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Original poster

fitted appliances not included in house sale?

54 replies

rosemarypancakes · 07/12/2020 14:43

We're buying our first home and have hit a bit of a wall and I'm honestly not sure if I'm being unreasonable or not!
The kitchen of the house has fitted appliances (we're talking extractor hood, hob, oven, microwave), all embedded into cabinets and the solid quartz worktop.
The seller has turned around and said they want to charge us over 1k for the built in appliances - I had presumed as they are all built in (and would cost loads to replace!) they were included in the sale.

Anyone else had experiences like this? As its our first home I'm not sure if I'm being naive or if the sellers are just trying it on!

OP posts:

Smallgoon · 07/12/2020 16:44

Did you pay asking price? If not, how much less did you pay?

I wouldn't dream of taking any of the built in appliances if I were to sell my flat. My washing machine is free-standing so I will take that.

The only reason I can think they're being difficult is if they're annoyed that you paid lower than asking.

Original poster

rosemarypancakes · 07/12/2020 16:46

@Smallgoon I doubt it would really damage the worktop, but its more the exposed pipes etc that they would have to make safe before they leave

OP posts:

HettyPain · 07/12/2020 16:46

I hate granny people. We were asked to pay £100 per made to measure blind. This was after months of being messed around. We told them they either included them with no charge or the sale was off. The estate agent thought I was joking. I made it clear i wasn't. By this point we had already sold our house and moved in with my parents because the sale was taking so long.

Original poster

rosemarypancakes · 07/12/2020 16:47

[quote rosemarypancakes]@Smallgoon I doubt it would really damage the worktop, but its more the exposed pipes etc that they would have to make safe before they leave[/quote]
also not to mention the fact that because quartz isn't easily cut, we would have to get appliances that were an exact fit

OP posts:

HettyPain · 07/12/2020 16:47

I meant to say grabby, not granny!

propertyhell · 07/12/2020 16:48

Ridiculous we're leaving less than 1 yr top range appliances. I always assumed that anything fitted was left unless there was some sort of niche reason for the current owners taking it.

They're probably trying it on, we had a vendor ask if we want to buy several items of furniture, we said no and she left them anyway.

HettyPain · 07/12/2020 16:48

Good luck OP. I hope your seller realises they're being ridiculous.

Bloodyfrostycar · 07/12/2020 16:51

I know you said you've not had any particulars/brochure previously presumably the property was advertised on rightmove or similar. If it was, how is the kitchen described there? I assume it will state built in oven etc and no mention of them being available for extra. If that's right I'd state that when going back to tell them the offer was based on built in kitchen etc so will now be reduced (as pps have said).

For context- I've recently sold a house and there was one item that looked built in but was not so we specifically stated that it was available for an extra charge (as we had a couple of people interested in buying it from us but preferred to save ourselves the of moving it). The house we moved in to had all inbuilt appliances other than a freezer that was only a couple of months old that we agreed to buy for £100 (cost over £1,000 new and they had all the receipts etc).

Your seller sounds like a CF who knows that you won't want the expense of buying a totally new kitchen so thinks they have you over a barrell.

Sunflowergirl1 · 07/12/2020 16:57

Fitted appliances are part of the house! Otherwise what,else will they take? The gas boiler, water tank, doors...they are all fitted parts!

TigerDrawers · 07/12/2020 17:01

Some people are just greedy fuckers... they're hoping you'll back down but if you don't you'll probably find they'll leave them anyway as they're too difficult to remove and, as you say, WTF are they going to do with them anyway?!

Even if they do remove them and stick them on facebook marketplace you (or a friend) could probably buy them back for cheaper than £1k anyway!

NewHouseNewMe · 07/12/2020 17:31

My money is on them leaving them in the end.
Our vendors offered for us to buy various bits of furniture and curtains, and we said no because they're old and not worth it. They said they were taking them which is fair enough as we didn't buy them.
Guess what? Now they're leaving at least 50% as they've realised what "make good" means and what it means to take them cleanly and repair the damage to walls and ceilings.

User85630296481 · 07/12/2020 17:33

You need a better solicitor OP.

ramblingsonthego · 07/12/2020 19:30

@Smallgoon because removing the hob will leave a giant great hole in the quartz worktop. To fix this will be very expensive and would probably require a whole new worktop as you would never get a piece to match and slot in.

Authenticcelestialmusic · 07/12/2020 19:39

On the house details, on rightmove/zoopla, when they describe the kitchen what does it say about the appliances? Can you cut and paste the description?

Smallgoon · 07/12/2020 19:41

[quote ramblingsonthego]@Smallgoon because removing the hob will leave a giant great hole in the quartz worktop. To fix this will be very expensive and would probably require a whole new worktop as you would never get a piece to match and slot in.[/quote]
Ah ok. I just assumed the hobs came in a few standard sizes, so that this would be easy to replace. At least when I was purchasing my induction hob, they seemed to come in a standard size if you were after 4 rings.

ramblingsonthego · 07/12/2020 22:58

@Smallgoon they could just replace with a new hob but the point is to make it very awkward for the sellers who are being cheeky fuckers and make them replace the worktop, which they won't do as it will cost them more than the 1k that they want for the second hand appliances. They should not be taking integrated appliances. They are fitted and should be left.

IHeartNiles · 08/12/2020 07:57

They’re trying it on. Hold firm.

Jumanji89 · 08/12/2020 08:44

Hold firm OP. They are trying it on. When we bought our house at a second viewing when the estate agent wasnt present the seller said to us they would sell us the imtegrated fridge freezer, integrated dishwasher and the shed for £500. I politely declined and they said said £250. It waw the ladies Dp who was puttimg pressure on us to buy them and she looked embarrassed. I already knew she was moving into her partners house. I then got my solicitor to make them aware that if they are removing said items it must be prior to exchange and we want to inspect for any damage and to ensure all of the shed had been removed from the property prior to exchange. Quite swiftly afters we got confirmation that the seller would leave said items which we knew would be ghe case as it would have been a pain to remove them all and tidy up afterwards.

A friend of mine was asked to pay for the carpets to be left. They werent to taste so she declined as planned to replace throughout. Arrived on completion to find a stanley knife had been taken to every single carpet.how petty.

GU24Mum · 08/12/2020 09:05

If the sellers are behaving like this now they are going to be a real pain. Is this a one-off house if your dreams? If not I'd be very tempted to look for something different.

I suspect that if you "win" this point (which you should) the sellers will try and get it back some other way and/or leave loads of rubbish etc. I've seen what the PP has said about carpets and a knife....

Loofah01 · 08/12/2020 09:12

So what has the solicitor come back with OP? If it helps them, the clue is the word integrated, ie integrated to the kitchen which makes it a fixture by virtue of being fixed into the cabinets and wall. Freestanding items are a different kettle of fish but there is no way they can ask for cash for the items without it having been sold as such.

Sunflowergirl1 · 08/12/2020 09:33

If they remove the appliances it will leave an awful mess. Totally ridiculous

MoirasRoses · 08/12/2020 10:21

Agree with all the above. We replaced an integrated washing machine in June as our old one broke. We hadn’t planned to move this year so got a decent washer/dryer. We then changed our minds & moved last week. The buyers got a decent, almost new washing machine! Dishwasher was also only 12 months old.

Wouldn’t have dreamt of charging. They are integrated. The effort of taking everything out & moving with them would be silly. We couldn’t even be bothered to take curtain poles 😂 we have also moved to a house with built in appliances so why would we.. which sounds similar to your vendors!

No way they’ll take them unless they are complete dicks. Just trying it on.

Smallgoon · 08/12/2020 14:34

[quote ramblingsonthego]@Smallgoon they could just replace with a new hob but the point is to make it very awkward for the sellers who are being cheeky fuckers and make them replace the worktop, which they won't do as it will cost them more than the 1k that they want for the second hand appliances. They should not be taking integrated appliances. They are fitted and should be left.[/quote]
Oh I don't deny that removing a hob is quite frankly pathetic. My guessing is that they feel aggrieved somehow, and presumably it's because they didn't get asking price? I would hope and assume that the asking price of a property includes ALL fixtures/fittings etc.

user1471538283 · 08/12/2020 17:33

What does it say on their fittings form? You cannot possibly take an integrated oven without doing damage.

I would push back with a significant reduction because your offer was based reasonably on the appliances being left. I've left ovens that weren't integrated and more recently a washer because I didn't need it and it was a little old.

If they do take the appliances everything needs to be made good but I bet they wont. Who haggle over an additional £1k unless they are absolutely desperate or are going to be difficult.

I'm certain my last seller was planning to strip out the kitchen until my solicitor said I would pull out. I often wish I had never set eyes on him or the house ...

WombatChocolate · 08/12/2020 19:07

I agree that saying you aren't prepared to pay for fitted appliances and they are welcome to remove them and make good before exchange, and you will need to come and check that the making good is satisfactory before exchange.

Be very clear with the solicitor that you need an undertaking that they will EITHER leave the items (get an itemised list for clarity) OR specify which fitted items they will be removing and making good.

Most people won't want the aggro and will leave the stuff.

The example about the carpets which were Stanley knifed by the spiteful sellers, shows why it's important to get people to confirm they will remove and make good or leave in decent order. You do not want to arrive to find items have been left but damaged...you then have the extra hassle of removing them. Get everything confirmed in writing and be careful to detail everything very clearly so it is difficult to dispute later.

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