Vendor had our money first thing this morning but still hasn't moved out - grrrrr!

[NoseyNooNoo]

I think our vendor actually had our money yesterday because our solicitor and mortgage provider were very well organised. I drove past our new house (yes ours, it belongs to us now) and owner still dawdling along with packing. The front rooms are not remotely empty.

What time can I start hassling solicitors and EAs? It would have been nice to get in before collecting DD from school.

Sorry, that should have said PREVIOUS owner still dawdling.

I'd have started hassling the EA at midday.. and would be calling every hour, on the hour.
Hope you're soon in, and impressed you're online rather than half way down a bottle!

I always assumed it was a 12.00 deadline. I would start hassling but if they aren't out't physically out, not sure that ther is much that can be done.
Have you been to the estate agents to try to pick up the key? Have they said anything?

The money is usually held until completion, it is usual for your solicitor to phone you and let you know that the sale has been completed.

Phone your solicitor and ask him, If you have completed.

Assuming you have I would tell them they need to get a move on.

Normally the estate agents call and tell you when the completion has happened and then you can pick up the keys. We didn't have a chain when we moved recently, but even so the money didn't go through till 3.30pm so we couldn't pick up the keys till then. Like Greenshadow said, keep hassling your solicitor and get the estate agent to hassle the vendor's solicitor too.

It's one of those things that can drag on all day really, the day of the move is always a nightmare. Do you have to move in today? If so start hassling now. My feckless parents (df in particular) just did this, he hadn't even finished by the end of the day, had to put everything in the garage and finish off the next morning. The vendee was understandably apoplectic.

We have definitely completed.

We're not moving in today which is why vendor thinks she has all the time in the world.

I'm on the internet to stop me pacing up and down!

I think that about now would be reasonable. Midday is the official deadline but it always seems to drag on. After all what you rather?Waiting a few extra hours or going in the front while they escape out the back leaving all their mess behind them? We didn't get the keys till just before 3 but the house was spotless! Worth the wait IMO.

If you've definitely completed, I would get on the phone to the solicitors, and the EA and find out what's going on. As soon as you've completed it's YOUR house, so she should no longer be there!

This happened to us and luckily we weren't planning on moving in until the next day (they didn't know this) but we'd been given the keys by the estate agent and when we went round to the property they were still packing and we actually caught the old owner digging up loads of the plants from the garden too that she had decided to take with her!! They still hadn't gone by 5pm so if I had been sat there with my van waiting i'd have been livid! And they left loads of crap stuff in the loft for us to get rid of too. And they'd burnt the carpet in the lounge with an iron that they had covered up when viewing and not declared to us. Arrrgghh 8 years later and I STILL get angry thinking about it all I'm sure yours will go far more smoothly though!

I've rung my solicitor twice since noon and no response, just her voice-mail.

EA tells me the whole chain has completed - strange because we were told the house was chain-free. Apparently the vendor is packed up but not releasing until she has her new keys.

I am so cheesed off. So much for taking a look around before collecting DD from school.

How rude! Normally its the unspoken rule that the vendors will be out by lunchtime (though I have to confess it we once only completed packing and moving out, with three babies in tow, at 4pm one time, we were only just driving off as our buyers arrived

In our last house, the old owners were still moving at 6pm, luckily we were in rented and didn't need to move in straight away.

Hope you get in soon.

I recall one house move when we were taking our stuff in one door and the vendor was still moving their stuff out another door.

Because of that we too had loads of their crap left in the loft.

i think that legally, once you've completed, anything left in there becomes yours.

however, if you're not sitting there with the van, then it doesn't matter too much. hassling them may have a negative effect.

When we bought our house 10yrs ago, the previous owners HAD to vacate by noon that day.
We were both at work, so we got some things out of storage, packed up the van and drove to the new house.
At 9pm, the previous owners were still moving stuff!
They stil had not started on the garage or the 'giant' shed in the garden as they had taken all day to dismantle their huge dog run.
First thing the next morning we got the locksmith round to change the locks as we did not want them just waltzing in.

Then we had about 8 weeks of them coming to and from the house and garden, moving their stuff.
And after that it was 8 months of their post being collected (they never gave us their new address).

It was secret as they owed money to lots of people, even now we are still getting letters from solicitors
We were too nice, we should have just burnt all the stuff they left behind.

The woman even tried to apply for a job using OUR address!

"Apparently the vendor is packed up but not releasing until she has her new keys." That's not how it works! If you have completed she has no right to do this.

In the last but one house I moved into the idiotic vendor (selling his parents house) had got the completion day wrong and booked a van for the following day. We arrived with our van, and he was saying 'but where can I put my stuff?' We needed to get unloaded and done before a certain time to avoid an extra payment to the removal co, so started helping move his stuff out - then his wife yelled at us for touching their stuff.

Why are people so hopeless about this?

One house move we packe dup our flat, got the call for our solicitor, drove the 5 or so miles, collected the new keys, drove up and let ourselves in to find vendor still sat there waiting!

If you aren't moving in today can you wait until morning before you go round with a rolling pin

Seriously though - i would give him/her today and then strop alot tomorrow.

Our last house we picked up keys went round and let ourselves in to be faced with the exowners 2 dogs and all their stuff - they hadn't even started to move out. Luckily we weren't in a huge rush but I was well peed off. With this house we were the ones running late - but buyers didn't want in til next day so we weren't too bothered. In the grand scheme of things an hour or 2 here or there won't matter (as long as you're not sitting in a van with all your stuff waiting to get in!)

Ask your solicitor to tell them you will be charging rent if they don't move out by this evening ! Seriously they are unlikely to go until Monday otherwise.

I wouldn't be leaving them there overnight.. that house is legally yours now,.. with your insurance etc. What if something happens? What if they break something?
Get onto your solicitor and give them a deadline

I got the keys about 3.15 in the end. I've had a quick look around - much stinkier and dirtier than I remembered but that's always the way. It needs a serious deep-clean.

There are several spindles missing on the stairs which will have to get fixed - gaps so big DH could fall through them! Also post-its everywhere informing us of things being broken. Oh Joy!

Our solicitor only rang me at 4.15 to apologise for not being in contact all day due to her voice-mail playing up. I'd expect her to be ringing me anyway surely? We won't be dealing with her again. In fact, the vendors solicitor was so good I think we'll use them in future.