Sellers say they are taking the fireplace with them?

ellie27

We have viewed the house we like twice. On the second viewing we were told by the seller, who showed us round, that they would be taking the fridge-freezer with them but other kitchen appliances were included.

Put in an offer last week, it was rejected.

We upped the offer couple days later and it was accepted. It was my hubby who has been dealing with the agent. When they called to tell us the seller accepted the offer the agent then said the fridge freezer and fireplace are both not included. The fireplace is of sentimental value to the seller. My hubby was just ecstatic when he heard offer was accepted.

This is now 2 days later and we are thinking ....... ok they take the fireplace we might be left with a hole in the wall and a gap in the floor! It is a large 16 ft by 16 ft lounge and it is decorated immaculately which was the appeal of the house and why we upped the offer. But now that it may be we have to decorate/plaster/floor the lounge is really annoying.

I called the solicitor today and he did say a fireplace is fixtures and fittings and they really shouldnt be pulling it out the wall. He will call them and find out whats going on.

If the sellers could assure us that there would be no markings/no gaps on the floor and no holes in the wall,no gaps on the wallpaper etc I would be happy for them to take it. But I cannot see that being the case. It is a large, old fireplace.

Any advice?

Hoploz

Perhaps they thought it'd be a good idea to take it but once they realise what a mess it'll make and how much making good they'll be required to do they won't bother.

HouseBuyer77

Well if they want to take it with them there's nothing you can do to force them to leave it.

You can however convince them it's a bad idea Maybe they'll realise this on their own.

You could say you'll only buy it sans fireplace if they remove it pre exchange and make good any holes etc and redecorate appropriately (you want to have them do it pre exchange so you can examine the work before agreeing to exchange).

You could say that the fireplace was a big draw for you in buying the house in the first place and ask for a price reduction as they'll be removing it.

Bossypants

TBH I'm surprised they haven't had it removed before viewings. This is a dilemma I'm having myself (the fireplace is not original, it's one I found myself and put in because it is amazing), but if I do decide to take it, I will have it removed and the wall replastered and decorated before I put the house on the market specifically to avoid this issue.

This is just me but I think you would be within your rights to insist that they make the wall/floor good after removing it, if they do decide to bring it with them.

jjlandlord

If they want to take the fireplace, they can take the fireplace: They can remove fixtures as long as it is stated in the contract. Since they are making this a condition of the sale, it will be.

I think your options are:

1. Accept that this may cause damage that you will have to repair yourself.

2. Don't spend any money until they have removed the fireplace and you have the chance to inspect the result. With a risk that the sale will fall through.

knightstyle

This could be my DDs brother in law. He is selling his house, used to be the parents, and taking the fireplace as it was made by his father. Don't think it will look great in the new build but he insists.

silvercar

Generally, when people insist on taking fixtures and fittings, there is an obligation to make good after removal. Though this needs to be stipulated.

So you can tell the estate agent, that you realised the fireplace wasn't included in the sale, but you want the area made good after removal.

makeyourdaddyproud

If its a cast iron insert, depending on the size, it could be at least £2k to replace. In our house, a marble replacement is £6k and our room is 20 x 16.

I would think very carefully about proceeding on the sale if it is a period house and you might want to replace it with a quality period-relevant piece later down the line.

You also can't anticipate the kind of structural damage to the chimney stack that can be incurred by a brute force and inexperienced removal. Single skin brickwork above the fireplace can shift slightly enough to cause unpleasant cracking and movement of the bricks which lie above the fireplace zone. If its a 'mated' chimney of a semi-detached house, unforseen damage to the neighbour's piece can be realised by shifting. Can you afford to make good?

Object profusely or back out of the sale.

Dan

pleasedelete

makeyourdaddyproud wrote: »

If its a cast iron insert, depending on the size, it could be at least £2k to replace. In our house, a marble replacement is £6k and our room is 20 x 16.

I would think very carefully about proceeding on the sale if it is a period house and you might want to replace it with a quality period-relevant piece later down the line.

You also can't anticipate the kind of structural damage to the chimney stack that can be incurred by a brute force and inexperienced removal. Single skin brickwork above the fireplace can shift slightly enough to cause unpleasant cracking and movement of the bricks which lie above the fireplace zone. If its a 'mated' chimney of a semi-detached house, unforseen damage to the neighbour's piece can be realised by shifting. Can you afford to make good?

Object profusely or back out of the sale.

Dan

Sorry £6k is rubbish. We have replaced a number of giant fireplaces in our edwardian files- we have 16 open fires. none have cost even a fraction of that.

Anatidaephobia

Personally I think if they wish to remove the fireplace then that's fine but they should be buying another fireplace and installing it in the empty space (or, at the very least, re-plastering/decorating etc so that it's simply a wall without a fireplace). Also agree that ideally the fireplace would've been removed BEFORE viewings.

Davesnave

Key to understanding this is whether the vendors are grudgingly selling at a much reduced price, or whether they planned to take the fireplace all along.

I suspect the latter, in which case they should have been open about this at the start. I wonder what other surprises may they yet have in store for you.

You could let the sale progress normally, insist that the fireplace comes out prior to exchange and inspect again then. Play them at their own game. If the result is naff or significant damage, then drop your offer then to reflect that, secure in the knowledge they'd have a damaged or less desirable living room if they choose to re-market.

If, on the other hand, you've done a really good deal here, accept that this is part of the slight grudge syndrome.

Personally I wouldn't want the vendors to replace the fireplace, as they would only do this as cheaply as possible. A fireplace should be an efficient, functional focal point, not a bolt-on accessory, so the chance to replace it might not be such a Bad Thing at all.