Furniture included in sale

Beth096

Hi, I'm a FTB who's just had an offer accepted to purchase a flat. The flat was being rented out but I'll be living in it.
Just spoke to the estate agent regarding furniture and he said the seller either wants to leave it all or take it all but would like a bit of money in exchange - however it's more hassle for seller to take and get rid of.

How much should I be offering if I wanted the furniture? I was only really interested in the sofa and washing machine however I don't own any furniture myself so the rest would suit in the short term while I save up to buy nicer. 

[Deleted User]

I would say it’s up to the seller to come up with a price and you say whether or not it works for you or counter offer. I think we sold our first flat to include some furniture and I think this was a separate amount of a few hundred. I think I kind of added up roughly what they were new and halved that as it seemed fair. In the property we bought last we wanted the dining table and chairs and bar stools but made it a request early on to ask if they would do it at the same time we were negotiating the price so it was ‘we’ll meet you figure but we want the oven, dining table, blinds etc’

Beth096

Deleted_User said:

I would say it’s up to the seller to come up with a price and you say whether or not it works for you or counter offer. I think we sold our first flat to include some furniture and I think this was a separate amount of a few hundred. I think I kind of added up roughly what they were new and halved that as it seemed fair. In the property we bought last we wanted the dining table and chairs and bar stools but made it a request early on to ask if they would do it at the same time we were negotiating the price so it was ‘we’ll meet you figure but we want the oven, dining table, blinds etc’

That's great, thank you. 
I'll get back to the Estate Agent and get them to name a price. 

eddddy

I think a lot of landlords would just ask a 'House Clearance' company to take everything away - and maybe get paid peanuts for it.

So I'd try offering low to start with. Especially if you're prepared to take everything (even junk stuff), which would save the landlord hassle.

propertyhunter

It can be a lot of hassle to get rid of furniture (in terms of time more so than cost), so you taking it off their hands might be doing them a favour. If you must pay anything, it should be low - equivalent to what you'd pay in a charity shop as that is probably where they would have ended up. 

Titus_Wadd

My first two houses were probate sales so we offered to clear the house for the executors (who lived some distance away).  Now you may not want the hassle but both houses were packed with stuff and the cost in time and money to empty each house outweighed the prospect of completing sooner and without the hassle.  This approach relies on the vendor not being motivated to clear out the rest of the clutter for the second-hand value of a couple of items: in your case the washer and sofa.

We did rather well out of both deals and the executors already removed the "heirlooms" they wanted and probably felt relieved.  If you don't have room for a skip or transport for multiple trips to the tip, this approach might not suit.  A tenant might not have the same clutter as an elderly home-owner but they might have left a mess.

secla

as said second hand furniture is worth next to nothing. He should suggest a value but you should be able to get it super cheap with a bit of negotiating as otherwise he may end up paying to get rid of it

housebuyer143

When I move I weigh up the hassle factor. Is it more hassle to take that? If the answer is yes I offer it as a gift to the purchaser. You try and sell it you risk them saying no, and then you have to remove it.

My seller had loads of furniture she didn't want. She actually said I don't want this do you want to buy it off me. In honestly, if it were free I would have had it but I wasn't going to pay for it so she had to remove it. Hassle for her as they were wardrobes etc. 

caprikid1

Personally, I would go in with an offer of £100. Chances are they will take it or come back with a sensible offer.

newsgroupmonkey_

caprikid1 said:

Personally, I would go in with an offer of £100. Chances are they will take it or come back with a sensible offer.

That too was my thought. House clearance people often charge, rather than give you money for your stuff!

SadieO

Honestly I think it's a bit of a cheek them asking you to pay them - you'd be doing them a favour by keeping it. Any figure should be extremely low. Personally I'd argue zero is a win-win! You get some second hand furniture and they get spared the hassle and possibly expense of getting rid of it. 

If they want to make money out of their furniture then they need to remove it upon completion (as at that point it is your house) and they are free to sell it at whatever figure they think it is worth - good luck to them with that!