Fixtures and fittings when selling a house in Derry

Agree the contents before the removal van arrives

Do not assume a buyer knows which lights, appliances or garden items you intend to take. Make an explicit list and ask your solicitor how the agreed inclusions and exclusions should appear in the sale documents. A friendly conversation at a viewing is a poor substitute for a clear written agreement.

GOV.UK includes fixtures and fittings among the details a sale contract should address. For a Northern Ireland transaction, follow your own solicitor's forms and advice. The Law Society of Northern Ireland explains that the seller's solicitor drafts the contract and helps with replies to pre-contract enquiries. Do not assume a form mentioned in an English guide is the one your sale requires.

Make a room-by-room list, not a legal guess

Use columns for room, item, included or excluded, condition, and any point still to agree. Describe the item precisely enough that someone else can identify it. For example, distinguish a kitchen ceiling fitting from its bulbs and a curtain pole from the curtains. Mark undecided items as undecided rather than leaving an ambiguous blank.

Walk through the home with the list. Include the hall, loft storage, garage and outside areas as well as the main rooms. This is a practical inventory, not a rule that every item on it can legally be removed. Ask your solicitor about anything attached to the property or already mentioned in the contract.

Keep one dated version and record later changes in the same place. If two owners have different assumptions about an item, settle that before giving instructions to the agent. A marked-up photograph can help identify an unusual fitting, but keep the written description as the main reference.

Be specific about appliances and fitted items

Record each appliance separately, including integrated appliances. Note the make and model where available, whether it works as far as you know, and any known fault. Do not promise a guarantee transfers just because you still have the receipt; check the terms and give the buyer the actual paperwork.

If you hope to take a light fitting, fitted storage or another attached item, raise it before agreeing the sale terms. Ask how any agreed replacement, disconnection and making good will be documented. Use an appropriate professional for work that needs one; do not leave unsafe wiring or open connections as a moving-day shortcut.

Remember the garden and connected equipment

Sheds, planters, outdoor storage, water butts and garden furniture are easy to overlook when attention is on the kitchen. Record what you propose to leave and ask the solicitor about structures or items fixed in place. Do not treat a garden room as ordinary movable furniture simply because its original supplier delivered it in sections.

For equipment such as a smart doorbell, heating controller or alarm, separate the physical device from an account or paid service. Note what is included, which manuals and controls are available, and what needs a manufacturer-approved ownership handover. Do not give the buyer your personal account password. Confirm the handover method for the actual product.

Resolve extras and check the agreed list at handover

If the buyer wants furniture or other extras, send the proposed agreement to your solicitor before treating it as final. Keep the property price and any genuine separately agreed items clear. Do not invent values for contents or move part of the house price into an informal side arrangement to change a tax calculation.

Before completion, compare the agreed list with the home as it now stands. Tell your solicitor promptly if an included appliance has failed or something has been damaged. Gather manuals, available guarantees and the agreed controls together. A straightforward factual handover is more useful than a last-minute argument about what someone thought was included.

An estate agent's appraisal or online guide range is not an itemised offer for your belongings. Use it for the property-price discussion, then deal with the contents explicitly through the sale paperwork.

For the rest of your preparation, use the Derry pre-sale valuation checklist.

Still planning your asking price? Start with a Derry guide estimate. Name and email are required for the estimate and report; follow-up is optional.