Paying extra for shutters

[Legolight]

I'd welcome some advice please. We're due to exchange on a purchase in the next week or so and it now appears the sellers are expecting us to pay extra for shutters that are attached to the two front windows. These are bespoke shutters, fixed in place and I'm not sure how they would use them elsewhere.

We had blinds made to fit for our current home and we are leaving those in place for our buyers.

I'm not sure if it matters but we're paying a considerable amount for the house we are buying. I've even had doubts we are paying too much and it feels like this might tip me over the edge!

We don't know how much they want for the shutters yet. We will find that out next week.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and what would you do?

I would say no thank you.

Say no!

They are trying it on, shutters are a fixture like light switches or built in cupboards. I would tell them they need to be included, I am sure they will not want to loose the sale over this.
www.cjhole.co.uk/news/fixtures-and-fittings-8416

Unless you are desperate to keep the shutters I'd just say you're not fussed about them so they can take them if they like but you're not paying for them. Chances are they will leave them anyway as what would they do with them except bin them, they're not going to fit anywhere else.

What did they put on the forms? I would class shutters as fixtures and fittings which are usually left. I'd say they can have them.

We had this with some wooden blinds, I said politely no we didn't want them and could they please put right any damage from taking them down. They left them.
I do think it is very cheeky though.
Perhaps if you like them and it is a small amount just pay it, shutters are expensive.

Remind them that they need to make good any damage too.

No

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the feedback.

It wasn't on the form and that's why I have enquired.

I'm not particularly fond of the shutters but I thought they could at least stay in place while we used our limited budget elsewhere for changes.

It has really annoyed me! I know they're expensive but as someone has mentioned - they have no need for them.

My understanding is that if you were to be able to pick a house up and turn it upside down, anything attached (in theory wouldn’t fall out of the upturned house) is considered to be fixtures and fittings.

It sounds like you think you are paying ‘top whack’ and they sound like they probably think you have got it at a bargain price.

I would say ‘no thanks’ particularly since you’re not bothered by keeping them permanently. But I’d also be clear that you expect any damage to be made good (as earlier posters have said).

They’re probably asking because shutters are quite expensive. A fitted wooden blind might be £80 per window but shutters can be about £600 per window. It adds up. Depending on where you are in the country and how big the windows are too.

@Legolight are the shutters on every window in the house?

I understand they are expensive and our own fitted blinds were £1000+. They are only in 2 rooms which does look a bit odd!

I have shutters and would not remove them. This reminds me when people used to ask for money for fitted carpets! Just say no thank you (though I would have thought they were fittings and if not should have clearly been excluded on the form).
I bet they will still be there when you move in.

Surely they should have said on the sellers forms of they were included or not?

@pipandmum I remember those days too. People actually took carpets but thankfully people don't bother anymore.

@itscoldoutthere - yep, I realised they weren't included on the form and I've asked.

Tell them they can take them- they either will or they’ll realise they’re on a hiding to nothing and leave them anyway. If they do take them I’d also request that they make sure that any visible holes from how they were fitted or damage from removing them is made good too. In all likelihood said shutters will remain whether you pay for the or not. We had the same once with someone and their precious carpets. They said they wanted reimbursing for them or they were taking them and we said they should crack on and get rid as far as we were concerned. Funnily enough the carpets were still there when we moved in!

Our sellers tried to charge £800 for hideous blinds!

@NoParticularPattern thank you, I'm just going to politely say we're not looking to purchase them and go from there. If they do take them I'd love to know what they would actually do with them as they're pretty big and bulky! Hopefully they'll take up the whole garage in their new place

@m0therofdragons £800?! that's bonkers! I know my own blinds are now worthless and they'll likely be replaced but at least the people moving in might get use from them for a bit.

@Legolight well they should have said one way or the other, rather than saying nothing on the forms.
When you look around a house they should make those type of things obvious as otherwise it's rather unfair.
We had some custom made shutters in our last house, I wouldn't have taken them, they wouldn't have fitted anywhere else.
I'd wouldn't pay for them, it's unlikely they will take them unless they are those type of weird people who do that kind of stuff (like digging up all the plants in the garden).

@Itscoldouthere that's a good point - they should have put that on the form and been clearer than the outset.

@Legolight they were home made staple gunned, padded valences sort of like you’d get in a stately home. This is not a stately home and we bought the house despite the hideous curtain valences! No way were we paying them to leave them. They left the kitchen one that was all greasy with stuck on dust so I ripped that out on day 1!

@m0therofdragons they sounded delightful!