Seller taking plants from garden

[0PandaddMMyyyy0Falseen-USTrue]

When we bought our new house the seller told us he wanted to take a particular plant. That was fine with us. Only 1 and anyway I didn't like it.
Now they have sent us a list of a few more they want to take.
I don't intend to fall out with them over a few plants (they are a really nice family) but can anyone tell me if this is the norm in France?
As we're now back in the UK I'm not even sure which ones they are taking and whether they are all grouped together for instance so we'll be left with a big gap.
Any thoughts folks?

[Russethouse]

I have no idea what the norm is however I know I have plants that hold special memories so I understand the sellers desire to take a few things.
Why not ask for pictures so you can see what will be going and request cuttings or divisions, depending on the nature of the plant ?

Gay
http://www.quimperclub.org/

[Tresco]

>Now they have sent us a
>list of a few more
>they want to take.

They seem to be communicating honestly with you about their intentions.

>I don't intend to fall out
>with them over a few
>plants (they are a really
>nice family) but can anyone
>tell me if this is
>the norm in France?

Sorry, not with regard to plants, but I hope to reassure you. When we left our previous two houses, we told the purchasers we would be taking plants, and identified them, as your sellers have done. While we did dig up many of the plants we identified, it just proved too much hard work (and weight)to take them all. We brought eighty plants with us to France, some mature, but had to leave many we had said we would take - mature tree ferns, banana plants etc. The purchasers were concerned, and we arranged for them to come round and see before 'exchange'- they said they could not tell that any plants had been removed out of a garden of about 500m2, even though the plants conerned were awaiting loading in a courtyard which parked 4 cars

>As we're now back in the
> UK I'm not even
>sure which ones they are
>taking and whether they are
>all grouped together for instance
>so we'll be left with
>a big gap.

I can understand your concern. A large group of plants, or even one mature plant could leave a gap which spoils the look of the garden and is expensive to fill. Were you able to take photos of the garden, or can you remember it clearly? If so, you could request a faxed diagram, perhaps, showing where the plants are to be taken from. If the garden, as you saw it then, was one of your favourite things about the house, let the purchaser know this, and also that plants are expensive and time consuming to replace.

You must also arrange to view the property on the morning you finally complete the sale. From what I have read on this forum in the past, it's the norm in France to take all manner of items from the house itself, that is, items which are regarded as fixtures in UK. This could come as far more of a shock than a few gaps in your border. Before I purchased, I read very single archived thread on this forum, and others, as well as many books, and was alerted to many potential problems.

I hope everthing works out for you and that the sale goes through with no problems.

[letrangere]

You make a really interesting point here. For we all know it's perfectly acceptable - quite normal, in fact - for French vendors to strip the house clean and take practically everything with them, including the kitchen sink, but what is the legal position on the contents of the garden? Personally, if I were in your shoes I'd be a bit cheesed off but then again if it were MY garden and I was leavning I might feel differently. M

[David584]

Forgive my ignorance as I have not yet moved to France and therefore have yet to come across these problems.

I have also read and taken note of the contents of the LF forum. In relation to this subject, I am now asking myself, "Is this another matter that should be made part of the "compromis de vente"? I.E. the premises will be sold to the buyer complete with......etc

David

[Liz]

I wouldn't worry about this. Unless they are specialist nurserymen or have access to some heavy duty moving equipment they are not going to be able to take big plants at all. You simply cannot move large plants at the drop of a hat, they have to be prepared for the move perhaps a couple of years in advance. If they are smallish shrubs, and they would really have to be quite small for the average householder to move successfully, or herbaceous I think you will probably find that by next summer the gaps will have filled themselves naturally and if you need a few more plants, what fun choosing them. At least they have had the decency to give you a list.

You are lucky it is only a few plants, the norm is for everything including complete kitchens to vanish. The other norm is for a load of junk to be left behind for you to sort out. It sounds like your sellers are 'doing the right thing'.

Liz (29)

[Tonyfuller]

We're currently going though this in the UK before we move to France.

So what we did about a year ago is to identify the plants that we want to take with us and have potted them (some in very large pots) so when the potential buyers look around the garden we can tell them everything except the plants in pots. They even get my two sheds and 8 x 10 greenhouse.

And wouldn't you know it, this year we've had the best crop of tomatoes and courgettes for ages, ok for our last year here.

Tony Fuller

[Quillan]

I don't know about plants but when we arrived at the property after signing we found the owners sun throwing the last of the carrots in to the back of his car.

My understanding is that unless otherwise once you have signed whatever is at the property is legally yours, this includes any rubbish they have left behind. Not so silly as it seems, the removal of the rubbish is then your problem and I have read here (on the forum) of people having to hire several skips to get ride of it all at their expense.

Being France of course what really happens after the signing is anyones guess but apart from taking the carrots our house was empty and clean (the owners wife even scrubbed the inside of the kitchen units and they left us 'critical' lampbulbs in the toilet and alike). We bought some light fittings from them but paid in cash after we had signed and checked they were still there.

Can't be of much help otherwise.

Chris

http://www.chambresdhote.com