i would expect anything screwed to the walls and ceilings belong to the house and anything that you want to remove should have been specified in the contract of sale and would need to have been replaced with something similar..

'Anything screwed to the walls and ceilings belongs to the house'

Well there are grey areas tho, for instance, we have the Ikea Besta cabinet screwed on our walls, would you expect that to stay?

How about the wardrobes? They are screwed to the wall for safety but we were not selling our house with built-ins?

only if you haven't specified that it should go....talk to the real estate agent about specific items urgently

I couldn't agree more with all the comments stating they are fixtures. I would feel mad as heck going back for final inspection and seeing things taken. This would very likely be a breach of contract and could cancel the sale. You have to accept they are fixtures.

Thanks for the info guys .

I come from a country where people take they kitchen with them when they move and everything that stays, from door knobs to fireplace surround, is listed in the contract of sale, so for me a shaving cabinet is another piece of furniture, and it's weird that people would want the light pendant that goes nicely with my decor but probably not with their.

My real estate agent was pretty vague about the all thing, appart from the wardrobes that are definitely not staying.

My German relatives would agree with you completely and it's very disappointing that the real estate agent did not know or bother to explain the differences to you... hopefully you will be pleasantly surprised to find what's left in place in your new home

I too used to reside in a country during a time where it was customary to expect to supply your own window coverings (incl rods etc), free-standing cooker and other kitchen appliances, even LIGHT BULBS. The light bulbs was going a big far I always thought. This was for rentals and new home owners. Now it amazes me that new apartments over there have everything, including fridge, dishwasher, washing machine & dryer.

You have to set things in concrete, in the Contract, we recently sold a couple of Villas both had different things. everything that was included had to be listed and the same with anything that wasn't staying, if the Buyer was interested in anything not included they need to speak to the agent. Love the Eu way of taking the kitchen sink with you when you leave that's why flat pack modular cabinets are so popular.

I personally would not assume everything screwed on the wall belong to the house! Certainly not people furniture like Besta or bookcases, and not curtains rods, shower curtains nor things like coat racks, hooks etc.

I'm unsure about the shaving cabinet as like you I see it as an 'independent' piece of furniture.

As Siriuskey says, you have to set things in concrete. The buyers can be 'mad as heck' that the curtain rods are not there anymore, but if they are not listed, then were they right to assume/expect them to be there?

The contract of sale list was quite long and included blinds, fans, screen doors etc as well as appliances that were negotiated in the price. We only added the shaving cabinet prior to the opening for 'cosmetic reasons ' (agent words) As it turns out, it will be useful in our new house as the seller is taking his ( i asked!) and the reason we are keen to keep it is because we got it from Gumtree for an absolute steal.

Jen, I haven't even though about coatracks! We had an antique one in our entryway that I had taken down.

Good point, Jen. I think coat racks, like art or photos hung on the wall, would not be considered as fixtures. That would be taking things too far. This has turned into a very interesting post. Lostinreno, I didn't realise until just now that you did in fact have a list of inclusions, so I guess that does alter things. When is buyer's final inspection?

We will talk to the agent tomorrow to clarify. Thanks for all the comment.

Sarah Sarah, wow yes you are correct, we are tight with our money. You have to be when there is little of it. Thank you for your contribution.

A little update after talking to the agent: We can take the curtain rods, they were not listed as part of the window furnishing, and the bathroom cabinet, as it is not recessed. Lighting has to stay. We will have to live with the 'boob lights' chosen by the previous owner of our new home ...

Aha, yes, the dreaded boob lights!

There wouldn't be that many of them around if people could take they own lighting with them as they move houses.

Good luck with your move.

Glad to hear you now have this resolved, lostinreno. My very best wishes for your relocation. Cheers.

@lostinreno - glad to hear you have it sorted! As for boob lights, depending on how many you have these can be replaced at a reasonable cost - as budget allows - with much nicer flushmount options, whether your style is fancy (flushmount chandelier) or modern (futuristic looking integrated LED light). It is worth asking a lighting design centre if they can give you a house price if you are replacing multiple fixtures - I did this and their prices ended up being far less than somewhere like Lowe’s for far better fixtures.

Hi Rai Kai, Thanks for the tip, will definitely look into that option. I was thinking maybe the glass of the lights could be replaced with something a little less ' anatomic' and more simple and modern, but will have to see when we are there.