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Original poster

Would you charge your buyers for curtains and blinds?

140 replies

ESpressoNotEXpresso · 04/05/2020 13:43

Hi,

Just that really.

Our sellers are asking quite a lot of money for them. Because the windows are bigger than average and were custom made, rather than declining, we counter offered and they came back, I think, still too high.

Would you charge?... Did you pay?

Thank you!

OP posts:

FiddlefigOnTheRoof · 04/05/2020 13:44

They charged and we paid. I think it’s petty and ridiculous, frankly, particularly if the sellers have no intention of using the curtains again.

Original poster

ESpressoNotEXpresso · 04/05/2020 13:47

@FiddlefigOnTheRoof, yeah, it doesn't really sit well with us and if the windows weren't so wide, we'd just say no.

OP posts:

FizzyPink · 04/05/2020 13:47

I can’t imagine charging when we sell this place. The blinds we have were all made to fit the windows so we wouldn’t be able to take them somewhere else. I’d be pleased for someone to accept them to save us the hassle of taking them all down and then finding a use for them

Watto1 · 04/05/2020 13:48

I had a similar situation. The sellers wanted a silly price for some massive wardrobes. I said I didn’t want them. They left them anyway! I discovered a few years later that they were far too big to fit down the stairs which was probably the reason why they left them.

rottiemum88 · 04/05/2020 13:48

We didn't charge for ours when we left our last house. Seems petty to me. But you need to weigh up if what they're asking for is more or less than you'll pay to replace them anyway. You could always go back and confirm that your last offer was the most you're willing to pay. Are they honestly going to want the inconvenience of taking them all down?

itbemay1 · 04/05/2020 13:49

Our sellers tried to charge us for everything, and we didn't want any of it. Finger plates £30, light fittings £50 we added it all up and it came to almost £1000.

We really didn't want any of it so said no thanks take it all. They then came back with a figure of almost half!

We still said no, they left them anyway!

House we sold buyers really wanted curtains and we said yes no problem, they were cheapish from ikea anyway so no charge, on moving day they couldn't get boiler to work so we went round to help and said curtains were screwed up in a bin bag of rubbish on floor! V odd.

Gumbo · 04/05/2020 13:53

We offered on a house where the sellers had recently installed a truly hideous gaudy fitted carpet throughout the house. They said that for £1000 they'd leave it for us - utterly ridiculous since clearly it wouldn't able to just be removed and fitted in another house .

They were deeply offended when we said we'd pay them the £1000 if they took it with them

33Carr · 04/05/2020 13:53

My seller tried to get me to pay for curtains, curtain poles, certain logjts and carpets. I didn't pay and she left them anyway!

Smallgoon · 04/05/2020 13:53

I mean, I know fixtures and fittings are a separate issue, but I always assumed a property was priced to sell on the basis of those items being included (if the seller was happy not to take any with them)? Why don't estate agents check with the seller and then price on this basis? Am I being thick here?

Sarcelle · 04/05/2020 13:56

I would say no. Chances are they will leave them.

magicstar1 · 04/05/2020 13:57

Do you actually like the curtains? Would you buy them from a shop? If not, then definitely say no as you’ll hate living with them afterwards.

Bluntness100 · 04/05/2020 13:59

It’s supposed to be turn the house upside down (figuratively speaking) and anything doesn’t fall off isn’t a fix or fitting.

So no I’ve never paid for, or sold the curtains and blinds it’s been included in each sale and purchase.

BlingLoving · 04/05/2020 13:59

Oh puhleease. Sellers are ridiculous. If they are a) nice and b) very expensive to replace make an offer sure that is fair. But otherwise, tell them what you're willing to pay and if it's not enough they're welcome to take the stuff.

I'm always amazed by this kind of stuff. A friend moved into a house once where the previous owner took all fixtures and fittings including things like toilet role and towel holders, every lightbulb in the place and, if I recall, some doorknobs!! It was so bizarre.

Nowayhozay · 04/05/2020 14:00

I never have, I just leave whatever I have no use for. Have never thought about charging for anything. I guess if you like them it would save a lot of aggravation having to replace them

madcatladyforever · 04/05/2020 14:00

People generally do charge for carpets and curtains/blinds especially if they are custom made and expensive.
I didn't charge for my carpets because the cat has scratched them to death, nor did I charge for my handmade curtain (handmade by me) which are very nice and lined as they won't fit anywhere in my new house and neither will the curtain poles so it seemed petty to charge so I just left them.
The guy I bought the house off tried to sell me his shitty tobacco stained, cat piss stained carpets and I said no but he left them anyway which is a pain as I now have to dispose of them and the dump is shut!!!

Sushiroller · 04/05/2020 14:02

I didn't pay and won't on principle.

I also made clear I expected them to make good any damage caused by removal of light fittings curtain poles etc. In both cases everything was left.

Your vendors are dicks.

Lavenderpurple · 04/05/2020 14:04

We didn’t charge. We left one pair of curtains (aswell as others) to fit a 5ft window in our old place. They were no good to me in the new house and when we renovate I want something different anyway.
I wouldn’t pay. Chances are they’ll leave them anyway.

princesstwinkle · 04/05/2020 14:06

Is it going to be more expensive to buy new ones to fit than it it to buy theirs off them?

Didiusfalco · 04/05/2020 14:07

I wouldn’t do this myself, but we ended up paying our vendors for some - partly to move the process forwards. They were cunts though and even ripped the carpet up off the stairs.

AnnaBegins · 04/05/2020 14:11

When we sold, our living room curtains (4 windows including a large bay window, all different sizes) were fairly new and had all been altered to fit perfectly, so we asked for £50 which was less even than the cost of alterations. The buyers said no, far too expensive, so we took them with us and thank heavens we did as only 1 needed altering to fit our new living room! A year on our buyers still have temporary curtains tacked up in the bay window so honestly I'd say cost up the hassle of replacing them to help any decision.

Ragwort · 04/05/2020 14:12

I’ve ever charged when we’ve moved, if I like the curtains and think they will fit my new home I would take them with me (leaving any curtain rails etc), in our current house the owner tried to charge is for custom made blinds in some rooms, we really didn’t want them so said no, they left most of them ....apart from one really odd shaped one which they took ?

GigiLamour · 04/05/2020 14:12

I've always charged for curtains and been charged for curtains when moving house - I thought this was normal! Never large amounts, though.

If the windows are an odd size and you like the curtains/blinds, then I would probably pay. Otherwise you might end up paying a lot more to have new ones specially made. Yes, they might leave them anyway, but then again they might not.

We offered to sell the curtains in our old flat for a nominal amount (about £30 per room) when we sold the flat - the curtains were quite new and neutral and I was surprised when our buyers said no. So we took them with us and ended up using them in our new place. When our buyers moved into our old flat, we got a phone call from the estate agent asking where the curtains were... apparently the buyers had expected us to leave them behind anyway! Er, no, you turned them down!

Focalpoint · 04/05/2020 14:13

It depends on what time of curtains they are. If they are ready mades I wouldn't pay.

If they were full length, custom made for big windows on decent poles then I probably would as these are ridiculously expensive.

It is annoying when you are paying so much for the house but you do need to consider what you'd replace them with and how much this would cost.

Didiusfalco · 04/05/2020 14:14

@madcatladyforever do you mind me asking if you’re more around retirement age? We’ve bought a couple of houses in the last decade and not come across this, until we bought this time, but my 70 yo mum says it used to be common. I think now it’s verging on unacceptable, certainly not normal. Wondering if it’s a generational thing?

Original poster

ESpressoNotEXpresso · 04/05/2020 14:17

We do like them, as they're obviously good quality and very neutral, so if we decided to paint or wallpaper anywhere, they'd go with anything.

Annoying, I suspect pp who have said they'll likely leave them, are probably right, so we could easily be throwing a few hundred down the drain, but it's a risk. The last thing we want is to be left with completely stripped windows for god knows how long and have to wait for new custom made ones.

I would say we'd be saving several hundred, but still, they're second hand!

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