Moving house

[afrikat]

We exchanged a few weeks ago. Due to complete Friday 3rd April

We are now in lockdown. I am assuming this means removal firms won't be able to work?

Or people in the chain may be self isolating?

We are legally obliged to complete....what options do we have??

I’ve just been onto my removals company who said they consider themselves to be essential services which can’t be done from home.

I have the same question!! We are completing tomorrow! I guess we’ll just have to speak to our solicitor in the AM. Best of luck!

Removal fine, and I guess you can count the journey as being from your home back to your (new) home so is a form of exercise

Can I join the club. Supposed to complete Friday. Drowning my sorrows surrounded by boxes

We’re meant to be moving into a new rental on Friday. Will see if the moving co consider themselves essential workers.

I am also due to move on Friday to a new housing estate. We are moving ourselves and have already hired a van but not sure what will happen now. Any advice?

Due to move tomorrow/Wednesday. No clue what’s next!!!!!!!

Also due to move house, out of a rental. I’m assuming it’s fine - we’re legally obligated to vacate the property.

Quite a few of us in the same position, please update if you get any information!

What a nightmare 🙈

Solicitors to date have been useless spouting the same message of us being ‘legally obliged to complete’

Another due to complete Friday (to a new build) Will update when I've spoken to solicitors and removal guys tomorrow. Fingers crossed for everyone.

We are new build too. Hoping they will all be sensible and consistent at least

Due to complete Friday and feeling the same. Will mortgage payment be made? Who will be working to complete the transaction? Been waiting on this for months and now this...feel so worried

I’m in a slightly different boat - we are selling to our tenants, who have everything in place except the local searches, which are due tomorrow. It’s a paper transaction, they don’t need to move. Just hope there are enough solicitors working (maybe from home) to see it through.... and that they don’t pull out.

And then we are buying a showhome from a developer, and renting it back to them until we retire next year. Here’s hoping they don’t go bust...

We have exchanged and due to complete on the 31st. Spoke to my solicitor today who had been trying to contact the bank to make sure money will be transferred etc. All seems to be in place on that front. We have booked a van to move our self but not sure if we will get it or not. Going to call tomorrow. Also planned to get some old furniture removed by council but that has been suspended now. Hoping the tip will be open still so we can take the stuff ourself.

What a crazy time to be moving home!

People that are completing tomorrow, please do update us if it all went smoothly or not! Thanks

Same!!! Moving on Friday

FIL due to move on friday, into another rental. The building where he is is closing completely, he's the last one left. He's stressing out. He'd booked a local man with a van to move his stuff but doesn't know if he will still be able to do it.

Same here. Exchanged today, due to complete on Friday. I've emailed our solicitor and will await his response with baited breath. If we stay in our current home and sit this out then so be it, it's just the uncertainty of all this is driving me crazy.

We completed bloody last week, builders, plumbers all booked etc. New house is an hours drive from here. Absolutely no bloody clue what to do now as we were hiring a van to move and DP's mate was helping. Obviously he can't now help us, and I assume we can't hire a van, or even GO to the new house since travel is banned...

We will apply for the mortgage break but HSBC haven't announced whether they are even doing it and there is no way on earth we can afford to cover our rent here to stay here, and mortgage payments and the new house indefinitely as I don't see this being just a few weeks.

I'm high risk immuno compromised with a life limiting illness and DP is a bloody key worker also so currently just utterly overwhelmed by all of this. He is my carer around work so we cannot avoid one another. Wishing everyone strength and good luck. Hopefully we will get more info on our specifics in the next few days.

I'm in the same boat, in a chain of 4, and we are expecting to complete on Friday. Not sure what is going to happen now, or if anyone in the chain can't make the move, then what will happen?

My solicitor had emailed me at 7am this morning to confirm that my chaps payment has arrived and as such "we are all set to complete". No comment if it will still be this Friday that's completion takes place.

Found the following online

If completion does not take place after contracts have been exchanged due to COVID-19, then your conveyancer will need to look at the contract provisions about breach and advise whether a seller failing to complete can be compelled to do so – and whether, in the case of a buyer failing to complete, the seller can keep the deposit and additional costs.
In reality, if the failure to complete is due to illness or self isolation, we would hope that the parties would all work together to come to a reasonable agreement regarding delay.
If the transaction forms part of a chain of transactions, it may not be possible to take such a view without incurring a penalty.

hoa.org.uk/2020/03/buying-home-coronavirus/

Michael Gove on BBC news this morning completely unhelpful.
We all know that completion can occur- it’s paper based. What we don’t know is whether we can physically move our stuff

My removal company have just cancelled on me. They are following guidelines and are closing for the next 3 weeks

@Finchbon thanks for the update on your part. Have you been able to contact your removal company?

the HOA guidance is on 18th March, so wonder if the new lockdown yesterday will change it?

@zoemelb think we crossed posts!
I've spoken to my solicitor and let them know removals are off. She is contacting barratts to get their stance on this. Who knows what they will come back with

@Finchbon just called our removals, and they said they are still trying to work out, but based on government stand at the moment, they think they will need to close for 3 weeks and cancel all booking. Basically, it's a clutter fuck and the guidance isn't very clear on them, if moving house is considered to be essential or not, especially if you have exchanged of contract, or about to be kicked out of your house???