Quote:
Originally Posted by Scuba_Dave
Anything & everything in a house can be removed as part of a sale
Including light fixtures, floors, gardens & appliances
Usually houses are sold with these items included
But if you own the house it is not a crime to remove them
We bought a $1200+ stove for $400 from someone that still owned the house
They were selling off what they could since they owned 2 houses
Be thankful the copper was not stripped out of the house
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Sorry, Dave, but you are wrong. Fixtures are part of the collateral pledged for the loan and preservation of collateral is required. Destroying or wasting the lender's collateral is a crime. One of the loans held by a former employer of mine had collateral where someone removed two miles of irrigation lines. We reported it to the Sheriff who was eager to file criminal charges against our borrower but we had no way of proving the borrower committed the crime.
See some search results:
WikiAnswers - In foreclosure is it illegal to take appliances and fixtures with you that did not come with the house
Cops: Evicted man trashes house in foreclosure - Chicago Breaking News
Lots more for your reading:
is it a crime to remove appliances from house in foreclosure - Google Search
You may have unknowingly committed a crime yourself in buying the stove.
I don't have to be thankful the copper wasn't stripped from the house. The prior owner should be thankful as he'd have that much larger of a deficiency judgment against him. The house would sell at a much steeper discount if it had wiring removed and/or been vandalized. I've seen plenty of those types of homes but not as many as I had thought when I first started looking into buying another home.