Requirements of 'making good'?

Miles16v

Hi,

We are in the process of selling our house.

We have been asked to confirm that we will 'make good' any walls when fixtures / fittings are removed. I understand that this is standard practice, but how far does it go?

We will leave toilet roll holders, towel rails, curtain poles, but what about picture hangings?

Generally I've used a Rawl plug with a screw to hang pictures and to put up some multi fitting ikea mirrors.

Do I have to remove the rawl plugs and fill and paint the hole?

Can I leave the mirrors in situ in order to avoid having to do this?

Thanks

barnaby-bear

Miles16v wrote: »

Hi,

We are in the process of selling our house.

We have been asked to confirm that we will 'make good' any walls when fixtures / fittings are removed. I understand that this is standard practice, but how far does it go?

We will leave toilet roll holders, towel rails, curtain poles, but what about picture hangings?

Generally I've used a Rawl plug with a screw to hang pictures and to put up some multi fitting ikea mirrors.

Do I have to remove the rawl plugs and fill and paint the hole?

Can I leave the mirrors in situ in order to avoid having to do this?

Thanks

In practice it's so much effort to pursue - don't worry too much but just be considerate... it's really aimed at really petty people who rip out curtain poles/light fittings.... leaving hooks etc is fine we had a few rawl plugs+screws and didn't think much of it..... just be considerate - they will probably want to repaint anyway.... if something is attached eg. fitted yep you can leave it....

G_M

Is this a specifific request that your buyers have made or is the request part of a standard form?

If the former, they sound really pernickerty and it would put my back up! Rreply 'yes', then buy a tub of pollyfiller. Take out any hooks whatever ad wipe some filler over the surface left behind (don't waste your time pulling out the rawl plugs - just a quick surface smear).

If they're not happy, what are they gonna do? Sue you? A court wrangle, over the legal interpretation of 'making good' for the sake of the cost of a few hole? :rotfl:

If it's part of a standard form with a list of standard questions, then use common sense. I'd be inclined to do a slightly better job (ie remove rawl plugs, fill hole (but not paint - the touch up paint will never 100% match so not worth doing)

but that's just me.

googler

Pictures don't count as Fixtures & Fittings, in my book, so any picture hook holes will be left as is.

Are you selling in Scotland?

Annisele

As a very rough guide, fixtures and fittings are the things that would be left in your house if you turned it upside down and shook it. All the stuff that would fall out in that exercise is contents, and goes with you (unless explicitly stated to be staying). The stuff that stays where it is is fixtures and fittings, and stays in the house.

Realistically, few sane people care about picture hooks one way or the other (the exception might be if your house is listed, or if the picture hooks are somehow extremely special).

robatwork

I wouldn't agree to "making good". That could cover filling, sanding and repainting which I am sure isn't reasonable in most people's book.

You're opening yourself up to all sorts of possible legal action if you agree to that - after all "good" is a subjective term which would need to be tested in court if push comes to shove

Miles16v

Thanks for the replies.

The question came amungst a list of ~30 questions raised by the buyers solicitiors, none of which relate to anything particular issue.

The wording is

'Please confirm that, on completion, the Sellers will make good any damage caused in the removal of fixtures and fittings.'

So I think I will leave the mirrors in situ, and leave the rawl plugged holes, with screws, as they are. If they wish to argue about it, surely the screw is acting as the fitting rather than the picture, and the screw is staying put!!

I could achieve a decent colour match as we recently painted prior to putting the house on the market.

Fire_Fox

Leave tiny nailed picture hooks in place, leave any towel rails, curtain poles, shelves and mirrors you can bear to be without. Any remaining rawl plugs you should pull out, fill the holes proud and leave to dry, sand down and repaint. Should look as close to new as possible. You would not normally leave a screw sticking out you would remove that and the rawl plug.

Lavendyr

We just moved into a house where most of the picture holes had been filled in but not repainted. Honestly, I wish they'd just left the hooks/screws in as we'd probably have used them rather than having to drill/hammer in new holes!

Nan_Dingle

When I sold the buyer did ask that the sizeable rawlplugs used to wall-mount the TV and the cable-trunking was 'made good', so some filling, sanding and emulsion was needed.

London_Town

When I last sold, I left all the picture nails and hooks and noted them on the fixtures and fittings list for each room. I wanted to make it clear that I felt it was better to leave them to perhaps be reused, rather than me doing a poor colour match by trying to fill and touch them in.

My buyer was a buy to let landlord who wasn't bothered either way, but I hope his first tenant may have been able to reuse some of my picture hooks.