Nowhere to live over Christmas, advice needed

Because it would save money in the long run. There are a lot of people who do this but I agree, not for the faint hearted. Just a suggestion and what I would do I think.

Why would you have been paying both? You don't pay the mortgage from exchange, it's from completion, so you could exchange say on the 1st of a month( or even before that) with completion agreed on 31st, you pay the last month's rent on the 1st, give a month's notice that day and start paying the mortgage on the 1st of the following month.
Am I missing something because that's what my son and wife did( had a few days overlap paying both because of weekends falling on certain dates), they gave notice on the day of exchange and completed and moved a month later.

Can you take some holiday from work to give yourself a bit of breathing space?
Or even tell them your situation and hope that they allow you time off.

It means you can rent somewhere really cheap and it doesn’t have to be close to work.

You can then post on every social media page you can and try and find someone looking for a lodger or cheap to rent.

Also look at campsites.
There may be caravans you can rent cheaply for now.

I’m sorry this is happening to you.

We use Rover.com to get house/dog sitters. Could that work?

What about this

Huh? You think she should live in a van in the middle of winter? There are about 500 rooms for rent in her area. Why on earth would she live in a van?

Definitely try trustedhousesitters. I know someone who saved up for a house deposit by just moving from house sit to house sit in the London area, while working in central London. They did it for a several years and put most of their stuff into storage. It's definitely doable.

Be very careful about staying put. It's true that on one hand you can't be made to leave without a court order. But you would have breached your agreement with the landlord and you could be responsible for all sorts of foreseeable costs for the landlords and the new tenants (and possibly others). You won't be homeless, but it could be very expensive indeed. Please take proper advice before you do that and don't rely on Mumsnet.

If you drive, what about a van or camper which you can sell on once you are settled again?

Yes she can’t rescind her notice.

I had a similar-ish situation years back and ended up lodging on a short term basis. Not ideal but it'll be a roof over your head. Maybe with another female of a similar age or something?

You are the one giving bad legal advice actually

It may be a blessing @Bakewellbits. Property is very flat in Croydon/Coulsdon at present. You may get a better deal.

Might it be worth writing to the probate departments of local solicitors? They might have empty properties waiting for private to be granted that could do with lights on/heating on pending paperwork and sale?

Yeah, it would be an absolutely cunty thing to do to the new tenants.

You're better than that. Have you absolutely no family/friends you could stay with? Could you WFH so you could consider options further out?

You definitely didn't get get any insurance that would cover your costs??

I'm sorry you're in this position, but at keast you could do AirBnB if you had to.

Is there a caravan park near you? My friend rented out her holiday caravan v cheap to someone in a similar situation to you, it was good for her as well as it was normally unoccupied over most of the winter so she got more income than usual even though the rate was low. Might be something like that you could do. Or make an offer to someone with a holiday home/rental that isn’t occupied - they might take you up on it.

Yeah, nobody likes paying double but it's something you just have to suck up for a month as a first time buyer moving from a rental. I'd budget for a bit of overlap next time.

Look for lodgings, friend of mine used to lodge with an elderly lady in North London just after graduation, the rent was cheap but my friend would pick up groceries for both of them, help out with any admin bits the lady needed, kept the place clean and tidy. The lady had a visual impairment and some limited mobility, so didn't really create much mess, my friend said it was no different in that respect to living alone, but was pleased to have company and felt less vulnerable having someone around. They used to cook for each other. My friend ended up staying there two years, (developed a mild taste for sherry) they got on, and it helped my friend get a foot on the career ladder, and save some money.

It could also potentially cause issues if she is evicted and can’t find a purchase so needs a rental with references. I’d be cautious and try to rent a room instead.

Well, perhaps the OP doesn't want to behave like an utter cunt?

the new tenants are not your monkey. sadly that's the case.

try talking to shelter, not citizens advice. CA is chocka getting pension credits sorted right now so are unlikely to be available until late January.

You could ask on your local Facebook group. I quite often see people asking to rent a room or flat on a temporary basis for similar reasons. It might suit someone looking for extra cash to rent out a room for a bit.

Are you drunk?

Helpful. As she said she couldn’t afford the rent and mortgage.

https://m.spareroom.co.uk/flatshare/?search_id=1335635542&mode=list

here is a search of Croydon, OP. There are quite a few out there lots that include bills too. I’d rent a furnished one with a live in landlady or landlord so you don’t have to sign a new tenancy agreement. Then stick your stuff in storage.