Things to ask current owners before completion

[MySerenity]

We have exchanged on our new house now! We are first time buyers, so do you have any tips for things we should ask the sellers? We are going round for a visit before completion as they want to show us a few things in the garden, and we want to do a bit of measuring for furniture.

What do you always ask? Or what do you wish you asked?

So far I have thought about meter locations, stopcock, circuit board, when do bins go out.

How the heating works. Any quirks with the house - ours has a landing light wired in wrong so the bottom switch doesn’t always work. We’d have been messing around for ages before we figured that one out. Which keys are for what - our vendor put them all on labelled key rings which was great. What the neighbours are like. The best on-road parking place. Details of window cleaners etc or any other existing arrangements. Did they struggle getting their furniture in the front door? Our sofa had to go around the back and it was useful to know this in advance.

Our vendors left a big file of info:

Meter locations and utilities suppliers
Stopcock location
Alarm info
Central heating instructions
Contact details for plumber / electrician / painter & decorator / heating repairs etc
Planting details for garden
Bin days
Local doctors and dentists
Paint colours for walls
Instruction manuals for appliances

You could also just double check if they are leaving anything behind that wasn’t on the sellers form.

Bin day is easily found onlin e, as are current utility suppliers.

Ask where meters are, boiler service info, what keys go where, any quirks.

Find your own fixers, in my experience long standing locals just piss you about.

Just to check you have insured the place from exvhange?

Excuse typos and spaces, crap mn coding.

Hi yes I insured from exchange.

Didn't realise you could find out current utilities online.

Thank you for all the suggestions- so helpful!

good news.

yes, ability to find the current suppliers (may possibly need a phone call with the address) is very useful when the tenant legs it without paying and the landlord needs to take over from that point. And no doubt in other circumstances too.