Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Virginia

When "fixtures" are attached to real estate, they become part of the real estate. For example if someone brings in a bookcase and it sits there free-standing it remains "personal property." But if it is installed into the wall, it is -- by law -- transformed into part of the real estate.

For obvious reasons -- the disruption that would occur from pulling a "fixture" out of the wall or out of a building is part of the legal reason that it is part of the building. However, this is not just practical. This is the standard legal rule.

However, your former girlfriend may be entitled to reimbursement for those items. If you "cannot" (practically) or don't want to rip them out of the building and return them, that does not mean she can't get reimbursement for them.

If the items can't be returned (without tearing up the building) then the dollar value would normally be paid to the person.

Whether this needs to be paid or not would depend upon whether under all the circumstances it looks like a gift or if she intended the items to belong to her and be kept.