Buyer has entered property pre exchange and started renovation

[Iwishiwasjoking]

We were supposed to exchnage last week, then yesterday, now the proposal is exchange and complete tomorrow, all delays on buyers side told its mortgage company releasing fund.

property was vacated last week, but I removed the last items yesterday. Went back this evening to do a meter reading. Garden dug up, carpets ripped out, all windows open, lights on.

I am so shocked I have no idea what to do now …technically is burglary … but if this sale falls through I have a much less saleable house …

and before you ask how has he got in, there was a lockbox with keys in that the estate agents have been using … so either they’ve shared the code with him or he’s watched them and then let himself in.

Good luck OP!

What cheeky fuckers.

They could claim that they didn't do that damage and decide not to exchange.

Hope it goes through today

@Curiousto that is disgusting behaviour on your part. I cannot actually believe you might be endangering their lives, let alone their property, on a regular basis. You should be ashamed.

This is the very definition of bonkers. Just, wow.

OP, you actually want the 'buyer' or their renovation team to call you this morning questioning the whereabouts of the keys. Not only will it be fucking satisfying, but it will confirm without doubt that they are the source who has accessed your property illegally.
Your EA is in deep, deep shit. Demand a discount. I can't wait to read what they have to say about this pre-exchange clusterfuck.

After completion, I'd certainly be contacting the estate agents for a full explanation. They haven't kept your code secure and it's down to them - not good for their reputation!!

Erm, yes? That's why I wouldn't say nothing 🙄

Something's just occurred to me - and this is highly unlikely, I agree...

A colleague of mine sold her house to Plymouth Brethren. Apparently, that particular church/sect will buy a house for newlyweds and that's what happened with hers.

She had the place cleaned from top to bottom before exchange, so was initially a bit annoyed at what happened subsequently, in that she saw it as casting aspersions on her housekeeping skills.

After completion, her old neighbours told her that as soon as it had gone through, squads of men and women had entered the property.

The women had, by all accounts, arrived wearing headscarves and carrying cleaning materials. The men had all come with spades.

She was later told that Plymouth Brethren 'cleanse' a new home? She said that the women had scrubbed over the entire house whilst the men proceeded to dig up the entire garden.

We have quite a few Gospel Halls (Plymouth Brethren places of worship) in our area and I know from my unavoidable contact with one particular person that some members of that sect have very rigid ideas, particularly if they're "Closed" rather than "Open Brethren".

How did the EA explain it? It’s entirely on them.

Good luck today

Bloody hell. Good luck!!

Following, good luck OP!

I just don’t understand how some people would ever think this is ok! I hope the completion goes through and your estate agen grovels.
You can tell them you will let everyone know they gave the key technically to someone by giving them the code or letting them see.

I agree buyer is CF award winner of the year.
I would have been completely shocked as well.
You can’t just go into a house you don’t own yet.

That's incredibly vindictive @Curiousto !

Your buyers must have thought it was ok to move in (they were wrong of course but perhaps they didn't know) because the EA gave them access. You were taking out your anger disproportionately on the wrong party.

Maybe it’s all sorted and @Iwishiwasjoking is having a long much needed rest.

How dare they!

Fingers crossed you exchanged today!

There was a thread a few years ago where a MNer had inherited a house and agreed to sell it to another family member. Unfortunately she was too trusting and gave them access to the house before the sale had gone through. The family member went in, ripped out the kitchen and bathrooms and then told the OP they had decided they didn’t want to pay the asking price and wanted to knock tens of thousands off.

The poor OP was left with the decision to either agree or have to market a house with no kitchen or bathroom, knowing she’d never get what it was really worth.

I don’t know what happened in the end but I was shocked some people could be so callous.

Shamelessly placemarking

The buyers are arses, but the no. 1 priority is completing the sale

Totally agree, and when hopefully happy in her new home this'll become a good story for OP one day

Though it really might be a candidate for "putting prawns under the floorboards" ...

@CaveMum That is appalling!

Same 😂

But EAs should be aware that some viewers might be looking, or actively trying to see, and should shield the keypad somehow.