To think previous owners of our new house were being unreasonable?

[TheGrumpyAccountant]

Today was moving day. Having sold our house, we packed up and cleaned yesterday so that we could do a final clean/take last minute stuff today. All of our belongings were out and being stored as of yesterday afternoon. We handed in keys at 10.30am this morning and our funds were transferred to the solicitor of our sellers before 11am. At 1.15pm we were told that we could collect the keys to our new house from their solicitors. When we arrived at the new house the previous occupants were just ‘chilling’ in the house (despite having meant to have handed all keys to their solicitors). Standing with my toddler and newborn, when I (very politely) spoke to them they said that they had not yet been told they could collect their keys for their new house and so refused to leave until they knew they had somewhere to go as if something went wrong they’d have nowhere to go. I pointed out that if they don’t leave WE would have nowhere to go. After some quick calls to lawyers they were told they had to leave, so they eventually did.

We are in Scotland in case that makes any difference to legalities etc.

AIBU to this that they were unreasonable in this situation? They’ve really taken the shine off of moving day for me since it all got quite tense and stressy. We are also in the new house over 2 hours later than we could have been.

Completion takes place days before the moving date.

No it doesn’t! Completion date is moving date.

Do you mean exchange?

No, it doesn’t. Completion means just that… moneys have been paid, ownership is transferred to the buyer and you are free to occupy the property.

No
Exchange is when you sign contracts and agree to a sale.
Completion is when the money goes through and the sale is....complete.
Neither happens on the day of moving....

You’re so wrong!

So on completion date you own the house you’re buying….

But it’s not yours until “moving date” which doesn’t mean completion date.

Another poster not in the legal profession!

Yes, they do. Completion day is the day of moving.

Obviously you can choose not to move in to your property on that day if you don’t want to, but it is legally yours and the seller has no legal right to remain in the property. You would also have no legal right to stay in the property you have sold.

Exactly this! Whilst you don’t have to move in to your property, if you’re selling you do have to move out.

this sounds dreadful, I would have changed the locks and turfed their stuff out.

How do you think that works exactly? It's the opposite, you use the money from your purchase to fund your purchase, then your seller uses the money from you to fund their purchase, etc, etc...

Sounds like the previous owners to our house!

Cheeky mare was still in the house with not a thing packed when we turned up with our removal truck! She was the one who insisted on that day and time! She'd already handed the keys over.

We had to get the solicitors involved who eventually told her to get out. We ended up with a huge fine from our removal company.

Oh and to top it off. The cheeky cow left some of her bits and pieces and she didn't come back until like a week later when I threatened to throw everything in the bin. She went to get a mirror off the wall and I found her standing on my brand new white sofa in her wedge heels.

Not proud but I did shout at her at that point. I was done.

It's put me off buying another house even though I want to move!

Does no one use the money from their sale to fund the purchase then?

God that’s a nightmare!!! Cheeky fucker of the highest order!

Surely once you complete, its yours? Moving date could be that day if you wanted, but not necessarily. I completed on a Wednesday and moved on a Thursday, but I was renting previously so had that luxury.

But not if you’re selling, that’s the whole point of the thread. The OP was buying a house that had been sold to her and therefore on completion day it had to be empty for OP to be moving in to, even if she decided she’d move into it 10 years later. The PP saying nothing happens on completion day and moving doesn’t happen that day, is totally wrong if you’re selling.

But what I'm trying to say is that "moving day" isn't really a thing in legal speak. Completion date is usually moving day because if you're selling to buy, you would be otherwise homeless. And you need the funds from selling to pay for the new one. I don't understand the separation of "completion" and "moving"

No, you are right. There is no such thing as ‘moving day’ as a separate concept.

Agreed!

👍

No it’s not, moving house is really stressful and arriving at your new home with your children and all your worldly goods to find the old owners illegal squatting in your new home, is horrendous!
you say you wouldn’t leave, lol I think if the police were called they’d have a different view point. They shouldn’t have completed on one transaction without doing so on the other, totally their fault and they should have done the decent thing and got out, as should you if you’re ever stupid enough to put yourself in that position!

They shouldn’t have completed on one transaction without doing so on the other,

They were completing on the other transaction (their purchase) they just hadn't received the call to say the funds had landed in their seller's account. You often do have to wait a bit for the call, but you can't wait in the house you no longer own!

That seems fine tbh.

If they were ready to go and just waiting to see their bit of chain is complete so them INCLUDED that is fine. People really need to breathe…

yeah better to wait in the car, in the cold…lol

Probably a bit awkward but seriously, it aren’t the end of the world. Maybe they thought it’d be quicker.

They may have been ready to go, but they weren't gone despite that part of the chain having been completed. So they were staying in a house that a) wasn't theirs and b) the legal owner wanted possession of so they could move in. They should be the ones waiting in cars for their purchase to complete, not the person who's purchase has already completed.

What would OP have done if her vendors had failed to complete by the end of the banking day? Opens a whole can of financial and legal worms (liability, overnight costs, insurance etc). The vendor should have been off the property at completion of that sale.

There was a program on a few years ago about moving chains
Voice over done by Kirsty Allsop
Some of the stories were unbelievable cheeky fuckery

Just checked it. It was called The Property Chain

When we moved in the previous owners still had loads of furniture in ( they were moving stuff in a small van on the cheap) They also left all the downstairs doors off the hinges to get their big ass sideboards etc out. Acted all huffy and entitled about our removers wanting to get our furniture in.