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?

@DancingQueen85

So as I suggested there has been pretty much zero consequence to the situation. They were out a couple of hours later, the op can move in tomorrow. They were absolutely in the wrong but it doesn't sound like there was much harm done in the end.

Except that OP's DH took the day off work TODAY to move in, as well as tomorrow. At the request of the sellers, no less. He's lost that time off for that purpose, now. Jesus, I really hope I never have to buy a house off you. You just don't.....seem.....to.....get......it. Talking slowly because you're coming across as being exactly like the vendors here, not seeing things from the buyers' point of view at all. It's extremely selfish.

@Lucycantdance

I have not RTWT but aren't there quite severe penalties financially for this?

Only if the buyer incurs charges. They can sue for reimbursement - so waiting costs from the removal company, hotel if you need it for the night etc.

The big costs come when you've exchanged but the seller (or buyer) fails to complete - that can run in to thousands because the person causing it can be held responsible for all costs in the chain.

But it doesn't sound like OP incurred any costs thankfully, just lots of stress.

@AdobeWanKenobi

Fairly sure the insurance is still absolutely valid given you insure from exchange.

They are however CF's and I'd be getting there to keep an eye on them.

I was going to let my sellers stay an extra day after completion and my solicitor went ballistic because the buildings insurance IS invalidated as you haven’t taken possession.

The cost to rent a van isn't. Possibility of charges incurred if not returned. Additional charges for extra day used on the vehicle. Fuel. Loss of a days income/holiday from work.

They had already planned for tomorrow. No extra costs are being borne.

Unwanted stress.

Which appears to come solely from the fact they didn't move out and leave the house empty 24 hours sooner than it needed to be.

Sure, they should have left, but has the OP actually been inconvenienced other than flapping around unnecessarily today?

(It didn’t happen, they were told to get out!)

Sympathoes OP - happened to me.

Monies transferred at 1130am, I didnt get the keys until 530pm.

The estate agent spent the day chasing, the solicitor chased..... nothing. Turns out the vendor was too tight to pay for a removal company and did it all in his Vauxhall Astra 😯

There should be a £100 financial penalty for every hour you outstay your welcome. The solicitor should retain £1000 from the sale until vacant possession is delivered which is what you pay for.

@CurlyhairedAssassin
The feeling is absolutely mutual regarding not wishing to buy a house from you. You sound easily stressed. That must make life hard.
I have bought and sold several properties and of course I would never behave in such an inconsiderate way. If it happened to me and I was currently in rented accommodation, then I would see it as an annoyance of course but there is no huge inconvenience and no reason to get so stressed.

Many years ago now when we bought our first flat the completion date was put back by a month at the last moment (day before I think), because when the Solicitors were doing their final checks it became apparent the Vendors weren't aware that "vacant possession upon completion" meant just that. They thought they could move out when they were ready.

Annoying as it was, shouldn't somebody have checked everybody understood the rules & expectations before now?

Thank heavens you are in rented & have a roof over your head.

We were completely packed and ready to go apart from the kettle and breakfast things on the day we moved. You get months to prepare for a move, it's not an overnight event.

Some people are just idiots.

Your mortgage is approved on the basis of vacant possession so you are breaching your mortgage agreement too.

We had similar this year. Sellers only moved one street away. They moved out but didnt give the keys to the agent. My 75 yr old mil was desperate for the toilet on our new drive with no keys. Our cats in carriers in the car for hours. Our removal van packed outside our house waiting. Me holding a goldfish in a bag for hours until the vendors graced the agents with the keys. Beyond entitled.

@BoredZelda

I think you're completely missing the point.

Completion date was today. Today being this current day. Not yesterday, not tomorrow. Today.

Completion of a property is agreed between the buyer and the seller (if you have been through a sale of a property, this should be familiar). Once a property is completed (payment has gone from the buyers account into the sellers account), they have full right ownership of the property; Title deeds, contract agreement, Land Registry etc) will all be under the new owners name so what you're saying makes no sense - the property isn't completing tomorrow. It had completed today at 2pm.

If you had booked a holiday for 26.11.21, you expect to be at the airport on time to catch your flight. Not turn up on the 27th. Because if you did, you'd have to arrange to purchase new tickets out of your own pocket much like OP having to rearrange the rental van etc.

The plane isn't going to wait for you.

Hope the above clears it up for you a little. Happy to provide details on how Title Deeds work so you have a little more understanding of it.

How much energy have you got to get so angry over this? Get yourself a cuppa and have a relax, you've been working yourself up. Yes they're tresspassing but as you've said you only live down the road it's not that bad, it's not like you've travelled far and it'll be straightforward enough to sort out a charge via solicitors if need be for removal cost re-arrangements.

They have gone from next door drive now.

All the kitchen drawers are filled with with crap. Dh is doing some cleaning while he’s there.

I don’t think it’s so out there that i’ve found today quite stressful to be honest.

Seriously, would some of you have just shrugged your shoulders and said “oh well, the van isn’t booked until tomorrow anyway”, and just gone happily about your day? I wish I was that relaxed!

Overlooked that your DH took time off work, you should sue but try not to get too stressed over all this

People don’t seem to clean houses anymore when they move. Of the last 4 houses I have bought, 3 were absolutely filthy. The 4th wasn’t too bad (although by this stage my expectations are so low, I think it only seemed ok in comparison to the others), until I looked in the loft and it is full of crap, despite it being specified in the contract for them to remove it.

I would have been insanely stressed in your situation. Some of the responses are bizarre on this thread.

We had a similar issue and we laugh about it now but it was awful at the time.

@Twatarse

They have gone from next door drive now.

All the kitchen drawers are filled with with crap. Dh is doing some cleaning while he’s there.

I don’t think it’s so out there that i’ve found today quite stressful to be honest.

Seriously, would some of you have just shrugged your shoulders and said “oh well, the van isn’t booked until tomorrow anyway”, and just gone happily about your day? I wish I was that relaxed!

Take photos of the mess and stuff left.

Send to your solicitors and ask what you can do about it. You may be able to recoup costs of removal and cleaning costs.

Completely normal to be stressed by that.

We had this 11 years ago. It was 6:30 and we could still see paintings up on the bedroom wall!!
They finally left with the help of the estate agents who'd locked up at 6 and come down to help them get everything out.
It was Friday evening in January, we had until Monday 9 am to give the keys back to our housing association landlord who'd already given us a week extra on the tenancy as they'd already delayed things and we'd had to give a 4 week notice.
They acted really surprised that we'd planned on sleeping in our new home, where else would we sleep? We'd packed the whole house up since 10 am, completion happened around 2:30 and our youngest was 3 so we wanted to be in by evening.

It makes me wonder where the vendors are moving to. Surely with the new place they've bought, they expect the vendors of that house to be ready to move, so why do they think the same rule doesn't apply to them?

OP do you know anything about what's going on higher up the chain?

Me and dh have moved 3 times in 23 years.
We are packed up in box weeks before.
Just the bare essentials out.
The first move we 'agreed' we would move the day after completion if our buyer would wait until 5 pm on the Saturday
So we completed Friday.
Got the key posted through the letter box early Saturday.
Started moving (5 mins down the road) Saturday 3 men and a van.
Out by 5. But we had organised it between us.
2nd move had 9 in the chain.
We were all packed up in van 10 am.
Money started to move up the chain. Slowly. We could not move in until our money hit their bank.
It was gone 2 pm.
3rd time we were moving in the front door as they were moving out the back. But it was all very friendly and most of the stuff was gone. I think a 2 hour over lap.
At 2pm I was still packing up the other house and running round touching up paint where pictures had been. Leaving wine and welcome to your new home cards for the new owner. They even thank me later on how immaculate we'd left it. They got the keys about 5,as they still had their previous house at the time.
I think good communication helped with us and being really organised.
Good luck in your new home op!

Exactly the same thing happened to me.
Some people simply do not understand that you need to be packed up and ready to go on competion day....not waiting for the funds to appear in your account before they start packing.

@BoredZelda - the vendors "got away with it " because the OP didn't have a chain. Most people need to sell house A to have the funds to buy house B. Having someone in rented isn't the norm.

If you sell your house at 2pm on 24th, then your stuff should be out of it before 2pm. Its not complicated.