Bought house but they’re still in it now!

[ItsOnlyRainFFS]

So we exchanged contracts last week and completed by 10am today. We vacated our house by 12.30pm as our buyers keen to get in and contract said 2pm. The house we bought was supposed to be ready 2pm but it’s still
not ready! Now the seller (house we now own!) is saying they’re going to struggle to empty it by 8pm! And that sounds optimistic. They just don’t sound like they packed up properly. Anything we can do? Solicitor and estate agents shut.
We have put most of our stuff in storage - which is shut. We have though thankfully hired medium van which has our essential stuff in it. But we just want to unpack it now. We have 2 kids and have been at a bowling alley and kfc trying to kill time since school.
Would we be unreasonable to demand we move in 8pm?

I wouldn’t be staying in a hotel. I would be staying in my new house and shoving their stuff out of my way.

Explain to them that unless they have vacated the property by X time, you will book yourselves into (the most expensive) local hotel and send the invoice including a meal for you all, to their solicitors tomorrow.

There is an onus and expectation on a party thus affected to ensure costs are as reasonable as practical. (Which is why you don't get to charge for a Rolls Royce hire car when your 20 year old Honda Jazz has a bump)

We have had this. It was a bloody nightmare. It was December and I had a five month old baby I needed to express for.

We ended up paying hundreds extra to our removal guys to help pack up the vendor’s belongings and stay late to move our things in. Even then there was stuff left behind that we had to hire a skip to get rid of. We could have pursued them for the costs but frankly just wanted them out of our lives so didn’t bother.

The vendors of my first time buyer sisters house tried to pull a stunt on her. Contracts exchanged, funds released and then the vendors informed Dsis that they weren't quite ready and could they move out after the weekend? My Dsis was going to agree to it until my DH stepped in and reminded her that if she did agree, they could potentially stretch it out for weeks, in HER house.
Solicitor phoned and told them in no uncertain terms that they would be in breach of contract and would be sued. They soon shifted their arses!!

I'd be there right now. No way would I give them until 8!!

As annoying as it is id go and check into a hotel for the night. You could sit at the end of the driveway demanding they leave now but if they're not packed up that's just not going to happen,. you'll end up getting more stressed out as time ticks by & the kids will be bored stiff . Find a hotel, have some food and a few drinks and tell them you'll be back at 9am.

If they’ve got a van outside the house they are at least heading to leaving. I’d be more worried if they hadn’t. I think it’s absolutely right to start unpacking and getting your kids settled if you don’t think the situation will freak them out. Hopefully that’ll accelerate the pace further - and I’d personally offer to help if it moves them out quicker but that’s not what everyone would do.

A friend bought a house once and turned up with all her things to find the current owners in situ totally as usually with nothing packed. They told her they didn’t think the sale meant they needed to leave immediately and they’d booked to move the following day as they didn’t want to move on a Friday. There was absolutely nothing she could do that she felt comfortable doing (it was late afternoon) but they did at least bugger off the following day.

Why should the buyers get a hotel room??
It’s the sellers who need to do that…they’re the ones who have royally fxxxed up.

Email solicitor and estate agents to make them aware of whatever happens .
Go round now and move in. They need to be out . Document all and any actions and in the case of damage and email to solicitor . I'd cover my back incase they damage anything. I'd also be asking the solicitor and estate agents on Monday to be having words.

If you have keys, just walk in. Explain you need to move in tonight at 7pm. They can stash what they haven’t packed in one room and then return tomorrow. Do not let them stay overnight as you may struggle to get them out. Any aggression, call the police as they are already trespassing.
They should have let their solicitor and the estate agent know they were not going to meet the time dead line. No excuse.

Sometimes I wish this would happen to me so I could unleash years of Pent hp rage 😂. But seriously, throw their stuff out of YOUR house. Or sell it. Don’t be a push over.

Did your solicitor say anything before they closed - can you reclaim any money you incur due to them not completeing with vacant property?

As you have kids I might look at a cheap hotel room for the night to get them settled or family if near by. It's easier to get stick in and start kicking them out without kids there but this is why I hate them compelting on a Friday - no-one there till Monday to do anything - estate agents may be there Saturday.

can you reclaim any money you incur due to them not completeing with vacant property?

Yes. Easily. However (as noted) there is a duty to minimize the expense to the other party.

Ask them if they will pay for your whole family to spend the night in a hotel. Three separate bedrooms. Hopefully that will focus their minds a bit.

Depends on kids ages but I wouldn't want them round arguments and any possible aggression from the sellers.

I'd want them elsewhere till teen years - before I got really bloody angry at the sellers and started moving their shit out my house.

You insist their van is moved to the road outside your house. Your park YOUR vehicle on YOUR drive and you go inside.

Insist they clear the children's rooms immediately if they aren't already. Then start moving your things into those bedrooms so your kids will have beds tonight, while they fanny aqbout with their crap downstairs. You don't have to wait until 8pm to do this. Their inadequacy isn't your responsibility to accommodate.

It's unbelievably common. So many people have absolutely no clue how much crap they own and how long clearing out and packing will take. They are obviously not going to be leaving it in a decent state, either, because they haven't left enough time to pack never mind clean, and that's incredibly frustrating.

When we moved into our first house, the seller's dad was helping them move out and he accidentally dropped the van keys in the back of the van under the boxes. This delayed them by 4 hours until it was discovered - she was in tears, he was threatening to murder his dad, the dad was embarrassed as hell and making it worse by faffing.

Deep breaths, OP.

I’d also be getting a locksmith out and charging them storage CF.

A few hours very understandable at this time no ..phone the police and get them removed from your house.

At 6.00 o'clock in the evening you have already given them 4 extra hours. I would definetly expect to go into the property as its now your house.
I would prioritise which rooms you want them to be empty now with rest complete by 8.00

Oh I would be furious, lazy selfish wankers.

This. And mean it

Really the previous owners should go to a hotel, not the new owners.

Why buy a house and sleep in a hotel ?

Take possession of your house. They can come back to collect anything not removed

Can they move their stuff into the garage while you move your stuff in to the rest of the house?

Big girl pants time, OP.

Be firm and tell them you’ll be moving in without further delay!