Moving house in lockdown

[WingingIt101]

Hi all

We are due to exchange on our house sale this week coming with all parties in our chain targeting a completion date of 9th November.

Obviously I will be watching closely for the detailed guidance following tonight’s announcement but I’m hoping for some positive stories of anyone that was allowed to complete a house move during the first lockdown please!

Hoping so much we will be able to continue, we’ve needed to move for a while now. Plus I guess I’ll have something to do with all the unpacking!

Yes they need to clarify this.

For renters as well as buyers. If people aren't allowed to move (or removal companies aren't open), they need to be able to stay in their current home without penalty.

Me too. We were meant to complete last week. Sellers solicitors are really shit. We are only waiting on a very simple bit of paperwork but have been waiting for 3 weeks now. Now we’re worried it will all be pushed back. We descended to move as we have school aged dc and we are living with a vulnerable relative.

People were allowed to move last time so I see no reason why this lockdown would be any different!

Oh @Dinocan are you my buyer??!

Both my solicitor and my sellers solicitor are worth about 50p of their fee.
We are waiting on a grant of probate. That my solicitor waited til Thursday last week to ask for 🤦‍♀️

Thankfully we are a super short chain but it just needs to happen now! Hoping with all my might that they’ll allow moves to take place within covid secure practices to protect the housing market somehow.

Although we have booked the packing service from our movers as we have a 7month old. I think I’ll lose my mind if I have to pack our whole house 😂

Surely those that are well into the process will be able to move? I feel sorry for people like MIL, just had an offer on her house so was going to start viewing properties for sale. If she can’t view for a month + she will probably lose her buyer and will have to start again after lockdown (probably spring). Does anyone know if EAs shut during the last lockdown?

Thanks @throwaway100000, we didn’t put our house on the market til the restrictions lifted so I ignorantly hadn’t paid attention to it! Although I’m hoping I’m excused as I gave birth in the first week of lockdown so I was in a bit of a bubble!

@Swingbin yes EAs shut during the last lockdown. I feel for your MIL so much - as if it wasn’t stressful enough trying to sell your house!

You’ll 100% be okay!

People were allowed to move homes for any reason last time - including people temporarily moving in with their partner/parents for a couple of weeks, so a permanent move will absolutely be fine

Sorry meant to say we are desperate, not descended! It’s so frustrating op! No chain at all with ours, All really straightforward and it will have taken 12 weeks if we complete next week. I think we’ll be ok though as the gov encouraged everyone to buy with the stamp Duty holiday. It does slightly piss me off that their solicitors will be paid so much for basically signing a few forms after weeks and weeks of nagging.

@Dinocan I feel you and I could bond over a bottle of wine!
I actually said to mine last week that I was the only person doing any proactive work on the move and the only person not getting paid.

They then sent contracts with my name spelt wrong throughout and a cover letter with the wrong purchase price on it. Apparently proof reading isn’t a thing anymore!

Thanks so much for the reassurance @throwaway100000 I feel a lot better now!