AIBU house sale

[Dreaminbleu]

We haven’t exchanged yet.

After a long few months the chain was meant to complete tomorrow. Due to various issues at the top it became clear last week this wasn’t going to happen. Our FTB have been waiting since January so we emailed our conveyancer as soon as we knew this to advise we would break the chain, in 10 days time.

Our FTB are demanding we move out immediately instead of the proposed date in 10 days. We need this time to organise a short term rental. We haven’t even exchanged yet and have house to finish packing, pets and children to organise.

WIBU here? Us for refusing to budge, or them?

If you were meant to complete tomorrow, should you not be packed and read to go?
The removal company stored my friend’s possessions for a week when this happened to her. If fact, they left the house contents on the vans in their secure storage.
We had a house purchase fall through completely at the very last minute, put everything in storage and found house to let. The agent got paperwork rushed through. No way we were going to disappoint our buyer and risk them pulling out.

Well if you haven't exchanged or completed then you still own the house and they can't demand you move out of your own house. They can of course pull out of the purchase because of the delay - but usually when it's got to this late stage they'll have invested a certain amount of money already and won't do that.
Delays are annoying but if you are in a chain you have to be prepared for these sort of problems. That's why people advertise a property as being 'chain free' as a positive point.

Were you planning to exchange and complete on the same day?

I think it's pretty normal for exchange dates to get pushed back a couple of times, ours was pushed back several times over 2 months because of the other two parties fanning about!! I honestly wouldn't go into a rental just because its been delayed! That's a huge decision to make. Honestly OP just stick it out and your buyers will have to suck it up.

The risk is they'll pull out so it depends whether you take that risk.

@Pottedpalm we haven’t exchanged yet so no we don’t need to get out. We’ve been trying to exchange for a few weeks since this date was floated as the date to aim for, but each time they’ve tried there have been problems so couldn’t do it. I thought 10 days delay was reasonable rather than waiting for the entire chain. As is stands we have no idea when we will complete on our purchase as the top seller has decided to buy somewhere!

Don’t be pushed into making decisions that are not in your best interests. You may choose to rent or not but no one can make you, it’s your house!

We don’t want to lose the buyer at all, which is why we’re offering the solution! I thought they would have been more than happy as 10 days is really nothing...

Offer to exchange tomorrow and complete 10 days?

@Hankunamatata that’s literally what we have proposed but the solicitor is still pushing for an earlier completion.

Throw it back to them. If they can arrange and pay for suitable temp accommodation you will be happy to leave ASAP.

10 days is nothing, they're being ridiculous.

They are FTB living with parents, we appreciate it’s annoying but we are also having to wait indefinitely!

They're FTB. They may not (yet) know how chaotic and broken the English conveyancing process is.

Surely common sense would dictate you can’t pull a rental out of thin air? What about viewings, references etc etc. Plus from what l hear the rental market is very busy in lots of places