A wall split fixed to the house is normally a fixture. It stays with the property unless the contract of sale says it is excluded. Taking it means an F-gas certified company recovering the refrigerant, making good the walls, and a full new install at the next house. It is not a white good you unplug. Agree it with the buyer in the fittings list. If you are buying, test it, ask for service history, and do not assume the warranty transfers.
The fittings form, not the morning the van arrives
Solicitors deal with this on the fittings and contents form, not on the day the van arrives. If you want to remove a split, it has to be written in as excluded, and the buyer has to have agreed the price on that basis. Quietly unbolting it after exchange is how completions go sour. Citizens Advice covers the consumer side of home improvements. The sale contract is what decides the fixture.
A listing that showed cooling, then an empty wall
A listing that showed air conditioning, then a house without it, is a problem for the people who paid. Leave it, unless everyone has signed up to you taking it. Assume a fixed split stays.
Recovery, making good, and a new survey
Removal is refrigerant recovery, not a careful unplugging.
- Exclude it in the contract only with the buyer's agreement.
- Old pipework rarely comes with you.
- The new house needs its own survey and install.
- Venting refrigerant is not a moving-day shortcut.
Run it in cool, and in heat if it can
Even if the contract lets you remove the equipment, the indoor and outdoor units only work again if the new house has a suitable wall, a legal outdoor position, a drain and a new commission. A different kW may be right for the new room. The badge you liked is not a sizing method. Almost never reuse the old pipes as a simple move. GOV.UK F-gas rules mean a certified company has to handle the refrigerant at both ends. Making good the holes is part of leaving the house saleable.
If you are the incoming owner, run it in cool and, if it is reverse cycle, in heat. Listen to the outdoor unit. Look at the drain. Ask for invoices, servicing and whether the warranty can transfer. Many manufacturer warranties do not follow you automatically. Sometimes they do, if the manufacturer allows a transfer and the system was registered. Ask the brand or the original installer rather than assuming. Get the answer in writing rather than promising it in a listing.
A blank history, and a second outdoor unit later
Budget, as a 2026 illustration, for a service if the history is blank. A neglected system can still be worth keeping. A leaking one needs a proper repair before you rely on it next summer. Planning history matters too if you later want a second outdoor unit. The Planning Portal is that outdoor-unit check. Energy Saving Trust describes air-to-air heat pumps. It does not move a warranty to the buyer.
When taking it because you paid is the wrong plan
Paying for the install does not, by itself, let you remove a fixture. If it is a fixture, it stays unless the sale contract excludes it. Speak to your solicitor before you book a removal. Sellers should tell their solicitor early. Buyers should ask for the data plates and any paperwork in enquiries. If removal is agreed, book the F-gas company in time for completion, not the night before. Say whether the existing equipment is coming with you. Photos of both properties prevent a fantasy reuse of the old pipes.
Core buying guides
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Related guides
Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.