Vendor removing fitted carpets!

googler

"the cold water tap doesn't work in the kitchen"

Major alarm bell ringing.....

IS THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE HOUSE CONNECTED? Has their water been cut off?

The cold tap in the kitchen SHOULD be fed from the rising main, the water supply into the house. Typically, washbasins, WCs and baths are fed from a cold water tank above the level of the highest tap in the house.

If the cold tap in the kitchen doesn't work, but everything else does, then you need to make sure that the other taps and WCs aren't just working from what's left in the water tank, and make sure that the water tank is actually filling again when you operate the taps or WCs.

If you can't draw clean water from the mains for food prep, that's a major no-no ......

Fountaine

Make sure when you move in you take a box of lightbulbs, they definitely sound like the sort that will remove every last one and you won't notice until it starts to get dark and the shops have closed ......... been there and done that one, several times !

As for curtains ...... fab bargains on eBay when you know your sizes and colours and are prepared to wait until the right thing comes along. I got a huge, really lovely pair, like new and cost £800 from John Lewis and I believe it, for £50. and as for carpets, I hate the dam things and hope to never have another one in my life ! Hard floors for me, everytime. Good Luck

Dumbledore55

googler wrote: »

"the cold water tap doesn't work in the kitchen"

Major alarm bell ringing.....

IS THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE HOUSE CONNECTED? Has their water been cut off?

The cold tap in the kitchen SHOULD be fed from the rising main, the water supply into the house. Typically, washbasins, WCs and baths are fed from a cold water tank above the level of the highest tap in the house.

If the cold tap in the kitchen doesn't work, but everything else does, then you need to make sure that the other taps and WCs aren't just working from what's left in the water tank, and make sure that the water tank is actually filling again when you operate the taps or WCs.

If you can't draw clean water from the mains for food prep, that's a major no-no ......

Yes, all the others are working, I ran round the house and checked them all and the showers and toilets, it just seems to be the kitchen tap and the hot water one works in there fine.

We know the central heating and the electric is working because that was on when we viewed today. I'm viewing again on saturday to see what they've removed, I'll check the tank is filling then. I'm not excahnging contracts unless I'm happy and it's them pushing for 9th April. I would be just as happy to complete later in April because we're away for a week over Easter.

Dumbledore55

Fountaine wrote: »

Make sure when you move in you take a box of lightbulbs, they definitely sound like the sort that will remove every last one and you won't notice until it starts to get dark and the shops have closed ......... been there and done that one, several times !

As for curtains ...... fab bargains on eBay when you know your sizes and colours and are prepared to wait until the right thing comes along. I got a huge, really lovely pair, like new and cost £800 from John Lewis and I believe it, for £50. and as for carpets, I hate the dam things and hope to never have another one in my life ! Hard floors for me, everytime. Good Luck

Great idea, I love Ebay and I'm currently getting rid of all my unwanted items on there. The whole family have been warned that we're not moving boxes of unwanted items to the new house.

The dustbin man must be quite sick of the heavy wheelie bin, my Ebay account is very well used and the local charity shop is doing quite well out of the items I won't put on EBay. I love clearing out when you move!

pawpurrs

Mrs_pbradley936 wrote: »

We had a huge row with someone that bought a house from us over this. In a picture of the garden there was a swing set/climbing frame for kids and we took it with us. Anyway our solicitor sent them a letter explaining that Estate Agents details did not form part of the contract and that if they were unhappy they needed to seek redress via their own solicitor and his approval of the contract.

Never heard another word.

Yes but thats fairly obvious, I doubt the agents details said swingset in the garden, you wouldnt expect that to be left, you cant expect something in a picture to be left otherwise one would have to leave all ones furniture, as they are in the pictures. But if the details state something therotically they are supposed to be left. You can have redress with the EA under the property misdiscriptions act.
But the real thing to check is the fixtures and fittings form.

googler

Down my way, the typical scenario is that the sales particulars have a paragraph such as;

"All light fittings, floorcoverings, and blinds are included in the sale, with the exception of any loose rugs. All curtain rails and poles are included, the curtains not. The integrated kitchen appliances; hob, hood, oven, washing machine, dishwasher, fridge and freezer are included. The tumble dryer in the garage is specifically excluded. The garden shed is included, the garden furniture specifically excluded. "

When an offer is tendered, it typically includes a proviso worded like this;

"The property is sold with
All heritable fixtures & fittings
All items of whatever nature fixed or fitted to the property, the removal of which would materially affect the fabric or decoration of the property
All items specified in the sales particulars or advertisements made available to the purchaser
The following, insofar as any were present in the property when viewed by the purchaser (and were fitted or fixed to the property) - garden shed or hut, greenhouse, summerhouse, garden statuary, all types of blinds, pelmets, curtain rails and poles, all carpets and floorcoverings (excl loose rugs), .....

etc etc for the rest of the paragraph, followed by;

The seller warrants that at the date of entry all items included in the price are owned by the seller, are or will be free from debt, and not the subject of any litigation.

The seller undertakes that the property will be left in a clean and tidy condition at settlement"

googler

Dumbledore55 wrote: »

Yes, all the others are working, I ran round the house and checked them all and the showers and toilets, it just seems to be the kitchen tap and the hot water one works in there fine.

We know the central heating and the electric is working because that was on when we viewed today. I'm viewing again on saturday to see what they've removed, I'll check the tank is filling then. I'm not excahnging contracts unless I'm happy and it's them pushing for 9th April. I would be just as happy to complete later in April because we're away for a week over Easter.

If any of the showers are of the instant electric kind, they should be fed from rising mains, so that would be a good indicator that all is well with the supply, but there are others that work from the water tank, and also, unless there's a combi boiler fitted, the hot water tank will be filled from the cold water tank.... apologies if you're already up to speed with this - I don't want to teach Grandma to suck eggs.

hollydays

Doesn't it usually state in the details if the carpets etc are included?

poppysarah

Other water related things to watch for - lead pipes going to the kitchen tap. A friend has discovered she's got a lead pipe - and no one will repair it now it's got a leak on it. She needs to have it replaced and that means ripping her kitchen out.

whathavewedone

Lana, as you say "light fittings" just means that you have a means of lighting the room. If you viewed a house and noticed that the sellers had light fittings that you particularly liked you should ask whether they are leaving them or not.

We have 6 expensive chandeliers in our house, which, along with the rest of our furniture we have bought over a period of years having lived in a number of different places. It's not difficult to take them down and refit them in another house, all you need to do is switch off the electricity and then switch it on again. So it's not a fixture which you should automatically assume would be left.

It's also about taste. I could have left a £300 chandelier in the living room which the new owner might regard as nothing more than a convenient alternative to a bare bulb until such time as they could get round to buying a paper lantern.

Incidentally when we have left houses we have replaced our light fittings with white paper lanterns as a gesture of goodwill along with a note explaining when the rubbish gets collected, how to work the heating etc etc, relevant instructions and guarantees, all the keys labelled so you know which windows they belong to etc.

I think it's really inconsiderate when people don't do this and also don't leave the house clean - it's very hard to clean properly when you have 1000 boxes to unpack.