Three hours after completion still in my house

[Twatarse]

As the title.

Completed at 2pm.

No keys. Agents frantically calling vendors. They are still packing the van. Agent and solicitor tell them in no uncertain terms that they do not own the property anymore and are now breaking the law.

An hour and a half passes and they drop the keys off with the agent.

Phew, we think, they are all gone. So we pick up the keys and drive to the property - they are still there and the house is still full. I mean full - could still see paintings on the wall in the lounge, hallway and kitchen filled with boxes, appliances.

Get a sob story of how they have been at work all day (completion date hardly comes as a fucking surprise, maybe take the day off as we did?)

I tell them that they no longer own the properly, me and my husband do, and that actually, we could legally walk in and lock the doors, “you couldn’t” came the reply - I don’t know what planet some people live on.

Called the agent who was like, What?! Solicitor aghast too. Our solicitor have contacted thieves saying that yep, we’ll just lock them out if we chose to and charge them to remove their properly.

I didn’t go in and lock the doors, I’m not that much of a prick even though it’s now my property and they are trespassing. My 15 month old was knackered in the back of the car.

Back at home now, thankfully only 5 mins down the road and thank god in a rented house so no massive deal tonight although removals booked for 9am.

I’m so pissed off. We’ve had a really awful few months, I’ve got a close relative in hospital, Ive been fighting for a diagnosis for them, I’ve been ill myself.

Why are people such dicks?

We moved in to our first house, years ago, changed the locks straightaway (can't remember why) – next day, friends of the old owner tried their key in the lock - they were coming to collect stuff they hadn't moved out, which included the sofa and boxes in the loft. I expect it's always happened...

@NiceTwin - see, you did the normal thing of keeping everyone up to speed with what was happening - glad you eventually got your deposit back and I don't at all blame you for roasting the moving company!

@JunoMcDuff - so long as you replace them with ordinary lightbulbs, can't see that being a problem - it's when you leave empty light fittings that it's a bit bloody rude (and I do think it's not supposed to happen, but again, can't be sure)

@KeepPortlandWeird - it's people like you that enable the cheeky fuckers of the world. Stop it.

And for all the other "No biggie, just chill" types - are you failing to understand the cost implications when movers are booked? (Never mind the rest, insurance etc) If you're moving yourself, it's annoying but doesn't cost you anything extra unless you've hired a van - but if you've booked a removal company then THEY WILL CHARGE EXTRA.

It does concern me that there are a few tales of Estate Agents losing keys - this happened to me as well, but for my tenants. I had to supply them with another set of keys as they'd "lost" the ones they already had.

@Twatarse - glad you're in and that family came and helped with the clean up. You'll probably need a day in bed tomorrow to recover!!

I would never be 'in' the property on the day of exchange if I was the one vacating. The morning of I'd go around and clean any settled dust and do meter readings etc. Why people would wait until the day-of to move, it just sounds like a stress!

We had this arrived and they were having a meal around the table with absolutely nothing packed. Luckily we moved ourselves and had quite a few helpers, at one point we formed a chain from upstairs and passed all their stuff down to the front garden...

they also complained that as we had opened our front door, they had to keep hold of their dog(!) we got deliveries and post for ages from them and am still traumatised by the rubber male posing pouch we found behind a radiator.

It took forever to clear all the shit they left in the sheds and loft (they never asked for it) but we made a bit flogging the bikes and tools they abandoned- our solicitor wrote to them about it and twenty plus years on I'm sure they won't as for them back

WeAre - that is OK but are you suggesting that people store all their belongings and furniture for a day and staying in a hotel? Where are you suggesting that people sleep?

We had two huge removal lorries and we packed up over the preceeding few weeks. Two days before the removers came in and packed up. By 11.00 moving day we were done.

Some people are literally moving their goods from one house to another ON THE SAME DAY - there is nowhere else to go...

Some people are as stingy as hell and completely ignore the crap they have resulting in them underestimating just how complex moving house is.

Some people are just thick and it doesnt surprise me that some people dont seem to realise they need to be out on completion day, not when they are ready.

Of course there are the CF''s who dont care. Demanding that the police, EA's and solicitors turn up and turf the idiots out?? What are they going to do, handcuff them, wrestle them to the ground? More likely they will end up having to help these idiots move out.

I once helped a woman to move, in support of her son and daughter in law. We had to empty kitchen drawers and god knows what else. Absolutely nothing had been done and there wasn't much moving done that day, only packing, which took a team.

@KeepPortlandWeird

Maybe extend a little patience. They’re obviously very behind.

As you’re in rented accommodation right now you can surely stay another 24 hours there to give them time to pack up?

Personally seeing as I’d booked a day off work anyway, I’d have helped them pack up if it was going to facilitate my moving in quicker. It’s the nice thing to do.

I think this is the weirdest thing I’ve ever read on mumsnet.

Enjoy your new home OP

BorsetshireBanality
Very minor revenge but cross out the address and write RTS (return to sender) on any mail that turns up for them and put back in post after suitable delay (CFs like them won’t have set up a redirection) and if there is a landline ask for a new number.

curdsandwhey
Yes. It's actually much better than just putting them in the bin, which means you'll just keep receiving more letters for them. Do a RTS and the companies will eventually update the address and you won't receive them any more.

It's my understanding that you can only bin junk mail circulars, the rest of it is official Royal Mail property and you can get into serious trouble for mishandling post that's not yours, so best write RTS and pop it in a postbox. How long that takes, is up to you...

@WeAreTheWeirdosMister

I would never be 'in' the property on the day of exchange if I was the one vacating. The morning of I'd go around and clean any settled dust and do meter readings etc. Why people would wait until the day-of to move, it just sounds like a stress!

Because removals companies that store your things overnight cost a fortune!

"They chose a shoddy removal firm (man with a van)."

There's nothing shoddy about a man with a van. If you get a man with a van, you do all the packing and a lot of the carrying yourself, that's all.

I hired a man with a van once who was great. However, I had to hire a different one a few months ago, and he was awful. We waited for him and he just didn’t turn up. I phoned and he said he wasn’t coming as he was in bed with “the virus”. Instead of apologising, he moaned that I’d woken him up!

I know anyone can get ill, but he could at least have let us know, or asked his wife to tell us (she was at home with him). Thank goodness I was moving my stuff into storage before completion day.

Anyway, I hope you settle in soon OP and enjoy your new home.

OP I would be fuming too and I can't believe some posters are saying you should be more reasonable - WTAF only on Mumsnet would you get that kind of response. I feel your pain about the state of the house, hope it doesn't take the shine off the house and that in years to come you can laugh about the utter cheeky fuckness of it

@WeAreTheWeirdosMister

I would never be 'in' the property on the day of exchange if I was the one vacating. The morning of I'd go around and clean any settled dust and do meter readings etc. Why people would wait until the day-of to move, it just sounds like a stress!

Have you never been part of a chain?

my seller was out on time but renaged on the agreement to let me put stuff in the garden (benches, furniture, large flower pots etc), on moving day, before completion so that my movers could come back for another load- even though they were half way up the motorway by that point (I was only moving round the corner). This had been agreed weeks before exchange "of course, no problem" because all the removal firms were stretched to the limit.

Completion was delayed because the someone who'd been dealing with their sale was on leave - so an email sat in an unmonitored inbox for 2hrs. My solicitor chased it up as we knew the money had gone so must have been received. My buyers were happy for the other load to sit in the garden as we'd let them move their stuff into the garden the day before for similar reasons.

My buyers contacted me a few times post sale to clarify how to work things and where switches were - happy to oblige as they were a lovely couple (mind you they got shafted by their CF buyers). A few packages went to the old house by mistake and no problem about picking them up. My sellers OTOH didn't bother putting a redirect in place, told me, via the EA, that I just had to put their new address on the envelopes. Well, I might have, if they'd shown any consideration on moving day. I did it for a couple of weeks then told them I would be putting RTS. Which I have done ever since. Even now, almost a year later, they are getting post from banks and other financial institutions. Why??? I know they are not short of money - such a false economy.

Oops wrong thread!! how do I get it removed?!

They are definitely doing this on purpose. I'd go in and say you are worried about them. Ask them what is wrong that they need to carry on the dickish behaviour they have demonstrated for the last 11 months and do they need help with anything.

@KeepPortlandWeird

Maybe extend a little patience. They’re obviously very behind.

As you’re in rented accommodation right now you can surely stay another 24 hours there to give them time to pack up?

Personally seeing as I’d booked a day off work anyway, I’d have helped them pack up if it was going to facilitate my moving in quicker. It’s the nice thing to do.

Patience? These people have had ages to sort themselves out, and don't seem to have begun until today. It might be different if they were offering to pay any extra costs for the removal company which would be caused by delay, plus OP's rent, plus something for renting the property which is now OP's, but there's no hint of that.

@KeepPortlandWeird

Maybe extend a little patience. They’re obviously very behind.

As you’re in rented accommodation right now you can surely stay another 24 hours there to give them time to pack up?

Personally seeing as I’d booked a day off work anyway, I’d have helped them pack up if it was going to facilitate my moving in quicker. It’s the nice thing to do.

are you the previous owner? This is wild.

@KeepPortlandWeird

Maybe extend a little patience. They’re obviously very behind.

As you’re in rented accommodation right now you can surely stay another 24 hours there to give them time to pack up?

Personally seeing as I’d booked a day off work anyway, I’d have helped them pack up if it was going to facilitate my moving in quicker. It’s the nice thing to do.

😂😂😂😂

I often wonder how the fuckers get away with thinking shit like this is fine and then I read some replies on here.

Just met the neighbours by the way, the ones who’s drive they put all their things on.

They came round with some chocolate for the children, only thing they said about last night was “we did feel for you, what an awful situation, I really hope you had somewhere to stay?”

So that’s good at least.

KeepPortland - I strongly suspect you have never brought and sold EVER!

There are legal implications if you allow someone to live in YOUR house. You could find yourselves with CF's who refuse to move and you need to serve notice on them to leave and that will take months and months and costs lots and lots.

Glad you got in safely OP and that the new neighbours seem nice.

When I was with my ex, in fact our first home, we found the shed full of rusty tins of paint, old carpet, old plant pots, damp packets of plant food. They'd taken the lawn mower so they'd obviously not overlooked the shed, just couldn't be bothered to clear the rubbish. We only found it a couple of days later as we were too busy moving in and, as first time buyers, we didn't have anything that belonged in the shed at that point.

We got onto our solicitor asking if that was correct as we were sure we'd had something in the paperwork that said the sellers agreed to leave things tidy. The solicitor told us we were right - it's actually in the property form. So the solicitor wrote to their one and they had to pay for a skip and someone to clear it. Not clearing other peoples mess. We've almost always packed ourselves and, when we did use a moving company to pack, I followed them round wiping surfaces, DH gave the rooms a final hoover as they were taking the last items out and we'd cleaned the oven etc., the night before. Can't understand why you wouldn't?

Anyway, I checked the form for our current house just now as I couldn't remember what the form was and it says...

14.4 Will the seller ensure that:
(a) all rubbish is removed from the property (including from
the loft, garden, outbuildings, garages and sheds) and that
the property will be left in a clean and tidy condition?
(b) if light fittings are removed, the fittings will be replaced
with ceiling rose, flex, bulb holder and bulb?
(c) reasonable care will be taken when removing any other
fittings or contents?
(d) keys to all windows and doors and details of alarm codes
will be left at the property or with the estate agent?

And if you, as a seller, confirm that it's part of the contract.

When we sold our last house and bought our current one it was a bit of a nightmare.

We were late leaving our old house because the woman we were buying from just wouldn't get out of the one we were moving into (but our buyer had said he was fine with us leaving late as he was renting it out, plus we'd agreed to give the keys to him at his house to save him a journey to pick them up so he was happy.)

Our seller had insisted on one particular completion day, that one day and not a single other day would do.

Turns out it was because she thought it was a 'lucky' date and she wasn't actually even going to be in the country that day.

I had to then explain to her that she needed to be here to move all her things out. She disagreed. She said you get two weeks after completion to pack and move out.

She would not believe me that this was not the case, said the last time she moved she was able to take her time and had two weeks to move everything. I had to ring my solicitor and tell them to ring hers so they could explain to her that she needed to be out on completion.

She was very upset. She pointed out she had hundreds of books to pack, and pets to sort out, and that her trip abroad would be ruined now by having to either move before it or after it.

On the day, she was still packing because she hadn't started until the day before and it took longer than she thought. She wouldn't leave and she was still complaining about how unreasonable it was to have to move on completion day.

By the time she left and we had picked up the keys, it was dark and it had snowed. That's when we found out she had also flooded the kitchen because she'd disconnected her washing machine without capping off the pipes.

I honestly cried and just wanted to go back to 'my' house. It took me weeks to feel like the new one was my home after all that, it just felt so unwelcoming and stressful moving in.