The Fixtures and Fittings!

Maz1963

Just received the F&F form for the house I'm hopefully buying soon.  The vendors plan to take a few light fittings away and have quoted some prices for two sets of curtains/poles.  As much as I would rather they leave things as they are for my convenience, and especially considering the sum I'm paying for it, I wonder how to tackle this.  The vendors of my previous home left loads of stuff for me (with my agreement) and I did the same when I left there last year, so have never come across someone wanting to take light fittings and sell me their curtains!!  Do I just ignore and wait for them to raise this with me?  I can't believe they plan to remove some of the lights!  Maybe I've just been lucky in the past.  It all seems very petty.

mrschaucer

You've been lucky.  Some people do try to make money where they can, and it's up to you whether you want the stuff enough to pay for it.  You can always refuse their offer and see if the bits and pieces get left anyway.

badger09

Re light fittings - it really depends on the age & cost of the existing fittings. For our failed purchase of a 4 year old house, vendors wanted money for the designer fittings in the kitchen/dining area, lounge and on the landing. They were removing the designer fitting in master bedroom.
I loved the kitchen lights & lounge were ok so we agreed to pay for them. I checked online prices first & they weren't being greedy. I hated the landing light so politely declined their offer and didn't care about the bedroom, so all was fine.
When we sold our house a few weeks ago, we left all existing light fittings. They were not hugely expensive & would have cost more in time & money to replace/make good. I wouldn't dream of asking for any money for them.
Charging for curtains & poles seems a bit OTT, unless they are new & very special. 

SallyDucati

My sister really liked the light fittings she had in her last place so she had them taken down and replaced with pendants, her buyer was aware she was doing this.  Don't think it's that unusual.  
When I bought my first flat i made the offer stating to include curtains as I knew it would be a while till I got some others, didn't expect them to be left.

Hannimal

Friend bought a house with sale going through this month, the vendor asked her £3k for white goods in the kitchen. She asked politely declines. The appliances were left in the property anyway and they're all old and in need of replacement, including a candy dishwasher that does not work. 

Angela_D_3

Im not charging for light fittings but they are new and  weren’t cheap,  ill be gutted if they bin them  

bex2012

My mum and dad were asked for £4.5k for curtains and carpets that were new in the 80s and were so filthy rotten you would have been embarrassed to put them in a skip. They politely told the vendor to take a run up his leg....

sammyjammy

Angela_D_3 said:

Im not charging for light fittings but they are new and  weren’t cheap,  ill be gutted if they bin them  

Lifes too short and you won't know anyway....

FTB_Help

Mine is taking light fixtures and curtains, but leaving the curtain poles/ rails! They're not nice curtains, very thin, grey and flimsy, so not bothered, they're taking everything except the fitted kitchen and garden shed but have not asked for any cash for these left behind.

I would decline to pay for the curtains/ rails, as i suspect they might not even want them but trying to get some extra £££, so might end up just leaving them anyway.

Falafels

Our vendors wanted to charge for light fittings ( a total of £200, in fact). They are not to our taste, and we stated that, while we appreciated the offer, we had more than enough light fittings of our own and wouldn't be needing them. They are very expensive-looking, it's just that we don't like them. I wouldn't be surprised if they get left anyway.

They had also wanted to quote £600 for some free-standing wardrobes, but this wasn't apparent from the form - they'd cut and pasted from somewhere else and it didn't make sense. When I contacted the solicitor to clarify, the cost had dropped to £300. Frankly, the wood from which they're constructed would cost more than that and we're happy to pay.

Speaking personally, I'd leave everything that had been purchased for that particular place in a property, but I know not everyone thinks like that. If I were you, I'd just say that you won't be needing anything they want to charge you for. Chances are, the goods will be left anyway.

oniongirl

We are buying the very nice light fittings in the lounge/diner for £200,and the lounge/diner curtains and blind for £200 as well.

I do like the lights, but mostly I know myself well enough that I won't be able to pick something to replace them that compares to the originals, and I'll always be disappointed as they are fairly new. I also don't want to deal with how the ceiling looks after they have removed the trendy fittings.

The curtains/blinds are made to measure, neutral, and will do just fine for several years/until I can go in to a shop and look at things. The house is newly decorated, but not totally to our taste, and I don't think we'll be changing it for at least a year, so it seemed the most affordable way to sort it out.