge (old but awkward size) and that they could leave whatever else they wanted but I wasn't paying for it. Funnily enough they left the washing machine/tumble drier and dishwasher in the end! They did rip out the curtains and curtain poles (leaving massive holes in the wall ) but the dishwasher and tumble got us through the first 18 months!

I'd be tempted to pull out. If you do continue with the sale , do so with your eyes open and expect the worst. Insist on checking the condition of the house again before exchanging contracts (their could be outstanding repairs that you didn't see in August). Expect them to wilfully damage anything they leave then disappear abroad in the knowledge that they won't be brought to task.

So- walk away now / renegotiate the sale price (including a reduction for further damage they'll inflict) / accept that they will do their worst and try not to cry on moving in day.

And I agree the business of the "mistake with the brochure" is a red herring. The vendor would have seen a draft before it was authorised. This was not an honest mistake.

If you think they are emigrating at the end of the month why hasn't exchange happened yet? Usually there is at least a 3 week gap between exchange and completion. This is your more worrying issue IMHO. Is there a long chain? Have they actually signed their contract? You need to get to the bottom of the timing. But I agree with others who say they won't ACTUALLY remove stuff (probably) as it is too much hassle especially when they are going abroad

Our vendors took everything that wan't pinned down. They did leave light bulbs but took curtain hooks and then had the audacity to bring them back ten days later as they were of no use to them.

Nowt so queer as folk.

We brought a house described as having a drive but there was no dropped kerb. We asked the estate agents to pay to put one in (after we had moved in) and they did.

I think you should go back to the estate agent and point out that property is not as advertised. They cannot just say the brochure is for guidance only, that is nonsense.

This is from the Property Ombudsan Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents

Published Material and Information about a Property
5h You must by law comply with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 require you to disclose any information of which you are aware in relation to the property in a clear, intelligible and timely fashion. The Property Misdescriptions Act 1991 requires you to take all reasonable steps to ensure that, all
statements that you make about a property, whether oral, pictorial or written, are accurate and are not misleading and where information is given to potential buyers or their representatives, it is accurate and not misleading. Answers to questions about the property must be truthful and not misleading.

5i The written details of a property (sales particulars) must be agreed with the seller to confirm that the details are accurate.

www.tpos.co.uk/downloads/TPOE27-1%20Code%20of%20Practice%20for%20Residential%20Estate%20Agents%20%28Effective%20from%201%20August%202011%29.PDF

Davejudgement. I think I can go one better with regards to the light bulbs being taken. We bought a house years ago, we paid a bit extra for the carpets, curtains and light fittings. Then on the day we moved in we realised they had taken all bar 1 light bulb.

3 days later the previous owners knocked on the door. They told us how kind they had been to not have left us without light and could they have their bulb back. Knowing where they moved to, that bulb must have cost them a couple of gallons of petrol.

I told them my dh was out and if they would like to return another time he would be able to help them.

Guess what they drove another 80 miles to get that bulb back.

Never could get over that they had driven 160miles just for a bulb.

I would pull out.

I would go with Mintyy's suggestion of saying you want a reduced price as house isn't as advertised.

Some of these stories are gob smacking.

There would be a case for you saying that your original offer was to - naturally - include all the things on the sales brochure, and reduce your offer accordingly.

How much do you want the house? You could call their bluff and threaten to pull out if you don't think they'll take the risk bearing in mind they're emigrating. But it is a risk.