Page 9 | Completed on house this morning but previous owner still hasn’t left!!

HigglePiggle976 · 23/09/2021 03:06

It happens. Not a lot you can do about it. Some people are just brought up that way, with no respect for others. I just, take a deep breath and say to myself that karma will get them eventually.

My last house purchase, "sold with vacant possession (empty)" had a whole host of large items left behind including garden full of rubbish as well as the loft. Needed a skip to remove it all. When I contacted the vendor about claiming for costs incurred (we had, had each other's mobile numbers during the buying process), she just laughed and said "good luck with that" and then blocked me.

As I say, some people live their lives like that. And then wonder why "life has dealt that a bad hand!"

MilesOfSand · 23/09/2021 03:07

@SeaToSki

US here

Our last house we put on the market back in Dec 2020, we had an accepted offer in 5 days with no contingencies. We closed in 20 days. But that was Covid crazy.

We packed into pods everything we didnt need to stage the house or was essential for daily life. The pods went off to the storage facility (and were held until we knew the date we wanted them delivered to the new house). We then lived in a pared down staged house (1 towel each, no spare bedding, just a few toys, no out of season clothes, attic emptied etc etc) until the offer was signed. We then started boxing everything else up, the day before the closing the removals people came. They loaded the truck and left it parked (full) in our driveway overnight and we just had mattresses on the floor and takeaway pizza for dinner. The next morning they were at ours by 8am, put the mattresses in the back of the truck and headed off. Husband followed immediately. I did the walk through with the new owners, signed the paperwork, handed over the keys and jumped in the car.

All very straight forward, but docusign and internet banking help as does having a housing market that is on fire, so no one wants anything to go wrong.

Those pods are great in the US, I don’t know if we have the same in the UK.

MilesOfSand · 23/09/2021 03:10

Yes @Pallisers and often a big deposit in escrow at time of offer acceptance that’s mostly unrefundable!

ThumbWitchesAbroad · 23/09/2021 03:19

I'm glad they left eventually and hope they cleared out properly!

When I moved into my house in the UK, the previous owners were still leaving when I first got the keys - but when I went round, they very kindly offered me a 2 seater sofa they no longer wanted, and a couple of other things. I didn't have a sofa, so that was very useful! I didn't need to move in until the next day, so I asked them to give me a call when they were done so I could come and lock up and get the rest of the keys, which they did a few hours later.

Sometimes it is a cheek, sometimes it's just failure to realise how long it takes to pack!

mathanxiety · 23/09/2021 04:09

Have you ever been aware of a chain where one house has to close in order for the others to do so? I've bought 4 times and sold 3 and it's never been a consideration. Once the purchase agreement is signed at the beginning offer made and accepted) the parties are bound to perform.

I agree with that assessment.

Sale of the previous house can be used as a contingency for withdrawal from a contract. If one contingency falls through, then everyone is back to the starting line again. The house for sale can go back on the market quickly because of the set period in which all the deadlines have to be met.

The RE agents' commission-based fees tend to encourage them to keep everything moving ahead smoothly.

TarpaulinEyes · 23/09/2021 04:58

I stayed in a Travelodge the night before moving. Removal company booked for two days but found they could clear the house in one. Stored everything overnight in the van for me ready for moving into the new house. This meant an empty house to clean which was done in a couple of hours first thing the following day. Arrived at an immaculate empty new house, previous owners had paid for a deep clean. The cost of an overnight stay is negligible compared to the cost of a house. Well worth doing as you can walk away from the chaos to a good nights sleep before the onslaught the next day.

NumberTheory · 23/09/2021 05:24

@TarpaulinEyes

I stayed in a Travelodge the night before moving. Removal company booked for two days but found they could clear the house in one. Stored everything overnight in the van for me ready for moving into the new house. This meant an empty house to clean which was done in a couple of hours first thing the following day. Arrived at an immaculate empty new house, previous owners had paid for a deep clean. The cost of an overnight stay is negligible compared to the cost of a house. Well worth doing as you can walk away from the chaos to a good nights sleep before the onslaught the next day.

The issue with doing this as part of a chain is that there’s a possibility the house you are going to purchase will fall through after you are out of your old house. Which could leave someone completely screwed unless there was a better way of ensuring sales went through more smoothly.

readytosell · 23/09/2021 06:01

Gosh just catching up on this thread. I'm usually a fairly relaxed person but this would be really getting me wound up. Sometimes things just happen and that's life, but it's the attitude in this case that would have given me the rage!

I'm not moving for another week but already worrying I've left it too late to start packing, I literally have everyone I have mustered able to help pack over the weekend ! Only because I was having a packing service originally and the removals cancelled but that's another story.

Timeisavirtue · 23/09/2021 06:37

The same thing happened to ours, we had a 1 1/2 hour drive, she gave the keys to the estate agent, when we got here she was only just leaving. She left half of her stuff she didn’t want (rubbish) so we had to clear the rooms before we could start unpacking. Then about a week later we came home from shopping and her stepson and grandson were helping themselves to the stuff she left in the garage. So she hadn’t handed all the keys over. She was a right nightmare.

Gyptian · 23/09/2021 06:38

We completed on Monday around 3pm and our sellers were still packing up. We rocked up with a big removal van only to be told that they would be another hour and a half. I was fuming especially as we had children to pick up. He handed over the keys though and we were able to access the property. At one point we were watching him empty his fridge!

SeaToSki · 23/09/2021 07:06

Ive heard of some chains falling apart very early because someone has made an offer subject to getting a signed P&S on their house (by a specified date) and it hasnt happened. But that usually happens when the housing market is in a down turn. I think most vendors dont accept offers with that kind of condition if at all possible. I know we have sold our house before and moved into rented accommodation so that we were more attractive to vendors when offering to buy. The thing I like about the system out here is that an accepted offer is legally binding and any conditions are laid out in writing with performance dates, and financial penalties. So everyone knows what they are getting into right up front and if you are getting a shaky offer, you know it. Also the searches are so much faster. I still dont know why it takes the lawyers so long in the UK.

purplesequins · 23/09/2021 07:10

Then about a week later we came home from shopping and her stepson and grandson were helping themselves to the stuff she left in the garage. So she hadn’t handed all the keys over. She was a right nightmare.

always change the lock right away. you never know how many copies of the keys are floating around.

QOD · 23/09/2021 07:38

Once we were second to last in a chain of 13 - moving into an empty house … the banks shut during the final money transfer, our solicitor told us to go back to our old house for the night … because our seller wouldn’t let us have access yet
We didn’t because literally our entire home was on a removal lorry
We had to force the garage door, plug the freezers in, remove a tree stump and leave the lorry parked on the drive overnight and go sleep at my mums.

Last time we moved, the sellers were still literally opening cupboards and carrying handfuls of cutlery etc out to their car 🤦🏻‍♀️
It was absofuckinglutely filthy as they ‘didn’t have time to clean’ ( we think actually they’d not cleaned the kitchen since it was fitted 11’yrs before)
We gave up in the end and spent the evening scrubbing the kitchen and utility and moved in the next day (again staying at my mums lol)
THIS is how they left the kitchen sink 🤢

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

WatchMyChops · 23/09/2021 07:47

@BlueFireSmokey

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!

I’m glad it’s all sorted. I just reread this:

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!

I hope they gave you the rest of the keys. I’d still get a locksmith because I’d be worried if someone made copies

OverTheRubicon · 23/09/2021 07:53

Yes another reason that the UK system is ridiculous, and should move to the same one as Scotland, Australia and much of the rest of the world, where once a sale is agreed, it's final.

Puts an end to the chain collapse issue, gazumping and gazundering, and people being too afraid to move until the last minute.

DillonPanthersTexas · 23/09/2021 08:15

You don't have to get an expensive locksmith, you can buy a new barrell for the Yale lock and fit it yourself in about 10 mins. It's just worth the peace of mind knowing you are in possession of all the keys. Have heard plenty of stories of uncle Tom/neighbours/mate from pub letting themselves in because departing vendors have given away crap they can't be bothered to move themselves.

I used to work as an estate agent many moons ago and sadly vendors thinking they can dictate move out timetables despite completing on the house is common. Plenty of "oh, we'll be back for the fridge freezer/sofa/wardrobe" next week before not returning for a month and getting all upset when they find their stuff on the street or down the dump.

I myself had to deal with debt collectors on my doorstep of my new home as the previous owners had essentially done a runner from various liabilities. That was a fun few months sorting that out.

andyoldlabour · 23/09/2021 08:33

Is this in the UK, because in my 30 years of conveyancing experience, this has never happened.
Once the completion has gone ahead - buyer's funds transferred to seller's solicitors client account, then the keys must be released to the buyer, that is law.

andyoldlabour · 23/09/2021 08:37

OverTheRubicon

"Yes another reason that the UK system is ridiculous, and should move to the same one as Scotland, Australia and much of the rest of the world, where once a sale is agreed, it's final."

Read my post above, the UK has very strict rules on what happens at completion. I don't know what has happened here, but the OP should have got straight in touch with her solicitor and not delayed.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 23/09/2021 08:38

@FunnysInLaJardin

cittigirl, yes I would, however my 30 years as a conveyancing solicitor may have some bearing on my comments

Christ you sound as crap as the idiot we used when we moved!

MaggieFS · 23/09/2021 08:56

@andyoldlabour

OverTheRubicon

"Yes another reason that the UK system is ridiculous, and should move to the same one as Scotland, Australia and much of the rest of the world, where once a sale is agreed, it's final."

Read my post above, the UK has very strict rules on what happens at completion. I don't know what has happened here, but the OP should have got straight in touch with her solicitor and not delayed.

Yes but in practical terms, what is anyone actually able to do? Or going to do when it's "just" a matter of hours.

The system should be better set up for smooth transition in the first place - great idea of broom clean and the walk through, for example, rather than be reliant on rarely used penalties if things don't go to plan.

crosstalk · 23/09/2021 09:03

FunnysinLaJardin

I cannot believe that for 30 years you've been a lacksadaisical conveyancer.

OverTheRubicon · 23/09/2021 09:06

@andyoldlabour

OverTheRubicon

"Yes another reason that the UK system is ridiculous, and should move to the same one as Scotland, Australia and much of the rest of the world, where once a sale is agreed, it's final."

Read my post above, the UK has very strict rules on what happens at completion. I don't know what has happened here, but the OP should have got straight in touch with her solicitor and not delayed.

Yes officially there are strict rules, but even when (like we did) you are immediately on it with the solicitor, in practical terms you are not able to do much when (like in our case) the previous owner has left their aunt's entire possessions in situ. We were able to get them to pay for skips and some clearance costs by threatening legal action, but that didn't cover anything near the inconvenience of having a full house to move, small kids, and nowhere to take it.

Of course there will be some dodgy or disorganised people in any system, but the UK model makes it far far more likely, because the chain system means that people often to delay to the last minute because they aren't 100% sure until completion, or because their own chain is delayed or fell through and they have nowhere to go themselves.

andyoldlabour · 23/09/2021 09:17

MaggieFS

But that is my point. In thirty years of completions, on the day, none of those ended up wih someone sitting in a van/car/lorry, waiting for the sellers to vacate the premises.
Maybe that is due to me working for efficient firms, where the solicitors/partners/PA's all knew their job.
On completion day, the sellers should vacate the empty house before noon, leaving spare keys in the property and giving a set of keys to the estate agent.
There is also one thing I cannot get my head around.
How are the sellers still in the house at 17:00 if the keys should have been with the estate agent 5 hours earlier?
Any competent solicitor I worked for would make sure that the estate agent had the keys and the property was vacant, prior to completing and transferring funds.

Kotatsu · 23/09/2021 09:21

Happened to me too - the one time I bought a house that wasnt vacant already. They finally got out at about 4pm, and left pots in the garden they said they'd come back for, and post through the spare alarm key (they never did).

I confess I didn't leave, I just stayed there, moved a few bits that I'd brought with me into the hallway (we used pods too for a load of stuff - they do exist in the UK), and had a good overlap with our renting, so I wasn't in a rush, and just wanted them to see that I was there, taking possession and keeping an eye.

MaggieFS · 23/09/2021 09:27

@andyoldlabour Fair points well made. So we need a better system in the first place and then to have it properly followed too.