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Original poster

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

261 replies

TheGrumpyAccountant · 08/08/2025 21:11

Today was moving day. Having sold our house, we packed up and cleaned yesterday so that we could do a final clean/take last minute stuff today. All of our belongings were out and being stored as of yesterday afternoon. We handed in keys at 10.30am this morning and our funds were transferred to the solicitor of our sellers before 11am. At 1.15pm we were told that we could collect the keys to our new house from their solicitors. When we arrived at the new house the previous occupants were just ‘chilling’ in the house (despite having meant to have handed all keys to their solicitors). Standing with my toddler and newborn, when I (very politely) spoke to them they said that they had not yet been told they could collect their keys for their new house and so refused to leave until they knew they had somewhere to go as if something went wrong they’d have nowhere to go. I pointed out that if they don’t leave WE would have nowhere to go. After some quick calls to lawyers they were told they had to leave, so they eventually did.

We are in Scotland in case that makes any difference to legalities etc.

AIBU to this that they were unreasonable in this situation? They’ve really taken the shine off of moving day for me since it all got quite tense and stressy. We are also in the new house over 2 hours later than we could have been.

OP posts:
Blablibladirladada · 10/08/2025 18:47

BabyCatFace · 09/08/2025 20:28

No, once your buyer's funds have cleared in your account you clear out of the house because you no longer own it. You then wait for your funds to clear in your seller's account. But you do it from OUTSIDE of the house you're selling because it's not yours anymore!

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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?

Blablibladirladada · 10/08/2025 18:45

BlankBlankBlank14 · 10/08/2025 05:42

Well you would be completely wrong! The house you used to own belongs to someone else if there paid for it.

If you’ve not managed to pay for your new home, but you’ve received bed the money for your old home, you have to move out of your old home because that is now owned by someone else.

It doesn’t reverse the whole chain.

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

TheBerry · 10/08/2025 18:35

yestheyhavethesamedad · 10/08/2025 16:29

If they had damaged anything in those couple of hours the op would be liable and what if their buy had fallen through , how long should they leave them then?

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Idk I’d have let them stay a couple hours I guess.

But I definitely regret saying anything now I’ve received about 50 scathing notifications 😬

LovesToWalk · 10/08/2025 18:20

Oh god I hate that ‘loaded and homeless’ stage of house buying. Where your old house no longer belongs to you, but your money hasn’t gone across yet.

Our solicitor was shit and ‘went to lunch!’ Last time and we were as we called it ‘loaded and homeless’ for 3 hours (normally it doesn’t take that long!). Seriously pissed off, but not our buyers fault. We sat in the estate agents (my friend worked there) and had a coffee and some cake and ended up having to pay removal guys extra ad they were on the drive waiting for the go ahead to go in. YNBU.

deste · 10/08/2025 16:48

My son turned up with the keys to his new house. The stereo was blaring and the tenant had made no effort to pack. The solicitor said to give him 24 hours and then come back.
When challenged he said that he hadn't received the money in to his hand yet.

yestheyhavethesamedad · 10/08/2025 16:43

Glindaa · 09/08/2025 00:21

Could claim squatters rights though

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Not in scotland you cannot , no such thing as squatters rights here.

Zippedydodah · 10/08/2025 16:40

SomeOfTheTrouble · 10/08/2025 12:34

I don’t like cats, old or young. I’d be pretty pissed off if someone left their cat behind in the house I now owned! In fact if someone left their cat behind and hadn’t told me they were coming back to collect ASAP I’d have called the RSPCA or a shelter to come and collect it.

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We found a bloody live corn snake in the middle of the filthy living room when we brought this house.
The whole house was so filthy we slept in a tent in the back garden for 3 nights because I couldn’t stand the smell and dirt. When we’d seen the house on our two visits it had been immaculate and I can only imagine that they did absolutely nothing housework-wise in the intervening four months <<shudder>>, including cleaning up after their cat.

yestheyhavethesamedad · 10/08/2025 16:29

TheBerry · 08/08/2025 21:55

Think you’re overreacting. I’d have been happy to let them stay a couple hours. Be kind, etc.

If they had damaged anything in those couple of hours the op would be liable and what if their buy had fallen through , how long should they leave them then?

yestheyhavethesamedad · 10/08/2025 16:24

dogcatkitten · 08/08/2025 21:32

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.

Amazed your solicitor didnt advise , if they didnt give vacant possession then they are liable for additional costs.

yestheyhavethesamedad · 10/08/2025 16:20

Didimum · 08/08/2025 21:15

Bit of a mountain out of a molehill, OP. Everything ended up fine.

FWIW, I wouldn’t leave my house until I got the completion call from my solicitor either.

Edited

Legally the house is no longer theirs, they sold it , funds were transferred , if they had no where to go thats between them and the seller of the house they are buying , not the op.

Mackerelfillets · 10/08/2025 16:14

This happened to us. We arrived at our new house to find the current owner still moving her stuff out. This was about 25 years ago and we didnt collect keys or hand in keys then, not sure why. Anyway she had a small van and once it was full she locked the door, refused us entry as the house was only half empty and disappeared to her new house, returning several hours later. We spent about 4 hours sat on the doorstep. In the end we were moving our stuff in the front door while she was moving the rest of her stuff out the back door in the dark. Crazy.

Donsyb · 10/08/2025 15:09

Didimum · 08/08/2025 21:15

Bit of a mountain out of a molehill, OP. Everything ended up fine.

FWIW, I wouldn’t leave my house until I got the completion call from my solicitor either.

Edited

Pretty sure it’s illegal not to leave once the house you’re selling has completed, even if the house you’re buying hasn’t. It’s no longer your house and you’re trespassing.

AmIthatSpringy · 10/08/2025 14:58

TheBerry · 08/08/2025 21:55

Think you’re overreacting. I’d have been happy to let them stay a couple hours. Be kind, etc.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 Be Kind

AmIthatSpringy · 10/08/2025 14:51

Didimum · 08/08/2025 21:15

Bit of a mountain out of a molehill, OP. Everything ended up fine.

FWIW, I wouldn’t leave my house until I got the completion call from my solicitor either.

Edited

Well if I'd bought the house , with the funds cleared and been given the keys, you'd feel uncomfortable as I would start unpacking around you

SomeOfTheTrouble · 10/08/2025 14:51

B1anche · 10/08/2025 13:37

Maybe not, but there could be other older cats (or people who identify as cats) who are feeling body shamed by this. "Be kind."

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😂

WearyAuldWumman · 10/08/2025 14:40

My recollection is that I had to have our old house emptied by 10 am.

After discussing with the estate agent, he told me to do the final clean the night before and post the keys through the letterbox as I left - the EA would pick them up in the morning and hand them plus the keys which he held to the new owners in on the doorstep in the morning.

I had got a detailed list of everything which needed to be done from the buyer's solicitor - this included having everything emptied, including the contents of the loft and the garden sheds. (Scotland.)

Nearly50omg · 10/08/2025 14:31

MyFavouriteSpoon · 08/08/2025 23:58

I felt terrible on moving day as we were still trying to get out but our movers were taking longer than expected. We had until 5 but had said we thought we'd be out by 3 so our buyers were ready for 3. Unfortunately it turned out to be 5:05. I apologised profusely as it wasn't what I'd wanted for our buyers to have to wait. They were lovely about it and we're on good terms. I can't imagine inconveniencing a buyer deliberately and thinking that's ok.

You only have until the time the money is transferred into your solicitor’s account to get out of the house NOT another random time that you decide on!

Nearly50omg · 10/08/2025 14:20

legolegoeverywhereandnotadroptodrink · 10/08/2025 09:12

This happened when i moved.

the money came through from our buyers around 11am

our money went through to our sellers around 11:30am

we weren’t quite ready to leave / get keys until around 12:30. You cant clean fully until furniture is removed.

the EA asked us for an estimated time when we would leave. We said 1pm. They said fine. We were gone sooner. There has to be some flexibility from all parties. Its a stressful event.

you were lucky to have been out of your house as quickly as you were.

You are the CF in this case then as you were staying in a house that you no longer owned! You are meant to be completely ready to leave the house by 9am on the morning of completion!! It’s not like you didn’t have warning

B1anche · 10/08/2025 13:37

SomeOfTheTrouble · 10/08/2025 12:51

Hopefully the PP wasn’t actually unpleasant to the cat. I don’t think it would be too bothered by being called ‘skanky’ on an anonymous internet forum!

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Maybe not, but there could be other older cats (or people who identify as cats) who are feeling body shamed by this. "Be kind."

SomeOfTheTrouble · 10/08/2025 12:51

FlyMeSomewhere · 10/08/2025 12:39

I'm not disagreeing as my.cats couldn't just be accepting of a strange cat but it's the animosity towards that I don't get. Cats don't have to be your cup of tea but no need to be unpleasant towards the cat.

Hopefully the PP wasn’t actually unpleasant to the cat. I don’t think it would be too bothered by being called ‘skanky’ on an anonymous internet forum!

Greentambourine · 10/08/2025 12:42

When I moved last we were all packed on time, as were our buyers and our vendors, but solicitors were saying no money transferred yet. We decided to drive to the new house, expecting completion soon. We sat outside with my vendors still there.
My removal company kept phoning me complaining about the delay. The man there was very aggressive, acting as if it was my fault, and escalating the price.
The delay turned out to be due to Barclays systems being down and the buyers at the bottom of the chain were with Barclays. Solicitors tried all day to get a "gentleman's agreement" to move without completion, but failed.
By 4.30 my removal men (with all my worldly goods) had gone to their depot for the weekend and my solicitor went home, unable to do more.
I had three nights homeless, staying with family.

FlyMeSomewhere · 10/08/2025 12:39

I'm not disagreeing as my.cats couldn't just be accepting of a strange cat but it's the animosity towards that I don't get. Cats don't have to be your cup of tea but no need to be unpleasant towards the cat.

SomeOfTheTrouble · 10/08/2025 12:34

FlyMeSomewhere · 10/08/2025 12:18

That poor cat! It must have been so confused and to be left around people that clearly had disdain for it! No cat is skanky, they just age like any other living being.

Show quote history

I don’t like cats, old or young. I’d be pretty pissed off if someone left their cat behind in the house I now owned! In fact if someone left their cat behind and hadn’t told me they were coming back to collect ASAP I’d have called the RSPCA or a shelter to come and collect it.

FlyMeSomewhere · 10/08/2025 12:18

T1Dmama · 10/08/2025 10:23

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

That poor cat! It must have been so confused and to be left around people that clearly had disdain for it! No cat is skanky, they just age like any other living being.

Mackerelfillets · 10/08/2025 10:43

This happened to us. We arrived at our new house to find the current owner still moving her stuff out. This was about 25 years ago and we didnt collect keys or hand in keys then, not sure why. Anyway she had a small van and once it was full she locked the door, refused us entry as the house was only half empty and disappeared to her new house, returning several hours later. We spent about 4 hours sat on the doorstep. In the end we were moving our stuff in the front door while she was moving the rest of her stuff out the back door in the dark. Crazy.

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