Do conveyancers shut down at Xmas for 2 weeks?

[whyohwhyohwhyohwhywhy]

We are still hoping to move before Christmas. I read somewhere that the whole system shuts down over Christmas, which might make 17th December the last possible date. Is this a thing does anyone know?

All firms are different with their opening hours over Christmas - why not just ask your conveyancer?

I moved just before Christmas, and was told the last working day (that year at least) that I could reasonably expect the whole shebang (developers, removal company, mortgage, solicitors x multiple houses) was 20th December, which was a Thursday that year.

I like to give her Saturdays off

That is good news- thanks!!!

We close on 23rd and re-open on 4th Jan.

different firms have different hours, ours stays open apart from the bank holidays but a lot close for the entire holiday period. There always should be emergency cover though.

It's not that everything closes down it's just that completing so close to Christmas is risky. Many firms shut for the 3 days between Christmas and new year and so if your completion goes tits up on the 24th you could potentially be homeless until the new year.
My firm always gives 5 days before Christmas as the deadline but in reality a couple usually go through anyway if they are chain free and not so risky.
I had one case as a trainee where we completed on the 18th Dec, buyer turned up to find the seller and his family sitting there with the house fully decorated for Christmas - he didn't realise he actually had to leave on completion and thought it was ridiculous that he should have to move before Christmas

Haha! If that happened I guess we would have Christmas in our caravan!

We are quite low risk as no chain on either side but I will heed your warning. We are trying to decide how much to decorate for Xmas...

Yes. Cant wait. It's the only time in the year I get a proper break. We say last day for completions is 17th although we are working until 23rd so I've already told one client we can do theirs of necessary (purchase no chain)

All local solicitors do the same. Glorious.

We close on 24th but only do completions on our last day if we’re damn sure they will go through and a Director has agreed.

It's not just your conveyancer. It's the other party conveyancer, both sides' estate agents, both sides' mortgage/bank firms, local authorities for searches etc. Not much point in your conveyancer being open if everyone else they need to deal with isn't.

17th is last day for our completions

We close lunchtime on 24 December and re-open on 4 January. Most other local firms close on 22 or 23.

I try and avoid completions in the last week before Christmas, because if something goes wrong and the various timescales for putting things right which are in the small print of every sale contract (which I know no-one ever reads ) come into play, it all becomes impossible, as firms are shut

Also, is your ideal Christmas being surrounded by boxes with a cooker and boiler you don't really know how to use?

No?

Move in January instead.

I'd much rather all those problems when I wasn't also trying to get my kids to school and manage the demands of a full time job. So yes.

Christmas is not a massive deal here, and we will have fun however it works out. Making memories and all that jazz!!

OP where I am, the council allows you to apply for school places using your new postcode, if you can show you're in the conveyancing process. Have you spoken to your council about this?

I'm praying we can complete before Xmas but it's not looking likely. We are all off for 3 weeks which would go a long way to being sorted before Jan. Otherwise we spend it crammed in my Mum's with none of our stuff.