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Original poster

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

153 replies

WestMeerkat · 16/07/2016 09:38

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. Angry

OP posts:
MiaowTheCat · 16/07/2016 12:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Lynnm63 · 16/07/2016 13:21

Op you could always look on eBay for a second hand one to fit your space. You could always threaten to pull out of the sale if they don't leave it but they could call your bluff.

namechangedtoday15 · 16/07/2016 13:25

OP I'd ask if the vendors would consider selling it separately. I would not advise reducing your offer for the cost of its replacement - as wowfudge has said, its really your mistake in assuming that it would be included. If I were your vendor and you now sought to renegotiate the purchase price, I'd be livid. You'd risk losing the purchase or the vendors' goodwill at the very least.

Just politely ask if they'd consider leaving it, and if so, what the cost would be. If its more than you're prepared to pay, source a replacement.

mollie123 · 16/07/2016 13:35

I am amazed at what some buyers think should be included
Woodburning stoves are another case in point
IMO they are part of the fabric like a fireplace /hearth etc and I left a lovely clearview stove at my last property.
But I have encountered sellers who want to take them with them.
A cooker is a different kettle of fish (as are white goods) the time to negotiate on them is when you put your offer in - as in ' I will offer £xxxxx but that would include the range cooker/white goods etc. not when you are down to the fixtures and fittings list ' and blackmail to threaten to walk away if they are not included would be met with a 'no' from me.

Ntinyn · 16/07/2016 13:36

They could have just excluded it to cover their backs for onward purchase. We had an ordeal finally selling our last place but lots of offers and some of them were 'including freestanding white goods' in our case, a fridge freezer and washing machine. in the end we accepted an offer that didn't include white goods but I would have sold them if she had asked. I didn't put them on the legal forms in case I needed them for my purchase, which at the time we didn't know where we were moving to. If i made an offer on a property with a freestanding cooker I would have made it conditional on the cooker being left behind.

CotswoldStrife · 16/07/2016 13:41

Yes, vendors can take the cooker (two of the houses I've bought have been cooker-free, and I took ours from the first house to the second) so if it's not built-in then I'd assume they were taking it.

Personally, I wouldn't expect money off if they took it - you can ask if they are willing to sell it, otherwise take measurement and purchase another one. I would also be unimpressed with someone who asked for money off because the cooker wasn't included. I know it's hard when it gets to this stage of the property purchase but on this thread alone you've described it as being both the centrepiece of the kitchen and something you would never need or want. So don't go in all guns blazing!

layla2016 · 16/07/2016 13:52

I wouldn't expect it to stay....just like a washing machine, fridge, dishwasher etc all go unless they are integrated.

We sold our house and had a similar range. I was desperate to take it as I loved it and was free standing but our new house didn't have room and it was 10 yrs old so we decided to leave it. The vendors asked pre offer whether we were leaving it or not - I thought it was a standard question.

raeray · 16/07/2016 13:54

OP, I agree that they should leave it - but I'm definitely not an expert on it by far!
If they don't leave it - check ao.com
They have various ranges(I just looked for you) - gas, electric and combined for £450+ so you'd save yourself quite a bit getting it from there.

AbyssinianBanana · 16/07/2016 13:56

So she shouldn't be so petty as to reduce her price because the sellers will be even more petty and pull out?

namechangedtoday15 · 16/07/2016 14:04

But its not the sellers mistake Abyss or their misunderstanding, its the buyers.

OurBlanche · 16/07/2016 14:08

They have priced the house to sell with/without some of the stuff inside.

They have accepted and offer... they have sent out the F+F form, so now OP knows what they do include in the sale price.

This is when you have a last dicker... either side can pull out... either side can change their offer... it is perfectly normal.

We didn't want the cooker, we insisted they remove it. We didn't expect them to include the heavyweight blinds... they did and we were very happy. But we only found out and then dickered once we had the F+F form.

Expect nothing, state clearly what you do and don't want, make offers where necessary. That's how it works!

Grassgreendashhabi · 16/07/2016 14:13

No you are buying the house.

Oven is not included. Nor dishwasher etc unless built in.

Same as light fittings. All owners need to do is leave cord and bulb if they wish

You are buying the four walls and ceiling

If it's not fitted it's not included unless owners wish.

OreosOreosOreos · 16/07/2016 14:29

My massive range cooker cost approx £5k, I was definitely taking it with me when we moved (unless they wanted to buy it at a fair price).

OTH we were very clear with the EA about that when we out it on the market, so any potential buyers knew the score before they offered.

LyndaNotLinda · 16/07/2016 14:41

What if they had one of those plumbed in fridges that dispense water. Would you assume that was included?

Perhaps there's a space for their cooker in their new house?

I'm very attached to my giant range now (despite there only being 2 people in our house most of the time, it's brilliant when we have people over and makes cooking Xmas dinner for 12 an absolute breeze) and if I ever moved only leaving in a box I would take it with me if there was space.

RaisingSteam · 16/07/2016 14:47

Assuming it's a fairly ordinary Rangemaster or similar, make a note of the model and brand and get onto ebay or a used-appliance place locally. The worst is that you might have to pay for one of those super-duper cleaning services and a quick check by the gas fitter.

You may even get the chance to have a slight different configuration like with a hot plate or something, within basically the same cooker that still fits. They aren't exact standard sizes but you are likely to be able to get something good enough. Having a 2mm gap that you lose the occasional crumb down doesn't wreck your life. You just pull the cooker out on its little wheels occasionally and wipe it down.

Lumpylumperson · 16/07/2016 14:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OurBlanche · 16/07/2016 14:59

I'd love to be able to 'just pull' my 'fairy ordinary Rangemaster' out on its little wheels... but as it took 2 burly blokes and a sack trolley to get it in and they had quite a time of it, I doubt I could...

LizzieMacQueen · 16/07/2016 16:02

Did you offer less than asking price ?

We had this and though it was a hassle for them to take their curtains, they did so on a point of principle.(we had offered to buy them).

peggyundercrackers · 16/07/2016 18:49

I've never heard of a cooker being taken out when someone moved, very bizarre. I think they are classed as fixtures and fittings, I find it strange so many people would take them...

namechangedtoday15 · 16/07/2016 19:23

That's precisely the point - they're not fixtures and fittings.

RaisingSteam · 16/07/2016 20:28

OurBlanche it depends on your floor but you should be able to slightly lift the front and roll it out. It's a bit of a two person job but possible if you really do need to clean behind.

DubiousCredentials · 16/07/2016 20:46

My cooker has moved house three times with us. Never had one left behind when moving in anywhere either Confused

EverythingWillBeFine · 16/07/2016 20:50

We've always taken our cooker with us Confused

HarryPottersMagicWand · 16/07/2016 21:13

Of course a cooker isn't part of the fixtures and fittings! Unless it's built in of course.

If I was selling a house and I got a reduced offer because they weren't happy I was taking my cooker with me, I'd be very unimpressed indeed. If you threatened to pull out on the basis of a cooker, I wouldn't take you seriously and think about putting it back on the market. Totally ridiculous. You are buying the house, not the stuff inside that belongs to the current owners.

Duck90 · 16/07/2016 22:50

OP i understand that you are upset, you described the oven as the heart of the kitchen. So really, you do understand why people spend that sort of money on on a range master. As others said ask if they are wiling to sell it, or just wait and find one that fits. The house doesn't have to be perfect as soon as you move in?