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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Kwamitiki · 26/09/2025 19:26

We had vendors like this last time we moved. Thought they could pack and move a 5 bed house in a day, with a single Luton van. To an address 400 miles away.

Our delivery guys were awesome ans had a quick word: if the delivery guys had to work any overtime, they would be sending the invoice directly to them via their solicitors, with hourly rates, storage and any overnight stays (we moved 1.5 hours away) being charged at 300% regular rates. It moved them very quickly, and the delivery guys started moving our stuff in 5 mins after the chat.

Their stuff ended up on next door's lawn ans in their garage, and they were still to-ing and fro-ing at 11pm the next night. Thankfully said neigh our never held it against us.

MyLimeGuide · 26/09/2025 19:27

Have they moved out yet op?

MummyJ36 · 26/09/2025 19:29

Following for an update 🏠 😉

Yamamm · 26/09/2025 19:31

My vendors were still in when we arrived at 1pm. Got all angry about us coming in and out with our stuff. It was 2 hrs after completion and we had driven two hours and removal guys had been with us since 7am and still had a 2 hr drive back.
They would have had more time if they hadn’t spent it digging up bloody trees! Who does that?!
Miserable buggers took off plain wall mirrors from the bathrooms. Curtain poles. Took the key to the meter cupboard so we couldn’t read meter.
They eventually went off with their trees and all at 5pm after a fraught time trying to manage two teams of removers in one small house. But I was so pleased to see they had left a beautifully packed moving day basket with their kettle and sandwiches and chargers and toothbrushes and all that stuff. They had to drive back 4 hours the next day to collect it. Ha.

annon20251 · 26/09/2025 19:36

Following

Newyearnewmewoooop · 26/09/2025 19:40

Is it Pickfords? This happened to me!

KTheGrey · 26/09/2025 19:41

ItsOnlyRainFFS · 26/09/2025 17:53

My DP is raging as we’re both sleep deprived as been packing and cleaning and organising meticulously for 2 weeks now!
It’s not a medical emergency they just said how hard it was to pack up and blamed their removal company! No shit it is hard if you leave it to last minute

Not their removal company’s fault. I am rubbish at moving so I got the removal co
to pack as well as move and set up
and I was done in about three hours. Super efficient.

herbalteabag · 26/09/2025 19:42

Hopefully you are in it now. If not, I would just enter it anyway and start sorting important stuff out, like the children's beds etc. The door is probably wide open and your presence will hopefully force them to get a move on. It's getting cold in the evening and you can't be expected to wait outside.

abracadabra1980 · 26/09/2025 19:51

I have never understood why the seller and buyers moving has to be so close together. Surely a gap of 24hrs would be more sensible? I moved recently and the pressure is having to be ‘out’ at a certain time on a certain day, in 28* heat was exceedingly hard on me as I was emptying a family home on my own. Personally I’d go to a hotel, have a nice, peaceful night then charge them for the inconvenience. Nobody does this to piss their buyer off - it’s a very hard thing to judge time wise IMHO.

MyrtleLion · 26/09/2025 19:52

ItsOnlyRainFFS · 26/09/2025 17:56

Yep we’ll go round as really do need to get kids more settled than this. I will be firm! Didn’t know if this was as much of a piss take as I thought it was but it clearly is!

They can be fined per day for not giving you vacant possession as per the contract.

So many people do not understand that a contract is legally binding. They think they can just do their own thing.

KTheGrey · 26/09/2025 19:53

ProfessorSlocombe · 26/09/2025 18:12

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)

I know mitigating your losses is a thing but the RR vs Honda Jazz is a stretch - they should have a whole house and quiet enjoyment thereof, so rooms in a hotel just are not comparable, really. The nearest nice hotel is quite reasonable, even if it is pricy.

OneNewLeader · 26/09/2025 19:53

Similar, a long time ago. Packed kids and DH to the hotel and calmly explained, they needed to crack on, as I would be changing the locks at 5pm and securing the property and going away.

AmandaHoldensLips · 26/09/2025 19:55

Similar experience here and the house was such a disgusting tip we checked into a hotel. No way were we sleeping amid all that filth. Total, total bastard vendors.

Daygloboo · 26/09/2025 19:55

InMyHealthyEra · 26/09/2025 17:50

I voted YABU because YABU to accept any of that.

You order them out of your property immediately and either put all of their belongings out the front or in a designated room for them to collect later when it suits you. First thing Monday you call the solicitor or estate agents and start the process of financial compensation for their breach of contract

Oh for God's sake. Hasnt anyone got any patience andy more. What difference dies a few hours make. Nobody died. God.

katseyes7 · 26/09/2025 19:57

We only found out at 4pm the day before moving day that we were actually completing the next day. After a lot of faffing and avoiding contact with the solicitors and estate agent by our buyers.
We were up most of the night finishing packing, and had the van loaded and were ready to go once the funds had transferred the next day.
Tell them you'll be charging them rent as they're technically still in your house.

NotARealWookiie · 26/09/2025 19:58

Hideous hideous hideous

DelphiniumBlue · 26/09/2025 20:01

As I recall time is not of the essence in a residential conveyancing contract, so you can’t start demanding costs and recompense until and unless a completion notice is served.
Whilst in principle you can’t start demanding ask them to pay your costs arising as a result of their failure to complete on time, you can’t enforce that, and you have minimal leverage to make them pay.
You could try suing after the event but that is costly and time consuming, and you might not get anywhere with that if no completion notice has been served.
Your best bet is to start moving in regardless, and get some mates over to help out the sellers stuff outside.
Hopefully it will all be sorted by the time you read this, OP.
Does it look like they are trying to move out?

ChangingWeight · 26/09/2025 20:03

Go around and make it as awkward as possible for them, if you’re not there then obviously they’ll take their sweet time packing up. If you’re there breathing down their neck, filming them or taking pictures of the state of the house, inviting people over so strength in numbers etc they are going to feel pressured to leave.

BettysRoasties · 26/09/2025 20:04

abracadabra1980 · 26/09/2025 19:51

I have never understood why the seller and buyers moving has to be so close together. Surely a gap of 24hrs would be more sensible? I moved recently and the pressure is having to be ‘out’ at a certain time on a certain day, in 28* heat was exceedingly hard on me as I was emptying a family home on my own. Personally I’d go to a hotel, have a nice, peaceful night then charge them for the inconvenience. Nobody does this to piss their buyer off - it’s a very hard thing to judge time wise IMHO.

I mean the moving is hardly a surprise they sold their house. Their poor planning isn’t the new owners problem.

In theory the seller should’ve basically ready
to leave the night before I’d have the house all packed up well in advance apart from essentials. Take away or restaurant the night before, simple toast for breakfast or again grab a to go. Get out and on the road to my new home.

Why would you want to waste money on 24 hours of storage and overnight you don’t need to leave that gap. You just have to be realistic and actually plan.

Foundationns · 26/09/2025 20:04

Have they gone yet OP?

Rosscameasdoody · 26/09/2025 20:06

Daygloboo · 26/09/2025 19:55

Oh for God's sake. Hasnt anyone got any patience andy more. What difference dies a few hours make. Nobody died. God.

Show quote history

It’s not about patience. It’s about the law. Everyone is clear well in advance as to what’s expected of them on completion. And what OP is describing is a complete piss take. You don’t seem to understand the basic principle. On completion the house does not belong to them any more, so they have no right to be there.

NoSoapJustUseShowerGel · 26/09/2025 20:07

Wtf, who the hell doesn’t make sure every single thing is packed the night before, even if it means staying up until the small hours. And I say this as a very last-minute type of person myself. Completely ridiculous and totally unreasonable.

latetothefisting · 26/09/2025 20:07

Yeah this happened to me. Let myself in with my new keys (several hours after completion) only to see a random older man sat on the sofa in an otherwise empty house. Apparently the sofa couldn't fit in the van so they were coming back for it. Wasn't apologetic at all! Luckily I was a FTB so was planning on moving in the next day rather than right then but still!

Now I'd be a lot more pissed off but was on my own and quite young so meekly said goodbye, let myself out of my own house and went back to my parents. He (and sofa) was gone when I turned up the next morning!

BreatheAndFocus · 26/09/2025 20:07

katseyes7 · 26/09/2025 19:57

We only found out at 4pm the day before moving day that we were actually completing the next day. After a lot of faffing and avoiding contact with the solicitors and estate agent by our buyers.
We were up most of the night finishing packing, and had the van loaded and were ready to go once the funds had transferred the next day.
Tell them you'll be charging them rent as they're technically still in your house.

I don’t understand this. Surely you negotiate a completion date with the vendors? That’s what I’ve always done. Once everything legal is ready, I got confirmation of that from my solicitors and then I suggested a completion date, which was agreed by the vendors. But, we always had a rough date in mind anyway, and this date changed slightly according to progress or delays. So both of us knew roughly when it would be weeks before completion, with the final date agreed closer to the time.

I hope you’re in your house now, OP.

StellaLaBella · 26/09/2025 20:08

Yamamm · 26/09/2025 19:31

My vendors were still in when we arrived at 1pm. Got all angry about us coming in and out with our stuff. It was 2 hrs after completion and we had driven two hours and removal guys had been with us since 7am and still had a 2 hr drive back.
They would have had more time if they hadn’t spent it digging up bloody trees! Who does that?!
Miserable buggers took off plain wall mirrors from the bathrooms. Curtain poles. Took the key to the meter cupboard so we couldn’t read meter.
They eventually went off with their trees and all at 5pm after a fraught time trying to manage two teams of removers in one small house. But I was so pleased to see they had left a beautifully packed moving day basket with their kettle and sandwiches and chargers and toothbrushes and all that stuff. They had to drive back 4 hours the next day to collect it. Ha.

Ah hahaaahhaaa!

I have friends who arrived at their new house to similar, even throwing those stupid bowls for floating candles with the water still in them in to the back of a van, after they left, they had to do a total clean, including throwing out all their worn down soap nubs they’d left in the shower Envy