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!!

Blimey, Beinghere... that has to take the biscuit!

Years ago, when we bought our first home together, the vendors suddenly wanted £250 for the burglar alarm, which was in the selling brochure. We refused, as we weren't bothered about an alarm anyway. Just as well, as when we moved in, we found they had removed the sensors off all the windows, leaving the bare wires hanging out! That must have taken them some time...

Why are people so nasty! I mean what do they gain by it!? Our vendors were pains in the neck but left the house in a good state, labelled keys, note explaining the alarm etc, their contact details if we had any problems and a bottle of wine!

I backed out of the front door hoovering in the house we left and also left wine, flowers and list of the house's quirks.

Is that not normal behaviour!?

I agree with those saying pull out if you can manage it OP but I do have form for cutting my nose off to irritate my face.

WhatchaMaCalllit fab name. It makes me think of my very English DH who now says that, grand and yoke without thinking about it

I'd be worried they don't want to move. They've not signed anything and now they are making rediculous demands. I'd be cautious and perhaps start having a little look about

have you exchanged? What was listed on the fixtures and fittings form? That forms part of the contract and cannot be changed.

brochure is irrelevant. What does the f and f form say?

and if you have a useless solicitor, raise hell. You are paying them. The solicitor's society do actually have teeth (unlike the surveyors one)

The OP said earlier that the estate agent had confirmed several times that items like the integrated appliances were included in the sale, and that the seller has been slow with responding to communication. It sounds like the f&f had been delayed by the seller and was only made available now.

We had similar - our vendor took the toilet seat!!! We had no curtains or poles and the bathroom was clear glass- had a mad dash to get some charity shop curtains and poles to make do.

I posted on here at the time and one poster who knew of a vendor which took the lawn....

It's a horrid position to be in

OP maybe you should consider that there's stuff going on that you're not aware of. If I was about to emigrate I'd want the house sale sorted asap as I'd have lots of other things to deal with. So maybe they are dodgy and deliberately chose this timing so that you'd be anxious about other options and less likely to pull out at the last momen, or maybe they aren't really sure if they'll be emigrating and are trying to buy some thinking time. Without knowing their situation and motivations you have to do what's best for you given the information you currently have. So let your solicitor know you're looking at other houses and see what that brings.

We just bought and the vendors asked us to buy all the blinds and window fittings. We politely declined, but were asked I think 3 more times. We just stated as politely as poss that we were still declining. They actually left all bar one so who knows, maybe that would happen in your case?
I'm pretty shocked at the integrated appliances though! I thought if they were listed in the brochure they came with the house??

While it is the f&f form that is significant, the brochure does give you some bargaining power, if they are decent... On a later house, the vendors tried to get us to pay some ridiculous price for the garden shed, but we said it was on the brochure, so they changed their minds. (Then tried to charge us £25 for some horrid curtains... which we didn't pay, and they left anyway!)

But that lawn story above...

It is a misrepresentation though heartisaspade even if it isn't legally binding.

OP specialsubject has asked the question I was going to ask. If you haven't exchanged yet, tell them you want to re-negotiate the purchase price in the light of stating they are removing the integrated kitchen appliances, etc.

Who the hell is your solicitor working for if they have not got straight back to the vendor's solicitor over this?

As far as I'm aware any items stated on the sales particulars or sales brochures all form part of the contract of sale. Therefore anything stated should remain. I would get onto your solicitor if I were you. I'm afraid though if they advise otherwise I'd be inclined to agree with previous posters and would refuse to pay for anything. Just tell them you'll sort your own things out. They're just trying to pull a fast one.

Fair enough heart, maybe misleading would be a more appropriate word.

Bloody dishonest might be even more appropriate.

Can you not just pull out if the vendors are making things difficult/dont know when they are moving?

Any moment now they will tell you that the housing market has moved on since your offer, and they will remarket it to get full value, etc.

Our sellers had to pay us £2500 after completion due to the damage they caused on moving out.

They ripped out light fittings and wall lights. The damage it caused took an Electrition 3 days to fix.

They lost the keys for the two sets of patio doors and back door and only gave us one front door key. The solicitor was concerned that they would try to get back in. They had to pay for a locksmith to replace them.

The garden was advertised as being beautifully landscaped with a well established garden. They took out most of the plants, as it was a selling point we got some money back.

They were a couple of smaller things as well.

I found our old vendor on Twitter once (long story, due to various things we had doubts they really had emigrated as they'd said). She was musing that she'd quite like to pop round to 'her old house' for a visit when she was in the UK and see what we'd done with it inside.

Just

I actually struggle to think of the words I'd have to find if she ever did turn up on the doorstep. They definitely wouldn't include 'come in'.

Hi everyone, just been catching up with the thread in my lunch break. Still no news.

OK so, the F & F form, which we had been chasing for weeks, only turned up on 23rd December which was last working day before xmas for solicitors. I was already worried as the estate agents had said they were completing the form and would let us know a price for the white goods. When I queried this the estate agents said don't worry, they are included, they can't take integrated appliances with them, it must have been a slip of the tongue. Stupidly I didn't pursue this at the time. Once we got the F & F form, they had excluded everything as discussed. When we queried the appliances in particular they said that they shouldn't have been included, it was a mistake and they could get the brochure changed (!) or just agree a price. They have been super difficult and stroppy about all the other fittings, they even spat their dummy out about some freestanding furniture that we did offer them money for and said that this was no longer for sale! They didn't respond at all over the xmas period which has dragged this out for another 2 weeks (they have stopped communicating with their own estate agents weirdly). Writing this all out like this I realise I sound ridiculously naïve! Of course something dodgy is going on, why aren't they desperate to exchange if they are emigrating shortly?!

Re posters who have suggested we pull out. I would love to! I just feel bad as our buyers have been ready to move in since the beginning of December and we have made them wait as we weren't willing to try and find somewhere to live for 6 weeks. I feel some obligation to try and keep it going for them and I am absolutely dreading telling them. Completing on our house and moving into rented accommodation wouldn't be an option for us. It is all a bit of a mess.

In my last house, the vendors asked if I wanted to purchase the light fittings, which were completely hideous OTT brass chandelier things. They were asking 500 apiece, and there were 2 of them. I said no, thanks so much, but obviously just make sure you leave the lights safe and legal.

I moved in, there was the hanging cable with a light bulb on the end, fine, as expected.

Until I went into the attic and discovered the chandeliers up there. So they had presumably got an electrician over to remove them, but then left them in the house anyway

P.s. the estate agents confirmed several times that the appliances were included (why wouldn't they, they were in the brochure which the vendors had presumably signed off!) but only ever verbally so I have no written evidence. They said they have never known anything like it but they need to read some of the stories on here !

Penguindreamsofdraco !!! Could you be arsed?! If we manage to sort this all out and if they have indeed taken everything with them, I will get some small sense of satisfaction about the amount of time, effort and money it will cost them to be arseholes.

Well, I think you may have to rethink, if they are no longer communicating, and making it as difficult as possible, I would think they are about to pull out themselves. Maybe they are not emigrating after all, maybe just one of them are going, and maybe it is a messy divorce or separation, so I would personally not stick with it...