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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bought a new house and the old owners didn't think they had to move out!

491 replies

thumb3lina · 26/02/2016 21:24

So today we went to complete on our new house, very excited and all packed ready to go. We got a call from our solicitor to say it was completed and we left to go to our new home, with all of our things. Stopped off at the estate agents, got the keys, everything fine.

We get there, go to the front door, put the key in and have a massive shock to find the previous owners sitting in the lounge. We asked who they were and they introduced themselves as the previous owners. They hadn't even packed one box!! DH asks them why they are still in OUR house and they inform us that they decided not to move out until Sunday!? We pointed out that we had all of our things in a van outside with our 2 month old baby and DH politely asked them to leave to which they replied it would be too inconvenient for them to leave today!

We ended up threatening to call the police as we legally owned the house and now had nowhere to go, so they said they would leave in an hour but acted as if we were being very unreasonable. We had to get all of our helpers to help them pack and they ended up leaving 5 hours later.

I'm also quite pissed off with the agent as surely they should make sure these situations don't happen.

OP posts:
FishWithABicycle · 26/02/2016 21:34

Your solicitor should be able to extract ££££ x lots from them for breach of contract as the contract MUST SURELY have specified that they would move out on the completion date.

theliverpoolone · 26/02/2016 21:35

Shock I'm amazed a whole house got packed up in 5 hrs - it normally takes days to pack and clear a house! Your helpers must have worked like demons! I bet you've had to do all the cleaning of it too.

EduCated · 26/02/2016 21:35

I clicked on this thinking it would be my cousin - but you're not! That's two in a week I've heard of!

JenEric · 26/02/2016 21:36

Wtaf how on earth do these people function?

TheCokeMachine · 26/02/2016 21:39

Just be thankful they left and enjoy your new home. There is nothing you can do now.

I had the same a few years ago, got keys from agent and went round to the house. Woman was vacuuming, there were potatoes baking in the oven?!?! She asked if I could wait until tomorrow to move in as her husband sat at the dining table not uttering a word.

I told her no, I'd vacated my house as part of the chain and told her and her family to do one sharpish. I also told them if they were not out within an hour anything left was mine as I owned the property, not sure if that was legal but it got them moving.

Speak to your solicitor if it cost you to remove them. My loonies just threw everything out into the front garden and then someone turned up in a van.

They left the potatoes Confused

Strokethefurrywall · 26/02/2016 21:40

Of all the WTF threads I've read today, this one is by far the best!

what is wrong with some people????

SauvignonBlanche · 26/02/2016 21:40

How bizarre! Shock

LurcioAgain · 26/02/2016 21:40

Wowzer - they thought they could stay for 2 extra days days Shock .

Something a bit like this but nowhere near as bad happened to my parents - arrived with van to find previous owners had decided on a DIY move and were still packing. My then boyfriend was amazed at my parents' sang froid - they tipped our removal men twenty quid (a lot of money back then) to keep them sweet, then we buggered off into the town centre and had a long, and extremely boozy lunch, before finally getting into the house late afternoon.

VenusInFauxFurs · 26/02/2016 21:41

What? How? What?

How on earth can you be supposedly adult enough to go through a whole house purchase and not understand how house buying works?

"oh, we just thought that we'd carry on living in this house that doesn't belong to us any more for a few extra days." WTAF?

BendydickCuminsnatch · 26/02/2016 21:41

I would be thoroughly, thoroughly perturbed.

At least you can hopefully get some compensation!

Bloody idiots!

SelfRaisingFlour · 26/02/2016 21:41

When I was a teenager my mother sold our house. The buyers had to leave where they were living for some reason and they asked if they could move into the garage of our house a week or two before completion. My mother said "no".

lookoutitsapiano · 26/02/2016 21:44

Wow, they clearly don't understand what exchanging means. I wouldn't blame the agents, sounds like it's the solicitors fault if anyone's! Or perhaps no one is to blame, as they are clearly just a bunch of loonys!

Like others have said, I promise this will seem very funny one day!

MaryPoppinsPenguins · 26/02/2016 21:44

We're moving soon and have told the current owners they can stay a few days past completion.. As we're in rented so are flexible and they've asked to move out slowly to clean etc... But unless prearranged? Bizarre!!

Original poster
thumb3lina · 26/02/2016 21:44

I have no idea where they have moved to, DH has been dealing with it as i'm so busy with our baby and today I spent the whole time trying to stop her crying.

Oh no they didn't get all of their stuff out in that 5 hours, they left so much stuff and the house is disgustingly dirty now. They left all of their food, toiletries, lots of clothes and even their toothbrushes...

OP posts:
SanityClause · 26/02/2016 21:45

To be fair, Fish, they did move out on the completion date. If the OP had had to pay for storage, and a hotel until they moved out, they probably could have claimed those costs.

MadamDeathstare · 26/02/2016 21:45

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Woobeedoo · 26/02/2016 21:45

This exact same thing happened to the previous owners of my house. They arrived at their new house complete with 3year old and 8month old to find the previous owners sat in the living room, not packed, watching TV. They had to stay in a hotel for a fortnight as that's how long it took the people to get their arses in gear and pack move out. Eek!

DancingDinosaur · 26/02/2016 21:46

Oh man, what a nightmare. You'll laugh about it in many years to come!!

MrsJorahMormont · 26/02/2016 21:46

Who are these people that only seem to exist on MN? I fervently hope

DancingDinosaur · 26/02/2016 21:47

Can you invoice for getting rid of their stuff and cleaning? Or not?

Bearbehind · 26/02/2016 21:47

marypoppins do you realise the implications of doing that?

You are technically their landlord for those few days- if the gas leaks or electrics fail it is entirely your responsibility.

I wouldn't allow that in a million years.

AnthonyPandy · 26/02/2016 21:47

I really really hope everyone is telling fibs, because the thought you may all be telling the truth is just too awful to contemplate.

BitOutOfPractice · 26/02/2016 21:48

Bloody hell fire. I really don't know what to say about their utter bonkersness.

It's been a nightmare today Thanks but I honestly thin in years to come you will laugh about this because it's so bizarre

I wish you every happiness in your new home and I hope you can get it all sorted to your liking very soon

SweetieDrops · 26/02/2016 21:48

Some of these stories are Shock.

I thought the previous owners of our last house had a cheek expecting to use it as a free storage facility, they left the shed and loft full of all their old crap and were most put out when they came a couple of weeks later to ask for it only to be told we'd hired a skip and chucked it all. At least they had moved themselves out.

SanityClause · 26/02/2016 21:48

Oh, x posted. You could probably charge for the cost of disposal of their stuff. Unfortunately, cleaning is a courtesy, not a contractual obligation.

I imagine solicitors costs of the recovery of your costs would be more than you were able to claim, anyway.