You've Bought A Home & The Appliances Are Missing, What Now?
You move in to your new Vancouver home and the appliances are gone or have been replaced with inferior models. Perhaps the home seller took the washer and dryer or the swing set. Although it rarely happens it is good to know what your options are if it does.
What now?
Most importantly, keep a cool head.
Buying Real Estate and moving into your new home can be stressful as it is, stay calm and know you have options, most of which will bring a positive resolve. More often than not it is nothing more than a misunderstanding. The sellers thought they were entitled to take what they did and although they may not be happy about it but they will bring the items back.
First, ensure all items that you desire are specified in the contract when writing an offer. You can even go so far as specify the make and model number of appliances. If you don't then the seller may take the approach a stove is a stove and replace the stove you saw that you thought was amazing and replace it with a basic model. Bottom line if it is not in the contract then it becomes very difficult to ensure or recover specific items.
So if upon possession of your new home appliances or other items are missing, check the contract. Was the item specified to be included in the purchase price? If it was contact your Realtor, who should contact the sellers or the sellers' Realtor and explain that there seems to be a misunderstanding, items included in the contract are missing. Even if it wasn't an honest mistake, you have at the very least you have offered the sellers the opportunity to save face and return the items under the guise of an honest mistake.
If an aggressive approach is used then they will get there backs up and this reduces the chances of a positive resolve and the items returning quickly and in the condition that they left.
Bottom line... you get more flies with honey...
If the sellers don't feel the items were to be included and will not return them then the situation will need to be escalated to the Managing Brokers and/or legal professionals. Fortunately things rarely need to get this far.
If it was not in the contract then that is between the buyer and their Realtor to work out a resolve. Again a call may be made to the sellers but there is little to no legal recourse if the seller.