FFS! Vendors want to take cooker with them - is this normal?

[WestMeerkat]

We have just received the fixtures and fittings form and discovered the vendors are excluding the fancy double-width range cooker in the kitchen from what is included in the sale.

Is it normal practice for people to take their cookers with them when they move? I know technically it's free standing and not like a built-in oven and hob, but since it's connected to the gas supply which can only be disconnected by a qualified tradesman, it feels like it should be classed as a permanent fixture. It's not like a fridge that you can just unplug yourself and walk off with!

I am a bit shocked to be honest. The range cooker is the centrepiece of the kitchen, and the units and surfaces on either side have been built perfectly up to the edge of the range, and there is large double-width extractor hood above it. To be honest I wouldn't have chosen anything so fancy myself, but it's not like we can replace it with any old cheap cooker, it has to be something that perfectly fits the large hole that will be left behind, otherwise it will just look odd, and ruin the really rather nice kitchen.

I feel a bit robbed as we offered on this house partly on the strength of the lovely kitchen, and now it feels like its heart is being ripped out.

Is there anything we can do? If not, we are now going to have to budget to buy a fancy double width range - which I know aren't cheap! Also we are going to have to deal with the stress of trying to get a brand new range installed and fitted to the gas supply on moving day, before we can actually cook any food for ourselves! Really not what I need.

All cookers are very standard sizes. Our muppet of a previous owner is a woodwork specialist and he left a wonky gap. So we have glass surface protectors on each side, pushed to cover the gap. Means we have plenty of space to put down hot pans and dirty spoons

What did the property description say? Many we looked at had 'large kitchen with space for a range cooker' for example.

You might be a simple should but you are displaying the same behaviour. If you want to cook on that lovely thing then it is probably so nice that they do too.

It is not essential to get on on moving day either. Plenty of people manage a few weeks months without a cooker.

Having said that it sounds like a shame.

Worth chatting with them about it.

change your offer to 5k less. I bet they'll rather buy a new one then go through hastle of moving it or losing a sale.

I'd look at the original property details, if it was included there then drop your offer by the cost of the cooker. After all £5k is a big difference to the price of most houses (not sure how much you are spending).

Our vendors took their range cooker, we just asked them what size the space fitted (there are pretty standard sizes), you could ask them to sell it to you.

The annoying thing is I would never in my wildest dreams need or want a cooker with 8 burners and 4 ovens!!

So I resent having to buy one because the stupid kitchen has been designed in such a way that it would look ridiculous if you didn't have one. If it was up to me it would be a normal small hob and oven.

Oh well, I guess this is what happens when you move to a 'naice' area, where people have a lot more money to spend on stuff like this...

Definitely ask if they'll leave it for a price, but they're under no obligation to afaik. We moved recently and the cooker was listed on f&f form with a price. Tried multiple times through various channels to find out what make etc it was so we could check we weren't being ripped off, and after months of being ignored, gave up and decided to risk them leaving it for free. The wankers took it! (They obviously didn't want it as they'd been willing to leave it for a couple of hundred quid). We ordered a new one and lived on microwave/ready meals for a week or so. Wasn't ideal, but wasn't the end of the world. And tbh they left the house so filthy that I dread to think what sort of state the cooker would have been in - so ultimately I was glad to have a clean, nice, new one. You'll be ok either way, just factor the price of a new cooker in to moving costs.

Or is there any scope for slight kitchen adjustments? You could get a normal size cooker and have a small cupboard made up that matches the rest of the kitchen to fill the gap, and use it as a spice cupboard or something??

I thought you said it was a lovely kitchen, OP?

Hmm would it be bad just to buy the cheapest I can find.

JL do a beko for £700

www.johnlewis.com/beko-bdvf100k-dual-range-cooker-black/p2847384

I still can't get my head around it - 7 burners! I won't be running a restaurant!

I'd love 8 burners and 4 ovens

P.S. Thank you all for getting this convo into "trending"!

I am honoured, it's my first time .

Look at it like this: you are buying two cookers for £350 each. Use half - the other half stays pristine and, when's hat half breaks, you begin to use the other half!

I like your logic Ice!

I'd say it wasn't that unusual, tbh. But a bit mean-spirited of them since it's built into the kitchen. However, since part of the reason you offered for the house is that the kitchen looked good, and now it won't, I'd consider suggesting a price-reduction, on the grounds that now you have to spend another £700 on buying a replacement.

We sold our cooker to our buyers, estate agent said normal practice to take or sell (unless your cooker is a shit heap and you don't want it)

The Beko looks fine. Have a look on Appliances Online to see if they have the same thing cheaper, they often do. You'll also find that those hobs come in handy after a while...

Could be worse, you could move into your new house and discover that between completion and being able to physically get into the house the vendors have removed the whole kitchen and you have to rely on a halogen oven/microwave/actifry until you can save the money for a deposit to have a new kitchen put in... the fuckers.

Ours tried to sell us the range they had for £700. It was 10 years old, discontinued, and cost £650 new.

I always wondered if they thought I don't know how to Google

I was disappointed that the gap was not bigger and we couldn't change the kitchen in time/budget.

But you could get a smaller one and get a standard kitchen cupboards to fit the gap... maybe a storage trolley...

OK op, here's how it goes. I assume the form is being returned via your solicitor.

"we had assumed the cooker was included in the price, are the vendors prepared to leave it? If they are taking it, I have sourced a reasonable replacement which I comparable to the existing cooker. It will cost £2200 including delivery and fitting. We are therefore reducing our offer by £2,200 for the property."

If the deal's this far down they probably won't want to start all over again. The form might be an error. Either way they'll probably leave the cooker or negotiate the money off down to about £1125 and you can buy that £700 cooker and some new china for your new kitchen.

Good luck

My 900m range is from the smeg outlet and was less than £500 it was scratched and had a few dents on the back and sides hence the price.
That John Lewis one seems fine.

Please read the replies of me and a couple of other posters. Was it listed in the particulars of the property? You will have more room for negotiation of it was.

If it is free standing, ime, it is completely normal to take it with you. The first property I bought had a very flash, free standing oven which I bought from the vendors in a separate transaction. I then took it with me to my next property, and after that, during a rental period in my life, I sold it to a friend.

I would only expect a built in cooker to stay. If it was free standing I'd have specifically asked if it was staying or if they'd be willing to sell, but I wouldn't be surprised if not.

They are not actually standard sizes so I would ask to go and measure the gap VERY precisely before buying one to fit the gap!!!