How long from surveys to completion?

[ozzia]

Tomorrow both our house and the one we're buying are having the surveys carried out. Can anyone advise how long after that completion tends to happen? There is only one more house in the chain. We're on holiday soon and I'm scared the others will want to complete whilst we're away. Wasn't expecting it to take so long!

Bump

Our survey was done about 2 months ago. Short chain, but the crazy woman we're buying from is apparently no longer the owner of the house... Probate stuff I think ... So we've no idea when/if we'll exchange, let alone complete.

So what I should have said (constant ranting paused!) is it depends, and you can never tell! Hope yours is straightforward!

Thanks, hopefully that means our 2 week hol from 29th August won't hold anything up too much

I used to reckon about 3 weeks from survey to receipt of mortgage offer. Then any conditions in mortgage offer will need to be complied with, any extra reports obtained etc. Once everything is satisfactory, then you can proceed to exchange, at which point a completion date is agreed. So a 2 week holiday starting at the end of august could well be very inconvenient for all concerned . have you already booked it?

The holiday was booked over a year ago, before we even thought about moving.

I keep nagging the solicitor but they aren't being that helpful. I have asked whether I can get all paperwork signed ahead of the holiday and then have a family member act on my behalf on day of completion as I don't know what else I can do.

As long as you've told the estate agents and your own solicitor about your holiday, you shouldn't worry. You've done everything you can and would not be expected to cancel your plans to accommodate the rest of the chain. You can always exchange contracts before you leave with completion scheduled for three weeks later. That way, everyone has certainty and is contractually bound.

Also, we received our mortgage offer three days after the survey (Santander) so the three weeks estimate seems a little gloomy to me. The house we're buying is rather shabby and we know there's some damp etc but the mortgage valuation didn't highlight any of this so we had no unexpected conditions attached to our offer.

My solicitor knows certainly. I am 99% sure I've told the agent but I'm starting to doubt myself as the whole process started so long ago I'm not sure who I've told what. I'll ring them and speak to them like I have and pretend like they've forgotten if need be

Is there anything to stop completion happening whilst we are away if a family member can be present to make sure the move goes smoothly?

In theory, it could happen in your absence provided you'd signed all the paperwork in advance but I think it would be a lot to ask of a family member and you should really try to be there to do the move yourself.

I would do all the packing before we go, they would just need to supervise the removals people and be there. I wouldn't expect them to unpack or anything.

Obviously I would rather be there, I just don't want to impact on the rest of the chain if its avoidable.

Are you aware that having a survey done has little bearing over how long the entire transaction will take? You say your solicitor hasn't been very helpful - might it be because actually there are too many other parts of the conveyancing process which need to be satisfied before exchange is imminent?

Honestly, I'm completely in the dark as to how the process goes and I feel embarrassed to ask. I know the searches are back on my property though.

We accepted an offer on our house at the end of April, survey happened a week or so later. Completion is now scheduled for 18 August, so I really wouldn't worry about a holiday in three weeks time! We are the top of the chain

We sold our house 5 weeks ago and we exchanged yesterday, completing in a few days

There was no chain though and I've been hassling my agent/solicitor a lot. Mainly as we are off on holiday this weekend.

Ozzie - the survey is done to make sure the property is suitable security for the mortgage lender. At the same time as your lender is checking you and the property out, your solicitor should be making sure the property is a good purchase legally for you by applying for searches and raising enquiries. Searches will be a local search, which come from the council (and takes around 3 weeks round here), possibly a mining search, chancellery search, environmental search etc all to check that there's nothing that's going to affect you adversely, for example claims for mining subsidence in the immediate vicinity or a liability for costs to the parish church. Enquiries are questions that your solicitor asks the vendors solicitors, for example, it might concern planning permissions or guarantees for bee windows or damp proof courses. Once your solicitor is happy with the searches, the replies, and the conditions on the mortgage offer, they will ask you to come in and sign the contracts, which they will then "exchange" with the vendors once everyone in the chain is ready. This then makes the purchase/sale legally binding, and you normally pay the deposit at this point. Completion is then usually set for an agreed date which suits all of the chain, when the mortgage funds are requested from the lender, and you get the keys.

If you're not sure of anything your solicitor should answer, after all you are paying them for their services!

In addition to what Bustle said above, your solicitor also has to check the title deeds and plan from Land Registry, to ensure that the people selling to you are the rightful owners, and that they hold full title (unless probate) and that the boundaries accord with what you see on the ground. Also, are any of the flats/houses in the chain leasehold? If so, many more enquiries/paperworks to satisfy.

Thank you for explaining

I'm sure he would explain but he talks to me like I should know things so I feel silly. Internet searches don't always help as the explanations are just as confusing on there!

I know searches on our house are done and have raised some things because it's a Bovis house do you can't just extend it and things and (I never realised this) our water isn't connected to the mains so we pay separately for supply and waste water. I'm hoping these aren't deal breakers!

We sale agreed on a house 3 months ago with everything else in line, survey etc done. The current vendors are waiting on their survey to be done on their new house that they have sale agreed. It is being done today. All going well how long should we expect for everything to move along and completion date?

@Elimduffy this thread is 7 years old so you’re probably best starting a new one

Yes I did that. It’s actually what I thought I was doing to begin with lol, I’m a newbie!