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!

[PoorCatto]

Oh gosh. I hope you're in now.

Similar happened to us about 20 years ago. Moving 100miles across the country. Estate agent met us at the property to speed things up. Unlocked the door to what was now our house to find that nothing had been packed and there was no body home. THE VENDORS WERE AT WORK! they thought they'd do it all when they got home at 6pm! Needless to say estate agents put them straight. We had to unload our van into the garden as removal firm had other jobs to get to and we couldn't really afford to pay them to wait. The estate agent was our friend and told us a few years later they tried to move again and they refused to be their agent

[ItsNotMeAnymore]

.

[Cam001]

I don't understand people leaving it until the day they move to pack!

[SoftSheen]

Last time we moved, the vendors didn't leave until 4 pm. They did, however, leave the house immaculately clean, with sparkling windows and bathrooms, and a fresh bunch of flowers in the kitchen- we were happy to let them off!

[saltedcaramelanything]

Absolutely ridiculous. Well done you for being calm about it - but imagine you had movers bringing all your things today!!

I hope you're in now. But 100% change the locks and put a complaint in tomorrow

[Atla]

Hope you are in now OP! What a nightmare.

[Embroidery]

Happens all the time. Can you help them in the name of humanity.

[BlueFireSmokey]

They’ve gone!

[sqirrelfriends]

Finally, I hope they apologised at least?

[choppolata]

About bloody time! Hope the house isn't too much of a mess.

[ImNotWhoYouThink]

We had a similar problem on moving day, completed at 10 and they were still packing until nearly 4. Turns out that a family of 4 had not thought about packing a thing until the removals turned up that morning. The house was also dirty as they then didn’t have time to clean.

[knittingaddict]

That's terrible op. What if you had been moving in today? At least you would have been able to present them with a bill because your movers would have probably slapped on extra charges for having to wait so long. I really don't understand some people.

[Lunificent]

We were the baddies who didn’t leave in time when we last moved. Our removals company underestimated the scale of the job and on topic that one removal man had a bereavement during the move so he was totally distracted. It was all awful and really embarrassing.

[Wife2b]

Bloody hell OP I don’t understand why you’ve been so chill about it, they treated you like a doormat, ultimate CF! Get the locks changed and enjoy your new home!

[Cailleach1]

@BlueFireSmokey

They’ve gone!

Thank goodness, op. Now enjoy those first moments in your new home. I hope you have much joy and create happy memories there.

[SoloISland]

That is so maddening and disappointing . Just deflated the thrill of the occasion. So sorry

I once arrived at my new bought house as the family were driving away.. perfect.

[Frank77]

Happened to us too. Didn’t end up getting in until evening. To be fair the seller’s removal firm had let them down last minute and they left us flowers.

[CallmeHendricks]

What on earth would have happened if you had been moving in today and had had a van parked outside full of your furniture?

[Limitedhelp]

I'm pretty sure they can be fined for this. This is a huge no no.
I would consider putting in a formal complaint.

[Underpaidsnackbitch]

Yay! Glad they've gone!

[trumpisagit]

After we bought our house, the next day, the previous owner let themselves in to collect something they had forgotten!

DH asked them for the key, and they handed it over saying "but I won't be able to get in".

"No, no you won't!"

They were elderly and had lived there a long time, so we put it down to that, and were polite.

Still very bizarre though.

[Sparklynewname]

A few years ago the house opposite me was sold. I watched the wife packing things all day and then her husband came home to help. They were putting things in the car one thing at a time (1 jigsaw puzzle etc). DH said they were at it until gone 1am.
I got home from my night shift to see a removals van park up outside the house (after having had notes put through every door on our cul de sac by the new owners saying their moving date and they would try not to inconvenience anyone but could we please leave in front of the house clear for their lorry).
I left to do the school run and the guys were still in the van and had not started. I got home an hour later and the van was gone. All moved in.
Their move was an art form!

[FudgeFlake]

We moved within our town, when our first vanload turned up at New House (I was in that van) Mrs Vendor was still in the kitchen washing stuff. We harried and harried but the twelve noon time vanished to three ish before we finally got the house clear. Meanwhile our buyers had turned up and were understandably annoyed that there was now a backlog of stuff.

Is there any way that housemoving could be turned into a sensible overnight operation where buyer and seller chuck let's say £500 each into a hotel fund just so the whole thing can happen in a civilised manner?

[BronwenFrideswide]

I've Bern on the other side of this snd it's really stressful, removal firm sent wrong size lorry, typically money transfer happened early,around 11am and we were still waiting for second removal lorry!

Last time we moved the removal lorry was there the day before, loaded everything bar the last minute stuff which was done at 8.00 a.m the morning of the move and then they departed, giving us plenty of time to do a final clean, shove the last few bits in the car and be ready to hand over the keys as soon as completion was concluded.

It's not difficult if you plan and organise properly.

[BlueJag]

Our friend got a fine for being two hours late leaving the house. Talk to your solicitor.