How do I move out and into my new house by 11am pregnant!

[fashu]

Hi, so my solicitor dropped the bombshell that I have to be out of my house by 11am Monday. Only problem. I will get the keys to my new house at the same time because I'm in a chain. How is this even possible?
Its going to take a couple of trips to my new house and we can't get any help at the moment because of covid and to top it all off, I am pregnant and have a 2 year old! Can someone please explain how this works because surely it can't be right!

11 am is early.

I am sure it has been noon when I have done it.

Not great to be using a little van and having to do multiple trips when your in a chain
You can’t ! You can’t own two houses at once. When completion happens, when the solicitors all transfer everyone’s money down the wires you don’t your place any more.

Every time I have moved there has been a point where all the stuff is in the van and you have handed your keys to the EA, and then you wait around grabbing a sandwich from a cafe while you wait for the solicitor to tell you completion has happened and you can pick up your new keys.

11 is early though.

I would use the removal company. Let your DH be there, tell him to keep distanced from them, have all windows open at your new place so it is well ventilated and give it an hour after they have left before you go in.

Good luck OP, selling and buying is so stressful. Enjoy your new home.

I’ve moved without movers as has my brother, we have only managed it by taking all easily transportable items ( boxes of things, bedside cabinets, linens, clothes) to our parents a few days before so we are just left with the big items such as sofas and white goods.
My parents always used removals and there were two occasions where we slept in sleeping bags on the floor because the keys were made available so late the removal guys had to unload the next day

The removals company will have done an assessment to make them covid secure. Seriously use them!

Either use removals or hire a storage unit if you can just for the week. Move virtually everything over the weekend, cleaning as each room empties. Take apart all beds and just sleep on mattresses.

Can't you move most stuff to your parents the night before and just leave enough to fill one van?

The day we moved the removal men arrived at 7am. Had finished unloading in new flat by early afternoon then DH and I unpacked as many boxes as possible by the first evening before the DC got returned from GPs.

We hired a van big enough for all our stuff for two days. Packed most of it the night before, packed the bedding and mattress and other bits that morning. We started at 6 and were sat outside our new place waiting for money transfer at 10am. We were told we had until 12 midday.

It was so stressful though. With hindsight I wish I’d taken previous advice and had removals. You can sit in your car while they do it if you don’t want to be in the house with them for covid reasons.

One of you sorts the old house and one gets the keys for the new house , you move in to the new house later surely?

I don’t think 11 is that crazy we have been midday when we have moved and it’s manageable
Get all the help you can
I was 22 weeks pregnant last time we moved
I loaded all the things like clothes into the cars which actually was a “little job” that took ages.

send ds to your mums for a bit if they not in childcare and see what you can do or get your parents to help and you stay out of way. I’d get the movers in for £300

OP, what would you like to happen?

If it’s too late for removals I second the idea of the storage unit. You can get those very short notice. Or piling stuff in someone’s garage even if you get desperate.

It’s a crazy system but apparently this is how it’s always been done.

When did you think you would need to be out by? Midday is pretty standard at least, there will be people waiting to move in and you won't own it any more.

£300 is a bargain.

If you have to leave by 11am and aren't ready by that time, the buyer won't be able to get to your house because you need to drop the keys off...I don't think anyone will die in a ditch if you're a bit behind. These delays happen all the time. I was told 11am to collect keys but didn't get to pick them up till 2pm. No harm done. Hopefully your buyers solicitor will tell him that 11am is the aim time but its not guaranteed, that's also what mine told me. I wouldn't worry, just try to be as organised as possible. Don't worry about your DC being clingy and upset either, he's in good hands!

@HettySunshine - you are (possibly) wrong. 2pm is a common time set out in contracts for completion, but it might be different in the OP’s contract. If she has already exchanged it will be too late to alter the contract to change the time.

In legal terms, the OP will sell one property and immediately buy the other. Therefore, she will have to be out of her property.

In practical terms as others have suggested, pack up your van before 11, then go get the keys and drop yours off. I’m also sure in real terms if you’re a little late there’s not a great deal anyone will do (although it is rude and to be avoided if possible). If there is a chain I’m guessing you will have exchanged before completion day so you can be pretty comfortable things will go ahead.

Yes, it’s early and a bit of a pain (and you have mentioned issues with your solicitor), but moving is was full and try to look at it like you’ll be getting it over and done with.

Whatever the time is, you cant do multiple trips. You cant have the keys to 2 houses at the same time (unless you own them both).
So, you need to look at a way to totally empty your current house without having anything in the new house.
Honestly, if you can possibly find the cash, pay the removal guys. Hand them keys, let them get on with it, with you well out of the way. Repeat at the other end. Open all the windows to air the new house and remove any covid. You have minimal time with the removal guys, and your stress levels are much lower.

I'm not sure what you think everyone else does.

You have keys to your house and then give those back, and get the keys to your new house. You don't have keys to both at the same time, and you take all your stuff with you when you leave your house.

It's how it happens up and down the country every day.

£300 for removals? Bite their arm off. Although yes it's probably too late now. Our move in September cost £2200.

There may he a delay on getting keys to your new house. If they don't vacate til 3pm then you can't have th keys til then

What would you do with all your stuff at this point?

I assuming your selling and buying and using the money from the sale to buy a new property so you won’t be owing two properties at the same time. You can’t have the keys and use of the property you have sold if it’s no longer yours. You don’t sell something and then get to keep using it. You can’t have access to the new house until you actually pay for it.

This is standard house moving stuff.

When did you exchange contracts? You have to agree the completion (moving) date at that point so you would’ve known when it was?

I'm not sure you can blame the solicitor for you not knowing (or rather, having forgotten, if you've moved before) the way moving out/in works.

It’s how buying and selling works, you don’t usually get told what time you’ll get the keys. We’ve always hired a van and then load up a lot the day before.

The nice thing will be getting the keys to the new place early. Often that’s not until later. Once you complete your old house is no longer yours, so you’re supposed to be out. Depending on the chain you can end up with completing on your sale, then having to wait around sat in the van for you to hear your purchase has completed

Get a storage unit. You can get them on the day, reasonably cheap.

Get one today. Take what you can't just transport in your car on Monday, unpack from the storage unit in your own leisurely time.

I would get a van today, pack it over the weekend. Only leave the bare minimum in the house on Sunday night (like beds). £300 seems like small change when you consider the overall cost of house buying and reduced stress! But I probably would want to avoid paying it too.

Don’t deliberately go over

Some daft fucker did this to us last time.
Supposed to be out by 1, still going at 5
My removal men nearly had to up stick and head the 200miles home to where I’d come from with either all my stuff still inside the van or to dump it on the street side in the rain
They were still packing up odds and sods at 6
Solicitor was alarmed ++ as they’d had my money since lunchtime and technically it was my home but I didn’t have possession.
Finally left at 6:30 leaving a loft full of shite, dirt like you’ve never seen, holes in walls and dirty knickers in the built on wardrobe

Don’t be like them

Another thing to consider, why are you buyers expecting to move in OP?

When we exchanged the house we were moving into was empty, so the owners very kindly allowed us to move our stuff into the front room and garage the night before, then the spent the night at a family member's home. Is this feasible at all? Seriously though, I would just pay the £300 and let the professionals do all of the heavy lifting, especially if you are pregnant.
Just remember (and I think this is still the case), that when using an insured company, your possessions will be insured in transit. If you fill a van with your stuff and leave it overnight, check your insurance covers your possessions.