Do we both need to take the day off - completion day?

[halfwaytomadeit]

When you completed on your home purchase (couples), did you both take the day off? Did one of you?

We have deposit funds separately in our bank account, and maybe exchanging and completing on the same day. Will we both need to take a day off work to be available for banks/solicitor, or can we avoid this by ensuring that solicitor has funds beforehand so is ready to exchange and complete when necessary?

Also, we don't need to worry about moving furniture that day, we are doing that at a later date.

Can your solicitor get hold of at least one of you by phone?

@BasementIdeas Yes

For completion our solicitors need the funds in their bank account in advance (just a day I think) so on the day itself one of us just had to be available to pick up the keys. For exchange we did the money that morning but we didn't need to do anything else in person.

You don’t need to but one should be available to collect the keys before the estate agents shut that day then you can go check the house is fully secure for the evening with alarm set etc.

Our first house purchase we both went to work as we were first time buyers moving out of parents' houses so didn't have any furniture etc. There was literally nothing for us to do that day except be on the end of the phone and leave work early enough to pick up keys from the estate agent.

I went to work on exchange day and the solicitor called me at work.

When we bought our first place we just worked and the solicitor called and said ‘it’s yours!’

If you aren’t actually moving that day then there’s no need provided you are contactable IMO.

Also it did not exchange on the expected date, but 4 days later

If you aren't having to move in that day, or move out of your current place, you just need to be contactable. When we bought our first home, our completion date was put back purely because the solicitors were so busy and they had a backlog of completion and exchanges. The main day we needed off was when we were negotiating our offer in the first place, which needed lots of phone calls and nail-biting.

If you're not actually moving that day I think it's totally fine. Probably one of you will need to go and pick the keys up, but assuming you're picking them up from the agents you can probably do that any time?

We moved a couple of weeks ago and we had to transfer money over to our solicitors two days before completion so if you are not actually moving on completion day I can't see why either of you would need to take the day off. Hope it all goes smoothly!

Deposit money to solicitor at the day before..

One of you needs to collect the keys before the estate agents shuts and you need to check that a) the vendor has fully moved out and b) that the house is in the condition you expect before the solicitors closes. Also take meter readings and check for gas leaks (yep, seriously had it happen to us!).

So one of you taking the afternoon off is a good idea, though I know lots of people like both to go through the door together for the first time, in which case both take the afternoon off.

It's a really bad idea to leave the first viewing till after dark in case they've taken all the lightbulbs, or you need to contact the solicitor because they've taken the oven they said they're leaving. Or they've left the front/ back door open.

If you are not moving on completion day you do not need to take the day off

We’ve only bought one house so far and I was at work and DH took the day off to collect the keys and sort out unexpected difficulties. It was easier as we were moving from rented. This time we’re both taking a couple of days off as we know it’s going to be a crazy mad day, plus we’re moving 80 miles so not exactly a short hop once we get the stuff in the van!