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!

@SeaToSki

We are in the US and here you get a walk through the morning before you close (complete). If the place isnt “broom clean” you delay and dont pay until it is. It means there is none of this CF stuff. Most people ask the estate agent to do the walk through for them, but you can go yourself to check everything that was meant to be left is still there and they havent forgotten to clean the crap out of the garden shed etc. If things have been taken, the vendors have to put them back or a price adjustment is made to compensate.

Makes for a much easier transition

That sounds very civilised. I think every other Country has a better House buying/selling system than England.

Why is our way so backwards?

@funnysInLaJardin

Seriously, when you could see they were moving out, and would be out in a couple of hours?

But it wasn't just a couple of hours, was it? They had completed by 11am!

@Whatamesssss yes I totally agree, that sounds so much better! The system in the UK is awful.

@surreygirl1987. Not trying to be rude here but what do you think would actually happen here ? Should they call the police ? Solicitors and estate agents are closed now! Don’t think a locksmith would probably want to get involved when it’s pretty obvious they have over run . Yes it’s very annoying but shit happens !

That sounds very civilised. I think every other Country has a better House buying/selling system than England.

Why is our way so backwards?

In part because we are obsessed with not spending too much. Any system that doesn't allow same day change over means someone sleeping (and storing their belongings) somewhere other than the home they own or owning two homes at once. That costs more money (at least in the short term) and Brits are a bunch of skinflints a lot of the time.

Oh god, this is making me cringe as we were the awful seller last year. We made a schoolboy error and chose cheap removal folk from gumtree. Lesson learned. They showed up 5hrs late at 4pm, turns out they had just completed a move starting at 8am. The poor lads were grumpy and tired, but not taking care of our stuff and needed a lot of project managing. Our poor buyers were incredibly patient, but unlike your woman we were desperately apologetic! Then the guys gouged a hole out of the wall with a wardrobe while trying to get it down the stairs, and smashed a mirror. I was cleaning broken glass at 1am and the buyers didn’t get in til the next day. We obviously paid for the damage etc and somehow have good relations with the buyers whom we see around sometimes. Makes me cringe remembering that awful day!! Good luck in your new home OP

We had this happen. Our solicitor advised us to call the police and a locksmith as the previous owners started to threaten us. They then turned on the police and nearly got arrested. Police advised it was our property, they had signed a legal document agreeing to vacate that 1Pm and they were hours past that with no sign of packing or moving. Locksmith changed the locks and we agreed to let them back in the next day to clear out the rest of the stuff.

If they had just been finishing up then we would have been patient but they said they needed a day or two to move out as they were having carpets fitted in their new house- never previously mentioned and also not my problem given I needed to move in.

They were hanging out their washing on the line in the garden when the police arrived. Complete CF.

My first move I lived right next to the Removals firm so we're on the road early. When we got to the estate agents to pick up the keys, they hadn't been dropped off yet. I was really worried because we had technically completed by then and the money had been transferred. It was a tense couple of hours. Turned out the owner had not only cleaned the house so it was spotless but had also replaced a lightbulb. We became good friends and it was through her that I met MrW. Sometimes, good things happen.

Goodness, I had no idea. It's enough to make you buy a new build!

I would never dream of doing this to anyone and we've sold three houses and bought four: two new builds and two not.

The worst we had was packing up to leave well ahead of time and having a bed company turn up to deliver a new mattress - for our buyers. The firm accidentally delivered a week early. Our buyers were apologetic - mortified - and had it taken straight back; there was literally nowhere to put it where it would not have been massively in our way.

You can forgive a lot if people are clearly overwhelmed and apologetic, but the cheek of some folk!

We've bought three times and this has happened to us every time.
First time we came back next day as we were renting.
Next time our movers had to help the vendors move out so we could move in.
Final time we were moving in the front door as they were moving out the back.
Every time the vendors have moved themselves rather than use a company. And the place has been left filthy.
Each time I've been so pissed off.

I think a fixed penalty of £500 every hour over would concentrate the lollygagger's tiny minds and motivate them the get their arses in gear.

@Heruka I don't think you were, something like that is beyond your control.

@Willowkins

My first move I lived right next to the Removals firm so we're on the road early. When we got to the estate agents to pick up the keys, they hadn't been dropped off yet. I was really worried because we had technically completed by then and the money had been transferred. It was a tense couple of hours. Turned out the owner had not only cleaned the house so it was spotless but had also replaced a lightbulb. We became good friends and it was through her that I met MrW. Sometimes, good things happen.

What a lovely story amid all this chaos

@HambletonSquare

Friend of mine had similar, except had arrived at their new house with their removals company and a wagon full of furniture.

Said removals company had to go to their next job too....so the rather burley guys, went into the house, removed all of the ex owners furniture and dumped it on the front lawn, emptied their van of my friends furniture, into their new house and left.

Similar with neighbours of ours. Except they had split up - they were each moving themselves with the help of mates with transit vans and we heard afterwards that there had been considerable arguments over the possessions. The new owners arrived with their furniture van, took a break and still the sellers weren't out. In the end the removers just took all their stuff out and dumped it on the front lawn. The sellers were still moving stuff well after dark and in the rain...

Is the concern in these situations that they’re just never going to leave? Presumably they’ve chosen to sell the house so why wouldn’t they?

I can see it’s obviously majorly inconvenient especially if the buyer is moving their stuff in at the same time but some of these reactions are so extreme.

If it’s the inconvenience of it then complaining, marching in and offering foods etc doesn’t help change that it’s happening?

The attitude of some people on this thread towards sellers is strange …

I don't get why residential solicitors don't check sellers have left the house empty before agreeing to complete? The contract is very clear that they are giving vacant possession at completion (baffled commercial property solicitor here! )

@Badgerforbreakfast they aren't "ready to complete" until the property is vacant. That is very clear in the standard residential property contract.

As for the issue - not getting moved on promptly isn't just a minor inconvenience. many buyers will have vacated their own home so have nowhere to go. They have the logistics of getting a bed made before bedtime and a house unpacked before they can get on with their lives. They might have young children or medical needs /disabilities ... Etc etc. Is it really so hard to comprehend?

I think a fixed penalty of £500 every hour over would concentrate the lollygagger's tiny minds and motivate them the get their arses in gear

There is a financial penalty for failing to complete by (usually 1pm) on the completion day. And sellers shouldn't complete until they have vacated the property so should risk a financial penalty. For some reason though, many conveyancers acting for sellers just complete without checking this major point - and then chaos ensues

There’s a big difference between ‘totally miscalculated and mortified’ and ‘I’ll do it in my own good time and btw we’re leaving the monstrous wardrobes. And the cat.’

Strangely enough no because I said the exact words in my post of ‘I can see it’s obviously majorly inconvenient’ … so I think it’s you that needs to work on your comprehension.

I understand there are contracts and laws and rules etc etc but the way some people are going on on this thread just seems OTT.

@Mistymoors
@surreygirl1987. Not trying to be rude here but what do you think would actually happen here ? Should they call the police ? Solicitors and estate agents are closed now! Don’t think a locksmith would probably want to get involved when it’s pretty obvious they have over run . Yes it’s very annoying but shit happens!

You're not being rude at all - fair question. And I honestly probably wouldn't do anything. I said I'd be 'concerned' - I didn't say I'd call the police. You're right, 'shit' does happen. I've had enough of it happen when I moved. This particular 'shit' shouldn't happen though. Running over by half an hour is one thing, while tying up loose ends - although annoying enough if you're waiting outside with a removal van full of stuff - but practically a whole day isn't really acceptable, is it? The vendor apparently didn't know they had their rental place to go back to.

I'm hopefully going to be completing on a property in the next couple of months or so. If I turn up with a removal van at 11am, having moved out of my property, my baby and toddler in tow, to find the vendors still in it, and still in it by the evening, then yes I will be concerned! The OP was lucky not to be in that situation, but the vendor wasn't to know that. But some people just aren't considerate of others.

Glad they have finally left and you can now enjoy your new home in peace

I’m a pretty chill person generally. But I was starting to get tired. It’s just the inconvenience of it all. It was excessively late really considering we completed before lunch. I’d have been fuming if we had a van full of stuff waiting!

Our current property we bought as a probate sale. Very elderly gentleman had died, and his elderly son was selling the house and going into sheltered accommodation. They had lived here for over 50 years.

The son got the phone call saying the purchase had gone through. And then he started packing. 50 years of stuff. One Ford Escort load at a time.

His son, also no spring chicken and a couple of the next generation down worked out what was going on and eventually turned up with a van but we were 3 DAYS late moving in. Luckily we'd planned to renovate and our stuff was going into storage anyway, but we ended up starting to strip out some walls and the bathroom while they were still moving...

We weren't actually out of pocket at all but I had a 2yo and a 5 week old baby and we were living with my MIL and I'm afraid I had massive sense of humour failure on day 2.

Glad they’re gone OP 👍

We had the opposite some years ago, I was overseas and DH was finalising the house sale here. Buyers turned up Friday evening with removal van in tow claiming the money was with their bank and it would be paid the following Monday. Wanted DH to hand over the keys.