To think previous owners of our new house were being unreasonable?

In a chain, it’s meant to move from top down. The solicitors are supposed to communicate with each other from top down.

We arrived at our new house at the designated time, keys were meant to be handed over there. No one was there, the house was locked up and obviously still full of furniture. It was a weekend and our solicitor wasn't answering the phone. Eventually (hours later) our sellers turned up and started moving out their stuff, left a load for 'tomorrow' (if you don't mind, we did mind but what can you do?), which they picked up eventually. It was so stressful and such an anti-climax when you are so looking forward to getting your house.

Obviously you can choose not to move in to your property on that day if you don’t want to, but it is legally yours and the seller has no legal right to remain in the property. You would also have no legal right to stay in the property you have sold.

No
Exchange is when you sign contracts and agree to a sale.
Completion is when the money goes through and the sale is....complete.
Neither happens on the day of moving....

No
Exchange is when you sign contracts and agree to a sale.
Completion is when the money goes through and the sale is....complete.
Neither happens on the day of moving....

No it doesn’t! Completion date is moving date.

Do you mean exchange?

Completion takes place days before the moving date.

Completion takes place days before the moving date.

Until you’ve had your completion call, you don’t know you’ve completed. As above, it is supposed to move from top of chain down for this very reason. Solicitors’ error.

Yes, that's right. The financial compensation comes from the person who has failed to move out in time.

Ok, you were agreeing with that person. Whatever, once the I individual property has completed, the rest of the chain does what they like. If you’ve paid for, and legal ownership of the property is yours, then no financial compensation is coming from you, it’s coming from the person in the chain that has not met their legal obligation. How on earth would you get money from someone who had paid the money due for their property in the right time etc.

That is in both England and Scotland.

I actually did not state "the whole chain is reversed". You seem to be mixing me up with someone else.

its irrelevant it’s the same process on completion day, im not sure why you’re mentioning financial penalty, you stated the “whole chain is reversed” I.e. the people at the bottom of the chain, that have completed legally, their mortgage and funds clear, who legally now own the home has to move back out because someone at the top of the chain failed t complete,

How do you stop the people at the bottom of the chain legally owning the house because they’ve completed? It’s done, they own the home and have moved in and it’s theirs. You can’t then give them a call and say “move back out” it’s legally yours but five houses up the chain it’s fallen apart. It’s too late by then.

That's an English website. The OP is in Scotland. I do note, however, that the linked website mentions a financial penalty.

When I bought my first house and moved in, it looked like they had moved out weeks ago, the grass was waste height and I had to get my dad round with a strimmer and petrol mower as we hadn’t yet purchased one…. And the cooker was disgusting! I spent the moving in day scrubbing the bathroom, replaced toilet seat and cleaning the cooker. I’d be embarrassed to leave a house like that!!
when I moved a second time our solicitor was awful, I was meant to be moving and we hadn’t even exchanged! My rented place was ending and I complained about the poor communication… the people I was buying from thought I was holding it up and I thought it was them!! Anyway I was at work when I received a text saying ‘congratulations you are now the owner of x street house and you can collect your keys at midday! I called solicitors to be told we had exchanged and completed at the same time and the house was now mine!
I was at work, working till 6pm, on my own, so had to call my dad to hire a van and he and my mum just went to my rented place and threw everything into the van for me. Then came and collected me from work… it was so stressful having no warning!
Got to the the house and the couple had taken all the blinds that they had said they’d leave, so I had no curtains or anything and they’d left their skanky old cat… they popped back to collect the money we’d agreed on for blinds and other furniture and we towed on the doorstep about them taking the blinds… I told them they could come and get all the other stuff as it was mainly the blinds I’d wanted left (wasn’t bothered about the flat pack cheapo wardrobes !! Anyway they returned the next day with the blinds and collected their cat and money!
no idea what they thinking as I’m sure the blinds wouldn’t have fitted the windows they moved to

https://myhomemoveconveyancing.co.uk/buyers/exchange-and-completion/completion-day-explained/

the bit about legally owning the next property is the key!

In a chain, it’s meant to move from top down. The solicitors are supposed to communicate with each other from top down.

Yes of course,
you need to be “ready to go” but the people didn’t vacate yet as not heard from…it isn’t they weren’t ready. Or did I miss that part?

No. There is a clause that your buying is dependent of a sale. On the whole chain. Either it goes through or not.

No you are wrong!

No. There is a clause that your buying is dependent of a sale. On the whole chain. Either it goes through or not.

No once the money come though for the house being sold it no longer belongs to the prior owner and prior owner really shouldn't be there.

Though most people are okay or understanding as long as they seem to be getting moving - or nearly out the door ie shit happens and they aren't piss taking.

My Mum stuggled to understand this - she bought an empty new build and has never moved. She thought it was bad planning a school mum was going to be driving round/parked up with loaded up house for several hours - kids in school - and explaining house being sold needs to be empty when sale goes though and they have to wait for the buy of their next place to go through and in that time there's nowhere to be - Dmum couldn't grasp it.

IL esate agent neighbur said it's not uncommon - she said worst she has was a sale going though that day 3 bed house and her seller was oh DH will rent a van after work and pack up - she was like no you have to be out by midday or contract say you'll get fined- and it will take hours way longer than you think to pack a house. Woman had to ring her bloke at work get him home and drag in every one they knew and they were still really late - and in end the buyer movers were literally chucking their stuff in the street - estate agent said they were in tears on phone with her and she was well yea it's not your house now.

We ended up de-copuping last sale/buying - not our first choice and it dragged on way longer than initally planned- so didn't have same lack of access and stuff coming - but came with other problems and costs and stress.