Sold house, move out in 8 weeks, nowhere to go yet?

[busybee90]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to ask for some advice about our housing situation.

We have not long accepted an offer on our house, we move out in 8 weeks.

There has been nothing on the market that we would like to buy at the moment. Over the past couple of weeks we have hand delivered letters to properties that we like, 150 letters delivered so far. From the letters we have had 2 people contact us who are keen to sell but were just waiting for Spring. They are keen as they will save estate agent fees and not have lots of viewings. We are happy to buy at market value.

The issue is they have nowhere to go yet, they haven't seen anywhere they like and I'm not sure if they will be as direct to seek out houses by delivering letters.

What are your suggestions about where we could go in the meantime?

There are very little private lets that are suitable for us, I would prefer a house with a front and back door but the only properties for let are flats/apartments.

I have tried to think outside the box and contacted a local tourist caravan park to see if they could accommodate us in any way. The communication was very positive, I was quite hopeful this could have been a short term solution but they have now stated that the fees would be £2300 per month - this is far too much for us.

A house came up for let today but as soon as I explained I only want 6 months let and that we had just sold our house - they bluntly said No, long term let only.

I feel a bit anxious about it all, I just need some more ideas about how I can secure short term accommodation for our young family.

Also living with our own family is not an option.

Looking forward to some ideas and hearing from people who have had similar experiences.

Many Thanks.

rent an apartment as small as you can manage to save costs and put the bulk of your things in storage. you dont need a house for young family for temporary situation

as the apartment is only temporary you can live with it for six months or longer.

I'm a bit confused. Why do you need to move out in 8 weeks of you haven't got somewhere lined up?

For a short term let, lower your expectations! You can put the majority of your stuff in storage and just keep the essentials, as you know you won't be renting for long. An apartment for a family is manageable if you just take key possessions and clothes and rent a storage unit til you move to your new home.

I feel that yes I will be forced to rent an apartment, just hoping for some different ideas...also we have a dog and I don't think a landlord would want a dog in an apartment.

rent what is available, it is only temporary. You'll appreciate a garden when you have one again.

make sure you are informed about your rights if this is England/Wales:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-rent

Also, don't tell them you only want a 6 month let- very few landlords would agree to that from the start as its expensive to change tenants.

Plenty of people move out of rented properties after 6 months so it's not an issue.

I have contacted about storage and there is a waiting list, I call them every week for an update...this is also a bit concerning as I am unsure about where to put all of our stuff. There are other storage companies further afield but I would have preferred something within 20 miles.

The dog is quite a significant hinderance- very few landlords will accept them.

Why are you selling and moving so quickly if it is putting you in such a difficult position?

Our house was on the market for 4 months and it sold, we have made it lovely inside and put a lot of work into it. Other houses in the area have been on the market a lot longer, with the neighbour across the road being on the market for over 1 year.

Our buyers have been quite laid back and our solicitor had negotiated 12 weeks with them.

We are delighted to be able to move and know that things will work out with getting a new house - its just the short term that's a bit of an issue.

Have you exchanged on your sale?

It would be quite standard for you to make your buyers wait until you have found a house to buy (that's how chains work!) - why did your solicitor negotiate 12 weeks (which is pretty fast) with them if you have nowhere to go?

To be honest this is the first time we have sold a house, so its all new to us.

Our solicitor knew we had nowhere to go, it didn't seem out of the ordinary. We had another offer and they wanted to move in after 6 weeks, we obviously rejected that offer.

We're in Scotland if that makes any difference...

My Aunt sold her house and she lived in a B&B for 5 weeks so its not unheard of I guess...I also have a work colleague and they lived in a hotel (he is quite financially well off)

ah. Dog. Flat. Not good.

I see you are in Scotland, forget that booklet. Storage can go further away, it is by definition stuff you don't need.

Where the buyers asked if they would be ready to wait longuer?
Are they tenants somewhere local? Maybe you could swap with them for a few months?
Have you visited the homes you want to buy? If I where you I would make everything as final as possible with the people you decide to buy from, it would be quite depressing doing all this and finding out later on that the house does not work out for you/they pull out/etc