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Original poster

Vendors asking to change completion date

152 replies

crimsonlake · 13/04/2018 17:46

Half expecting this.
Made an offer on a house, raised it a little on the agreement that the vendor would move out on an agreed completion date.The vendor said she would move in until the purchase of her property completed with family so no problem.
Three weeks before we complete and prior to exchange just had a message saying they cannot complete until a couple of weeks due to their vendor.
What the heck! Really cross as they are trying to go back on their agreement as my purchase was never supposed to be dependent on their own, as in no chain as such. This is the reason I increased my offer? I have just reminded their estate agent of this.
I am in temporary accommodation as I completed on my own sale a few months ago and my belongings are in storage. It needs to be on the date we agreed as I have to vacate where I am staying and have nowhere to go unless I go in to a hotel or sofa surf. Hoping they come back and say that the will now accept the first offer I made since they cannot honour our agreement before I need to state the obvious.

OP posts:
PoshPenny · 13/04/2018 21:02

Crimson it sounds like you are in a good position then to get tough with them. I hope it all works out for you.

MaggieFS · 13/04/2018 21:06

If the issue is coming form their vendor and they have somewhere lined up they want to purchase, they won't want to lose you as a buyer either, so you can go back and reduce your offer. I'd give the EA a realistic and justified figure to show you aren't taking the piss such as extra rent and storage costs. They choose, take the reduced costs or leave on the agreed date. I had exactly the same situation once - they'd move into rented, no chain blah blah, but in the event they found somewhere else to buy. I'd been open all along I was very flexible on the date, but had two months notice on my rented flat, so when they wanted to delay slightly, I said it would need to be another month clear and that miraculously sorted out the issue.

Jon66 · 13/04/2018 21:11

Why don't you just work out what it will cost you for a hotel and extra storage and extra removal costs and present it to them in a professional way that those are your extra costs and so you will be reducing the offer price to reflect those extra costs? That is entirely reasonable and I cannot see the other side would see it as an issue. I.e. hotel 90 pounds a night x 21, storage costs, a meal a night at 15 pounds because you can't cook. Will probably be around 3 grand.

Original poster
crimsonlake · 13/04/2018 22:00

Thank you all again.
Think the way forward initially will be as I have already made clear to the estate agent that I increased my offer to what the vendor wanted as long as they agreed to my completion date which they did. Obviously as they are now stating they cannot complete as they are suddenly in a chain and wont move out as promised I will return to my initial offer and await their response.
Wondering what would happen in this situation if we had already exchanged?
Also wondering what happens if we exchange and their chain breaks down, where does that leave me?
Really appreciate all the advice I have been getting.

OP posts:
MaggieFS · 13/04/2018 22:06

If you'd exchanged, your contract would commit both parties to a date and price and detail the penalty for breaking the contract. Exchange is the point of no return... or only with great expense. Unless the house has any quirks, most contracts are standard in my experience and your solicitor could quickly tell you the details. I have a figure of 10% of the sale price in mind but might be wrong!

yorkshireyummymummy · 13/04/2018 22:54

Get tough with them.
You agreed , through solicitors presumably , that you would pay X on the understanding that they would move out on or by Z date.
They have reneged on their side of the deal.
Get your solicitor to speak to their estate agent and tell them that since their sellers have broken the deal which they had previously agreed to then the price you are willing to pay has now been reduced to X. Make sure any costs you would have ( hotel, meals, extra storage etc) is factored in plus £1k for your inconvenience.
Play hardball. Scare them. Get your solicitor to be bloody hard with them.
Realistically, if they don’t move the date but you still want this house you will have to bunk up in an hotel for a couple of weeks .
If you pull out you will STILL have to find somewhere to stay for a few weeks so either way you may end up doing a double move. But it’s well worth being tough and trying to claw back some money WHICH IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS as they have reneged on what they agreed.
Personally, if they don’t agree to it then i would wait until the morning of exchange and pull out but I’m a bitch like that.

Original poster
crimsonlake · 13/04/2018 23:12

Thank you all for taking the time to post, very good advice given.
Amazingly it was only a week ago that I checked with the vendor via their ea that our agreement was still in place and they confirmed that it was only to do a turn around today. It is a risky game that they are playing.

OP posts:
NotMaryWhitehouse · 14/04/2018 07:47

@crimsonlake what area of the country are you in? We are having trouble with a similar situation in York and are wondering if actually it is the estate agents who are messing us about Hmm

Original poster
crimsonlake · 14/04/2018 08:33

Hi NotMaryWhitehouse, actually I am in the North West. How are you planning to proceed with this issue I wonder? I was clearly trying to avoid being in a chain as I needed to move quickly and the vendors knew this.

OP posts:
NotMaryWhitehouse · 14/04/2018 08:51

@crimsonlake honestly, I'd say stick to your guns! It's very hard because it's so stressful, but they stand to lose more than you in this situation. If it's in writing somewhere that they agreed to it, I'd just say via the EA (or even better, your solicitors) tough luck and that you'll be pulling out if they break the promise.

They have plenty of options, not just moving in with family- not your problem, frankly.

I had a very similar problem with some contracts a couple of years ago, non-house related- we 'lost' /spent a LOT of money on something we shouldn't have because we didn't have steely balls- won't make that mistake again!

Good luck.

Original poster
crimsonlake · 16/04/2018 17:07

An update on the situation.
Turns out vendors have gone back on their word and are unwilling to put their furniture in to storage as it is too expensive. They now want the sale tied up with their purchase which means a chain obviously.
I am now seeking a reduction to the original asking price I offered as the higher price I agreed on no longer reflects the agreement we made. Also to take into account the extra costs involved if I have to spend 2 weeks in a hotel.

OP posts:
CotswoldStrife · 16/04/2018 18:07

Stick to your guns OP, if your vendors threaten to take their house off the market presumably they won't be able to proceed with their purchase either.

FiloPasty · 16/04/2018 18:12

I would ask for a discount even on your first offer they are massively taking the mickey.

NotMaryWhitehouse · 16/04/2018 18:20

@Cotswold has a good point there OP

Avasarala · 16/04/2018 18:22

If they didn't have any other offers, and are in the process of completing on their new home, they will not want you walking away. If you are willing to follow through on the threat, then just tell their agent that the amount you will pay is your original offer or you are walking away from the sale.

Original poster
crimsonlake · 16/04/2018 18:49

The house had been on the market since Oct and when I viewed they had just had a sale fall through and incurred costs associated with this of course. Makes no sense to me why they would even risk suddenly refusing to complete by the agreed date and risk losing a cash buyer with nothing to sell.
Will let you know what happens next. I am inclined to pull out as I certainly do not trust them as sellers now, however nothing else has come on the market and if I go into rented then that will eat even more into the sum I set aside for the purchase. What will be will be I suppose.

OP posts:
FiloPasty · 16/04/2018 20:19

Stay firm crimson

FiloPasty · 18/04/2018 00:47

Any news Crimson?

Original poster
crimsonlake · 19/04/2018 06:32

Yes, they will not budge on price. Which leaves me with the decision to pull out or not? Only option will be to go into rented and the large costs involved with this if I do. Will fill in more detail later as off to work.

OP posts:
wowfudge · 19/04/2018 06:51

I understand your predicament, but I'd pull out - you can't trust them. A couple weeks could become a month, six weeks, eight. By which time you could have completed on another house.

NotMaryWhitehouse · 19/04/2018 07:25

If you aren't willing to suck up the extra costs (and it not sure I would), I'd walk away. They might be bluffing, they might not- but they are most certainly behaving like prize bellends.

Massive PITA, you have sympathies.

AlbertaSimmons · 19/04/2018 07:37

They aren't motivated sellers. I'd walk away. When we moved a year or so ago, our vendor didn't want to move full stop. She was elderly and being pressured into it by her family. Sye stalled and stalled and stalled throughout the whole process. There was no chain as we were renting and she was moving in with her DD. She moved the completion date after exchange, despite it being in the contract, because she knew that we couldn't pull out without significant losses. The transaction that could have taken 6 weeks in the end took 4 months.

MaggieFS · 19/04/2018 08:05

Oh so annoying. They're not keen on doing anything soon, so you could be renting for months and still end up with nothing. Better off to pull out and start looking. (Unless there's a way to keep going and also start looking? Can't remember when you are due to exchange).

You never know, you might find a genuinely chain free alternative and be moved in no time. These things often have a habit of turning out for the better. Good luck Op.

sausagedogsmakechipolatas · 19/04/2018 08:14

I would absolutely walk away. They are not motivated and there’s no benefit to you to wait for them in terms of price reduction etc.
Frustrating that rent will chip away at your capital, but can you save more in the time between now and finding another property to buy?

FiloPasty · 19/04/2018 16:35

Totally they are being unreasonable, walk away.

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