Completed on house this morning but previous owner still hasn’t left!!

[BlueFireSmokey]

Got the message from the solicitor to say we had completed at around 11am this morning. Told the house was now ours and we could pick up the keys from the estate agents. Phoned estate agents and arranged to pick keys up at 3pm. We were very excited as it’s our first home!

Got to estate agents no sign of keys no one seemed to know where they were. They phoned the vendor who said she wasn’t done packing!! And would be gone in a couple of hours. Estate agents told us they shut at 5:30 so to get the keys we would need to go to the house and get them direct from the vendor.

We then left it a couple hours before going to our lovely new home. Fortunately, we have several weeks left on our tenancy so we aren’t actually moving all our furniture in today (vendor doesn’t know this). Anyway they are still there! They said they will be another twenty minutes.

We are gonna find some dinner somewhere then head back and see if they are gone. They gave us a key but they still have keys they said they will put through letter box. This isn’t how I imagined today would go!

[Anitarest]

Dog interrupted!
When we bought our house we still had rental time on our old one, so we stayed there whilst we redecorated the new one. The previous owners actually asked if they could stay for 2 weeks, till we were ready to move in. I said a very firm no, but added that if they paid us £600 which was the going rental at the time, I’d consider it.
The funny thing was, the owner was a teacher at the school where I’d just got a new job. I told him I was looking to meeting him there.
We had no further problems.

[BlueFireSmokey]

Obviously I don’t know what’s going on in their lives but I was a little annoyed how nonchalant they appeared. There was no apology or explanation.

When I think about it, it’s the estate agents I feel annoyed with as they are the ones who wasted our time. We spoke on the phone to them at around 12 noon (an hour after completion) to enquire when we could pick up the keys. They told us anytime after 1pm. So naturally we assumed they were in possession of the keys. They could’ve said they didn’t have to keys before we had a wasted trip!

[Dixiechickonhols]

Beastieboys you had the money at 5.10 pm for your house so didn’t own it anymore from that time. It should have been empty and you no longer there. The owner turned up 20 mins later and was quite within her rights to enter. You not having anywhere to go is not her problem you’ve got £200,000 or whatever of her money in the bank. You’d had all day to be clear - if you were expecting completion to go through at lunchtime why the heck were you still there. Chains do get held up. You should have been apologising profusely not messing around with her keys and her water. Did you really not grasp that selling it at 5.10 pm means you have absolutely no right to be there?

[purplebunny2012]

@PineappleWilson

There are a few reasons why the vendor not being cleared out would be acceptable - when we bought this place the place was empty of furniture but not "bits" - the fridge, shed etc. were still full. Turned out the vendor was in A&E having had a tin of paint fall and hit her on the head as she cleared the shed. As a single parent, there was no-one else to keep clearing. Your vendor has more front than Blackpool and no 4-hour wait in A&E to blame for the delay. Tell them to leave, now, and arrange via their solicitors to come back and collect the rest.

My sister had to help my dad move our parents out. My mum went into hospital extremely suddenly early hours on moving day. They are in their 70s and 80s, no way my dad could have coped alone even with the movers

[Dixiechickonhols]

bluefiresmokey maybe the seller had told the estate agent they’d have keys by 1. They people still in your house should definitely have been apologetic. Hope you are getting settled in.

[helpIhateclothesshopping]

We sold a house a few weeks ago (abroad) couldn't be there for the transaction due to travel restrictions. Our buyers turned up on the Friday lunchtime to exchange contracts, paid in cash (literally-a sack of banknotes), not a single bank in town would accept the cash as none had a big enough safe/vault, despite having been assured by our Bank head office before they signed that it should be OK. Told 20 minutes before closing time that the nearest bank that would was 40 minutes away. Poor BIL had to take the cash home with him for the weekend and hope nothing happened to it before someone could take it to the bank for us on Monday morning. He couldn't even take it himself as he was working and left on Sunday. We were stuck with new owner having the keys and no money in the bank for the whole weekend, thankfully it all went well on the Monday but a lot of prayers were said that weekend for the safety and authenticity of the cash.

[Ifeelsuchafool]

This happened to us only the vendors had gone off to some relatives by the time we got there, leaving a load of rubbish behind, not to mention filth! Estate Agent couldn't raise them. (1989 so pre everyone having a mobile) We had to break in, (we notified the police and EA vouched for us and that we were the rightful owners) We had to put all their stuff in the garage and quickly sweep and mop two of the downstairs rooms to unload our stuff into, leaving us having to clean upstairs and move furniture by ourselves into the wee small hours of the morning. The removal men were fairly good natured about being kept waiting, probably largely owing to our standing all three of them a fish and chip supper and giving each of them a £50 backhander (in addition to the overtime we paid through the official invoice).

Numpty turned up the following morning and started creating a stink over the fact that we'd thrown his belongings into the garage (we'd broken a mug apparently, ugly thick white thing it was, probably worth about a quid - the handle had come off) Said he was taking us to court for criminal damage. (Of course he ended up having to pay us quite substantial damages.)

He was an ex army sergeant and that was the first house they'd ever actually owned, having spent most of their married life in army quarters. Said he'd spent his life serving his country and had a steel plate in his head and we should have had more respect. We said we were sorry about his injuries but we weren't about to sleep on the street because of it. He asked whey we hadn't just stayed in our other house until we were told the house was ready, we patiently explained that it was no longer our house and the people who had bought it from us needed to be in just as we needed to be in the house that no longer belonged to him but he just didn't seem to get it!

[Seren20]

I recall my family moving house many, many years ago and someone in the chain ‘deciding’ at the last moment (literally on the day everyone was moving) that she wasn’t going to complete.

Us and at least 5 other families were sat outside our would be new homes with removal vans for hours. She was eventually persuaded by her EA and adult children to go through with the move.

Our extremely kind sellers vacated, handed over the keys and allowed our family in despite not yet being in receipt of funds after they’d received word the woman was no longer throwing a wobbly and had authorised the bank transfer for her new property.

I was quite young at the time and learned a lot of new swear words that day - all of them from my parents.

[purplebunny2012]

I should add it was just moving boxes out as they'd been told the would be completing before Christmas last year. They moved in March in the end.
My poor parents lived in a house full of boxes for months. My mum was rather glad we weren't allowed to visit for Christmas!

[Ddot]

I'm afraid to say I'm guilty of doing this, my storage van didn't turn up, my fault too. I was supposed to confirm with company but thought I had. Anyway van came eventually only one, and the rest I had to put in my car then go back five times to my mams. I was a few hours late but apologised profusely. Estate agent kept buyer informed. Left my sandwich toaster by accident too 😭

[arrangeyourface]

I think a lot of vendors just don’t give a shit. We got our keys four hours late on completion day. The estate agent gave us a load of flannel that it was because they were making sure the house was perfect for us, but when we finally got in, it was evident that the delay was because they were badly organised cunts.

They’d left a lot of rubbish, furniture, no cleaning, etc. it was a shambles and really took the shine off it for us, especially as they’d been awful throughout the whole process.

We did get an anxious phone call from the estate agent saying that the family had called because they’d accidentally left a valued family photo behind and were desperate to have it back.

Shame. We’d already binned it.

[Fredstheteds]

Change locks- legally yours

[Cherrysoup]

We’re retiring and moving some hours away in a few years. I’m not sure of the logistics-one of us stay in a hotel near the new place to receive removals van, one stay at old house to oversee completion/last minute packing? I’d obviously beat the removals van there even if I cleaned thoroughly before leaving-mostly tiled floors so quick.

This thread is really stressing me out!

[Wackaday]

That is so annoying re: estate agents. If they just gave you a second thought and checked about the keys, you could've come the next day and had a much nicer arrival to your new home.

Eatate agent's got their dosh and didn't give a sh*t how inconvenient it was for you.

Obviously bad planning on the previous owners part too but these things do happen, I guess if you've not had experience of moving your whole house out you could underestimate the work involved.... same happens to me every time i pack for a holiday... I'll be done packing in an hour and 3 hours later I'm still looking around for crap!

Enjoy your new home now it's finally all yours OP!

[Wackaday]

@arrangeyourface

I think a lot of vendors just don’t give a shit. We got our keys four hours late on completion day. The estate agent gave us a load of flannel that it was because they were making sure the house was perfect for us, but when we finally got in, it was evident that the delay was because they were badly organised cunts.

They’d left a lot of rubbish, furniture, no cleaning, etc. it was a shambles and really took the shine off it for us, especially as they’d been awful throughout the whole process.

We did get an anxious phone call from the estate agent saying that the family had called because they’d accidentally left a valued family photo behind and were desperate to have it back.

Shame. We’d already binned it.

Oh dear, but to throw a family album in the bin was a bit mean! What did they to that??

[Apricot10]

This happened to my parents years ago. We turned up to the house with our moving van to the house still full of stuff and he had gone on holiday. My mum phoned him and said your stuff appears to be in MY house. I remember putting the contents of his food cupboard in a box! Cheeky sod turned up a few hours later and started moving out

[Retired65]

Next time I move I will get the removal company to pack.

[Dnaltocs]

Are the contents of the house now the new owners property?

[BSideBaby]

This happened to me. Buyer had a new baby, was breastfeeding, and couldn't move into her new house until the evening when her DH got home from work. She sat on the sofa and we had a good chat for a few hours while I moved my stuff in. We're still friends nearly twenty-five years later.

[NumberTheory]

@Dnaltocs

Are the contents of the house now the new owners property?

No.

[opportunityoctober]

One house we moved into, the vendors had actually left but the house was left in such a state: light switches taken; carpet was reeking of dog's piss; fish tank unplugged so all their tropical fish were dead. Oh, and they'd left a home-made porn video in the attic 😬

[LovePoppy]

@WorkHardPlayHard1

Oh come on have a heart!

The job of clearing out was a lot bigger than they thought, maybe someone let them down who was helping? Maybe something else happened?

Luckily you didn't need to move in that day!! Leave them for a couple more hours (say you will leave them one more hour so room for manoevre).

They are not nasty, just disorganised fgs!!

My mums house buyer kicked off that a piece of furniture was left in her garage. It was my mums mums sideboard. She buyer moved it outside and it rained on it, which upset my mum 6 months later the buyer had died. Its really not that bad.. ?! Good luck in your lovely new home! 🏡xx

But it should have been moved!!

Jeepers, people know their moving dates.

Your family should have sorted that out.

[EdgeOfTheSky]

@Beastieboys but if you are selling and buying simultaneously, selling your house and the money being transferred to buy your next house, you can never go back and forth with van loads as there is never a moment that you own both houses.

Why was completion and the transfer of money delayed unr so late in the afternoon? Was this directly your buyers fault? Surely their solicitors were holding this money?

[PickAChew]

Those who don't even think about packing until removal day - are you the same when you go on holiday? Shit, my plane is doe to leave in 3 hours, best sort out some clothes to take and make sure my passport is up to date?

[PickAChew]

@Retired65

Next time I move I will get the removal company to pack.

Have you read the thread? So many people let down by removers who have no idea how long packing should take.

Just better to plan ahead.