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AIBU?

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Original poster

Bought house but they’re still in it now!

404 replies

ItsOnlyRainFFS · 26/09/2025 17:44

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?

OP posts:
CaveMum · 26/09/2025 18:22

Agree with all the comments saying take pictures of them still in situ and send them to the estate agent and solicitor tonight so that you have evidence in the form of a time stamped paper trail.

They are in breech of contract and you can reasonably sue for additional costs like hotel, storage, additional payment to removal firm, etc.

Would your movers be willing to help pack the house up to get things moving faster? You can ask the occupants to sign something to say that they accept liability for anything damaged and you can give the bill to your solicitors to pass on.

Tinklebinkle · 26/09/2025 18:22

This exact thing happened to me, I was furious, but even more angry when I discovered they had found the time to remove several light fittings leaving bare wires for my then children to play with. 😱Eventually I told them time had run out, I threw them out and told them to come back tomorrow for the rest of their things. They left a dirty minging house, a full attic, a full garage and more crap on the drive. It took 3 skips to get rid of the leftover crap and weeks to get it properly clean. I’m still furious 8 years later. My solicitor said I could have sued to get the skip money back but I was so sick of the whole drama that I just wanted to put it behind me and move on. I should have sued though. Honestly, so RUDE! 😡

MO0N · 26/09/2025 18:22

I'd be rounding up all my heavy friends...

Blushingm · 26/09/2025 18:23

Did they not have to surrender the keys? It’s a piss take - it’s like selling a car but saying you’ll hang on to it for the rest of the day

AntiBullshit · 26/09/2025 18:24

I wonder if all the poster saying get them out, call the police, move your stuff, tell them to fuck off it’s your hour se now, would actually do any of that if it was them. I reckon the majority would just sit and wait it out

CafeDuck · 26/09/2025 18:25

AntiBullshit · 26/09/2025 18:24

I wonder if all the poster saying get them out, call the police, move your stuff, tell them to fuck off it’s your hour se now, would actually do any of that if it was them. I reckon the majority would just sit and wait it out

Me too

Puzzledandpissedoff · 26/09/2025 18:25

Depending on how many of them there are, presumably they're popping out to their van all the time?

Providing you've actually got the keys you could always wait until they're outside, nip in and block the door I suppose?

luckylavender · 26/09/2025 18:26

I absolutely would not be moving in. If they are that disorganised they’ll end up taking your stuff. Call the police.

CountryMouse22 · 26/09/2025 18:27

We had this! We had completed/paid for the house by 10.30 a.m. and the mad occupiers were still there at 8.30 that night! It was only the next door neighbour who obliged by storing goods in their garage. Luckily we didn't have to have the removals man till 10.00 the next morning. I remember their cat sitting patiently in its crate. It's the only time I have seen my DH livid with rage.

Amba1998 · 26/09/2025 18:27

They need to just throw everything out on to the street and they can organise it into the van out there. This has semi happened to me twice.

First time it was probate and the grabby little sods just wanted their money but to do nothing for it and left all their parents possessions in situ including ornaments and all sorts that looked like they’d been collected over years. We hired someone to empty it, put it out on front lawn and threatened to sue for the costs. They paid for the removal fees in the end

second time same situ, we were cleaned out and locked up by 10 am. Went to pub for lunch awaiting completion call. It came late at 4 pm ish. Went to our new house, seller still loading. We went in and stared taking her pics off wall and throwing them in her van for her to hurry her along. Wasn’t impressed and did not handled her stuff with care!

Amba1998 · 26/09/2025 18:28

at this rate I’d also be booking into a lovely
horel and be billing them for it

Sassylovesbooks · 26/09/2025 18:28

You have to move in regardless of the Sellers still packing up. I would tell them that they need to clear your children's bedrooms. Anything else that can't be put in their removal van by 8 pm, goes into one room/back garden, to be collected at 10 am tomorrow morning. You need to move in, as it's now your home. You also need to make sure they no longer have a set of keys. If once they've gone, you decide the house is too chaotic to stay in tonight, then go and stay overnight at a local Travelodge/Premier Inn. Call your solicitors on Monday, and explain what has happened, and if you do need to go into a hotel overnight, the Sellers will be paying for the hotel and any meals. I'm sure solicitors see this happen, and it's not a completely unusual situation. Your Seller's incompetence isn't your problem.

Adelle79360 · 26/09/2025 18:29

Oh just tell them to eff off and leave you alone and they’ll have to come back for their stuff when you say it’s convenient for you!! This happened to us - we completed really late in the day, turned up and found the previous owners stuff all over the house. We told them to piss off - fortunately we had arranged to stay in a hotel for the night anyway because we knew we wouldn’t have unpacked everything. We put their stuff outside the next day and left it til they came later on to get it. They still left loads of rubbish in the garden. Having been burnt once I wouldn’t tolerate it if it happened again, I’d be straight onto them to clear it all away and I’d threaten legal action. Took us ages to get rid of the rest of the stuff they’d left having to do tip runs at weekends etc.

CreepingCrone · 26/09/2025 18:29

We had this. Fortunately my girls were with my sister. We were only moving round the corner and sat in the street outside the new house, in a convoy of 3 removals vans. Basically watching the vendors carry single beds out fo the house into their hatchback! We gave them an hour. And then shouted hello through the open door, and said we had to get into or we would have to pay for overnight storage. Basically I went round the downstairs hoovering and cleaning before our furniture was carried in, with the seller following me, saying she'd already hoovered. They had many sick cats, so 🤢🤮
They left a huge trampoline in the garden, stuff in the garage, and a car on the drive. We had to nag them to come for those things for over a week....
Was not impressed!

Sortalike · 26/09/2025 18:29

AntiBullshit · 26/09/2025 18:24

I wonder if all the poster saying get them out, call the police, move your stuff, tell them to fuck off it’s your hour se now, would actually do any of that if it was them. I reckon the majority would just sit and wait it out

I definitely would. It is the OP's property, she owns it.

I'd walk into MY house with boxes and would shut down any challenges with "You are in MY home, please leave "

ComfortFoodCafe · 26/09/2025 18:29

I would just go & start putting their stuff outside. Its not their house anymore they have no right!

limetrees32 · 26/09/2025 18:29

Isn't trespass usually a civil matter.
I don't think the police will or can help.

OakDeane24 · 26/09/2025 18:30

Oh god thats awful!! I hope your round there now and in your house. Tell them to get out and then discuss with your solicitor if you can issue a fine to them!

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 26/09/2025 18:30

ProfessorSlocombe · 26/09/2025 18:20

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

Why buy a house and sleep in a hotel ?

Show quote history

Because the reason why the previous owners aren't out of the house yet is because all their stuff is still in it.

They shouldn't be sitting down for even two minutes until their stuff is out. A night in a hotel would delay things further.

CestLaVieYouSee · 26/09/2025 18:31

As frustrating as it is, don’t start chucking their stuff out as they know where you live, and that could come back to bite you, as annoying as this situation is. You do need someone there the whole time though to A hurry them up and B make sure they don’t damage, steal or otherwise effect YOUR property.

YourJoyousDenimExpert · 26/09/2025 18:33

AntiBullshit · 26/09/2025 18:24

I wonder if all the poster saying get them out, call the police, move your stuff, tell them to fuck off it’s your hour se now, would actually do any of that if it was them. I reckon the majority would just sit and wait it out

This isn’t about being assertive or ‘kind’. There is risk with ‘waiting it out’ as it is OP’s house now and the others are trespassing and effectively squatting so it is really important to take possession of the house tonight. The over stayers should clear a room downstairs so OP and her family can go in at the very least. Then the bedrooms for the children. Awkward - yes but prudent. If they genuinely had removal issues, they could have communicated that this morning as they must have known by then.

LooLoo274 · 26/09/2025 18:33

As long as they are actively moving out and packing the van I'd let them carry on. Just because I wouldn't want them coming back later to finish packing and in the meantime have to deal with a house half full of someone else's things.
Really annoying for you though.

WiddlinDiddlin · 26/09/2025 18:33

Oh yeah I'd be round there, right outside - demanding that they clear one room at a time, as we then fill that room, and they're out by 8 even if it means their shit is on the lawn and they keep going in the dark.

It is your house. I'd be very clear if they don't allow me to start moving stuff in, and pull their finger out to get out ASAP, I'd be calling the police.

FightingInAVatOfJellyBabies · 26/09/2025 18:34

You have to go in what if they decided to burn it down it is yours

Blogswife · 26/09/2025 18:35

Tell them to leave immediately. They are trespassing. Let them know to come back first thing to pick up the rest of their stuff off your drive
I’d contact your solicitor too as they will need to pay for the costs of you removing / disposing of the belongings that they have “ left behind”

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