A new home brings many guarantees...

According to a recent report by Halifax Building Society, buying a new home could be better value for money than you thought, as it reveals private vendors of second hand properties often take anything of value with them before they leave. The findings, following a survey of home sellers exposed that people have taken items that include garden plants, towel rails, wheelie bins and even house numbers.

David Simpson, Director and General Manager of Millgate Homes says:

“While the thought of someone taking their wheelie bin or house number as a souvenir when they move on may conjure amusing images, the reality for someone moving into their new home only to find it has been stripped of even basic items such as light bulbs and loo roll holders could be quite distressing. Moving in should be a time for celebrating, but not getting what you expect can obviously be a cause of irritation. It is therefore important to ensure that should you chose to buy second hand, you have discussed and drawn up a full list of exactly what will be included in the sale with the vendor to avoid any nasty surprises.”

However, those who opt for a new home should have no need for such concern as David explains:

“With new build, you have peace of mind that your new home is ready for you to move into – we take this very seriously at Millgate and purchasers can rest assured that everything in their new home, from fully equipped kitchens to bathroom mirrors and the plants in the garden, will be theirs when they move in. Hopefully, this helps to make what can be a very stressful time just that little bit easier – you can sit back and admire your new home with a glass of bubbly instead of rushing down to the local shop to stock up on light bulbs or calling the Council to order a new bin!”

ENDS

Original Article:

Sellers 'strip homes when moving'
House sellers regularly strip their old properties of anything of value when they move home, according to a survey.

Light bulb fittings, toilet roll holders and wheelie bins can often end up in removal vans, a report by Halifax Estate Agency suggests
.
One in four sellers surveyed admitted to digging up many of their favourite garden plants to take with them.
Halifax warned house buyers to make sure they had a full list of what items would be taken by people moving home.

'Know your rights'
We have seen cases over the years of sellers taking floorboards with them, so the bottom line is don't assume anything
Pierre Krycler, McCartneys solicitors

Some 12% of house sellers said they had removed light fittings, while 8% said they had taken light bulbs with them, Halifax Estate Agency said.

One in ten people said they had removed toilet roll holders and towel rails, while 5% of sellers said had taken their house wheelie bins with them.

Halifax said 4% of the 961 people it surveyed in January this year admitted to removing the house number on their old properties as a souvenir.

"It would be nice to think that everybody would leave their old homes as they would wish to find their new ones," said Colin Kemp, managing director of Halifax Estate Agency.

"Unfortunately this is not always the case - despite the fact that people are only saving themselves a relatively small sum by taking items like light bulbs and house number plaques.

"The key is to ensure that you have documentation stating precisely what will be left behind or taken. Also know your rights when it comes to what constitutes fixtures and fittings."

Pierre Krycler, of Middlesex-based solicitors McCartneys, said some house sellers were stretching the limit of what might - and might not - be considered fixtures and fittings.

"We have seen cases over the years of sellers taking floorboards with them, so the bottom line is don't assume anything, and make sure any negotiation on fixtures is done before exchange. After that point there is no bargaining position," he said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/4961788.stm

Published: 2006/05/01 11:03:04 GMT

© BBC MMVI

For further information please contact
Lorraine Morrissey or Charlotte Rhodes at MMS
tel: 01889 584 808 e-mail: lorraine@mitton.co.uk or charlotte@mitton.co.uk

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