The short answer
Technically you can remove them. Practically, made-to-measure panels fit one set of openings and nothing else, and buyers usually expect them to stay. Here is how it normally plays out and what to put on the paperwork.
- Usually treated as
- A fixture that stays with the house
- Declare on
- The TA10 fittings and contents form
- Refitting elsewhere
- Rarely viable, openings differ
Fixture or fitting?
Shutters are screwed to the reveal and made to that opening, so in practice they are treated as fixtures and stay unless you explicitly exclude them. Blinds are more often listed as contents, but the same principle applies: say what you intend early.
The place to record it is the fittings and contents form during conveyancing, not a conversation at the viewing.
Why refitting rarely works
A panel made for a 1,240mm out-of-square Victorian bay will not fit anything in the next house. Frames can occasionally be cut down, but the cost of adapting usually approaches the cost of new panels, and the result compromises the fit.
The exception is a like-for-like new build where openings are standardised, and even then it is a gamble worth checking before you unscrew anything.
The selling argument for leaving them
Fitted shutters photograph well and are a visible sign of a maintained house. Stripping them leaves bare screw holes in every reveal and a room that looks undressed in the listing photos, which tends to cost more than the panels are worth to you.
Doing the new place properly
Most people who move within our area come back to us for the new property and get a scheme designed for those windows. If your move is local, tell us at the survey, we will plan the order around your completion date rather than leaving you with bare windows on week one.
Common questions
Do shutters add value to a house?
They are a well-regarded fitted improvement and they present well in photographs and viewings. Whether that becomes a specific figure depends entirely on the property and market, so we do not claim a percentage.
Can shutters be resized for a new home?
Occasionally a frame can be reduced, but the cost and the compromised fit usually make new panels the better answer.
Should I list shutters as included in the sale?
Yes, record them on the fittings and contents form so there is no dispute close to exchange.
How soon can you fit after I complete?
We survey once you have access and then work to the manufacturing lead time for the product you choose. Telling us your target date at the survey lets us plan the order around it.