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.

We absolutely have chains, there's no other way to do it.

There was a program on a few years ago about moving chains
Voice over done by Kirsty Allsop

Yes I remember that one. At one house the purchasers arrived to find the mother just wafting around and the little girl skipping around in fairy wings and no preparations made to move out. As I recall the purchasers and their movers just started taking the furniture out of the house and dumping it in the garden so they could get theirs in.

Do you remember the one where the sellers lived abroad and the purchaser got in and wallpapered and then built a tree house in the garden

YANBU: My ex neighbours did this…the house was still full a day before the move virtually nothing had been packed. The husband was stressing as he was working away and could only get the day of the move off and a few days after. The wife at the time was a stay at home mum with a toddler. We offered to take her toddler out for the day so she could super speed pack. My eldest was two at the time, so me, another friend with her children did a group day out with the neighbours kid. At the end of day out we phoned her to let her know we were on our way back and it was fine for her child to nap at ours till early evening to give them more time.

When we went round, only a couple of boxes had been packed. She’d popped out to get a few things for the new house and ‘forgot the time’. DH, I and another neighbour helped pack as much as we could. On the morning of the move it was pure chaos, I again watched their toddler whilst DH, other neighbours DH and a few others helped lug heavy items into a moving van while she packed.

They were supposed to be out by 12 the new people turned up and sat at the end of the cul de sac in their moving van looking incredibly pissed off, they finally got in at 4pm.

The neighbour ended up storing a tonne of boxes in our hallway…luckily they were only moving to the next mini village 20 mins away but I’ve never seen tension like it.

From what I understand they had to pay the new neighbours compensation as there was some clause in the agreement that if they were more than an hour late handing keys in they were charged per 30 mins.

Completion Date is technically 'Moving Date', although there is no compulson to move in, if you are not also selling your own property and have somewhere else to live.
eg, First Time Buyers do not have to move in on completion date, but they would be responsible for all utility bills and nowadays if the property is empty, then double council tax.
This whole thing happens because people do not realise that the selling of their house, and the buying of another is TWO separate contracts, but they have hopefully arranged them for the same date.
Exchange of contracts used to happen 28 days ahead, but nowadays this can be extended or shortened, but 28 days allowed you to sort out removal companies, and pack up, etc.

But these complications are why people love first time buyers or probate properties, etc, as they indicate the end of a chain.

All this talk of exchange and completion dates is irrelevant as the OP is in Scotland.

We talk about date of entry. That's the date the money is paid/received, keys are collected, and the buyer gains, unless otherwise agreed, vacant possession of the property

We talk about date of entry. That's the date the money is paid/received, keys are collected, and the buyer gains, unless otherwise agreed, vacant possession of the property

That's what completion is. The terminology may be different, but the process is the same.

Completion under another name!

You may talk of just that but the rest of Scotland have exchange and completion 🤣

Solicitors might say exchange and completion. Although the ones I know usually talk about the transaction settling or settlement.

But everyone else in Scotland refers to concluding missives and date of entry , just as @Seeingadistance says.

Even Rightmove etc mark adverts as SSTCM.

No they don't.

Here's a guide to buying property in Scotland, which details the terminology used. No mention of exchange and completion.
https://www.savills.co.uk/blog/article/192349/residential-property/how-to-buy-property-in-scotland.aspx