Unless your Agreement of Purchase and Sale contains a specific clause that states that appliances and fixtures will be in good working order on closing then the obligation of the vendor is to ensure only that these items are in the same condition on closing as they were when your first viewed the home. In other words, if there is a washer and dryer on the premises that do not work at the time you first inspected the house then, in the absence of the good working order clause in your offer, there is no obligation on the vendor to repair these appliances before closing. Needless to say, you should make sure that your Real Estate Agent includes such a clause, for your protection, in your Agreement of Purchase and Sale. Make a note of the colour, make and model of the appliances at the time that you negotiate the Agreement of Purchase and Sale. While it does not happen on a regular basis, it is not unheard of for the seller to replace a new appliance with an old one in the time between the making of the contract and the completion of the sale. The best protection is for the Agreement of Purchase and Sale to actually contain the colour and make of each of the appliances that are to be left behind by the seller.
