In foreclosure is it illegal to take appliances and fixtures with you that did not come with the house?

In virtually all lender agreements there is a stipulation that any improvements made are to remain with the property. This generally pertains to things such as an air conditioner or furnance that has been replaced, in some cases ceiling fans, those things which would damage or devaluate the property if they were to be removed. The safest option would be to simply ask about specific items, rather than remove them and take the chance of it creating problems at some later time. Unless you have a specific agreement with the owner of the mortgage anything that has been installed has become a fixture and is PART OF the property once you install it and no longer your personal property. So if you upgraded the dishwasher, for example, you must leave it unless you specifically get permission to replace it with the old one that you removed. Same with your grandma's heirloom light fixture that you brought to the house. Once you installed it, it became part of of the house and must remain with the house legally unless you get a signed agreement that states that you can replace it with a different light fixture.