What to leave for new owners

[adogisforlife91]

As the title suggests, what's normal to leave for new owners

• Local takeaway menus
• Boiler paperwork and details of the plumber who installed it
• Bin days
• Spare floor boards (incase they need to replace any, the colour is now discontinued - or would this be considered trash?)
• The wall paint colours incase they want to touch up? (1 bed flat so only 2 colours)

Any other advice or what has been helpful in your experience?

Details of current utility providers
Location of water stopcock (or whatever it’s called)
Location of gas mains shut off thing
Location of gas/electricity/water meters (some are outside the house)
Location of RCD unit, and boiler if it’s not in an obvious place
Location of the main/first point that the internet comes into the house. Sorry for untechnical language but that cost me £120 for BT to come out and say - oh look, it’s here in the porch.
Location of TV aerial booster/splitter thing.

And yes, boiler/thermostat instructions and service history book.

Our sellers left a load of junk in the garden including used car wheels.

Unfortunately they took the curtain poles - that was pretty annoying.

And in some rooms they hadn’t just removed the light bulbs, they’d unscrewed the whole light fittings.

Any spare tiles you have which match. Codes and contact numbers for the alarm company.

Although I redirected the post via RM, I printed a sheet of sticky labels with our new address if case RM missed any (which they did) to make it simple for the new people to repost it.

What our buyers didn't leave us though, was an explanation for The Light Switch in the kitchen that didn't work any of the lights in the kitchen, nor the dining room next door, nor even the corridor. Took us two years to work out what that was for.

@PaternosterLoft

• what was it for. I won't sleep tonight going through the things it might have been for!

Don't leave your phone number.

They won't want you coming to collect the post.

Organise Royal Mail forwarding and if you want some belt and braces leave some address labels for your new property (or your office if they reliably let you get mail there).

Appliance instructions are essential. As are spares for flooring/ tiles etc. Touch up paint if you think that realistically they will keep it (eg. selling a deceased family members house at the moment and have decided to bin all the touch up paint as the whole house needs redecorated not touched up).

In addition to your list:

Recent copies of the monthly village and quarterly Local Authority magazines, which saved explaining about The Bin Rules.

[quote WhoWouldHaveThoughtThat]@PaternosterLoft

• what was it for. I won't sleep tonight going through the things it might have been for![/quote] The main light in another random room in the house, not sharing any walls or floors with the kitchen.

When we has the kitchen redone the electrician had a field day trying to work out what was going on and more importantly why Why would someone do that?

Where the stopcock is.
Labelled keys & user guides / pamphlets for central heating, any electrical or gas appliances, built-ins or other items being left; and fire / log burner.
Clothes prop and washing lines were left at our current place by previous owners which we found very helpful.

Mine left spare wallpaper and wall paints which has been handy when ds decided to draw all over his wall, one coat covered it like new because it was the right colour.

@PaternosterLoft
I suspect it was to frighten the mother-in-law who lived in the 'random room'
One could control that light from a completely different area of the house...😈

I know another... the landline number (if you have it)

Our house had 2 lines coming in and the number we unknowingly transferred our phone and broadband contract to was the one for the office which the previous owner had put in upstairs. Took a few days for BT to come out and sort it.

If the sellers stay in the area they may well take the number with them. New numbers tend to be allocated these days rather than staying with the house.

Any instruction manuals for kitchen appliances, thermostat and where to locate the stopcock

Our house is on the market, I will leave keys with labels (we have 4 exterior doors) toilet rolls in all the loos, something to drink, a couple of glasses. Spotlessly clean house. Bin/recycling/garden waste collection days. Alarm codes & settings.

I left a card, bottle of wine and a bag of coal (had open fires) as he moved in on a cold January night. Tbh, I was so worried about losing my buyer, I ended up becoming quite friendly with him. So much so, he let me know when he sold it years later and gave me his new address. He was lovely (wish he'd been my neighbour).

But, when I'd bought the house, they took the light bulbs!

Crikey.
Ours was a probate sale and their wonderful son left:

All invoices and guarantees
Labelled all keys
Their address
Notes about local tradesmen
Neighbour's details
A history of the house
Flowers and a bottle of champagne

When we renovated they were delighted when we offered them the old airing cupboard door on which the heights of the children had been marked over 12 years.

We are still in touch.

Details if anything is not obvious

Location of the stop cock!

@ohtheroses thats so nice :)

I think of it as what would I like to find when I move in, so instructions for everything, notes of little quirks of the house, advice on who are good neighbours and who to avoid, etc.

I knew my last buyers were first time buyers so I left them a card and a bottle of bubbly. I bumped in to her in the pub about 2 years later and she ran up and hugged me (though she was a little drunk lol!) so it was obviously appreciated!

The house we bought, however, was left in a tight state. We had to get professional oven cleaners in who declared it the worst he'd ever seen. The garden was full of dog shit and rats nests under the decking. What looked good on viewing was shoddy workmanship that fell apart within weeks, etc.

I learned the hard way that not everyone is as nice as me!