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Original poster

Moving out and moving in on the same day is this mad?

35 replies

hairycaterpillar · 04/07/2008 19:45

...or should we bridge for a couple of days between getting keys for new house and moving out of old house?

I can't work out how doing it all on one day works as surely it takes most of the day for the removal men to do their job?

OP posts:
claricebeansmum · 04/07/2008 19:46

This is how most people do it. Is madness and a nightmare and very tiring but most people cannot afford to bridge and just get on with it!

Nappyzoneneedsanewname · 04/07/2008 19:46

most people do it all in same day ....is stressful but doeable - if you have a gap you have whole expense of storage etc...

Tutter · 04/07/2008 19:47

entirely normal

12pm handover of keys is what we all aim for

2point4kids · 04/07/2008 19:48

if you did it over several days you'd pay a fortune in storage, somewhere to stay and double the time of the removal firm!

LIZS · 04/07/2008 19:49

Professional removers can load/unload stuff really quickly, it is the packing which takes the time. Last time we moved , removers came at 8 , we were out fo 4 bed by 12.30 and offloaded again by 4. Had packers in 2 days prior.

beaniesteve · 04/07/2008 19:49

I did this, infact I was still moving stuff out when the people who had bought my house had already got the keys! I did it with just the help of my OH and will never do it that way again.

themoon66 · 04/07/2008 19:49

Do it in one day... its fine. We did. Removal men were totally professional. Turned up at 7.30am and load the entire contents of our house up by 11am. Off to new house. Unloading was quicker and they were done and gone by 4pm.

Tip.... make up your bed before you do anything else. And keep the kettle, teabags, milk etc in your own car for quick access when you arrive at new house.

iamdingdong · 04/07/2008 19:50

both on same day - removal men will usually pack you up the day before adn morning of move then unpack you the afternoon of moving day - pack kids off to relatives/friends for at least 2 nights though!

Flamesparrow · 04/07/2008 19:53

we have always done it over a couple of days, gives you that time to clean the old place thoroughly with nothing in it

bluefox · 04/07/2008 19:56

This thread has surprised me! I didnt think there was any other way than moving out and in on the same day. I thought everyone in the chain moved on the same day.

itati · 04/07/2008 19:57

If you move out on Monday and don't move in until Wednesday, where are you going to sleep?

Original poster
hairycaterpillar · 04/07/2008 19:59

Oh thanks folks that reassures me. Last time we moved we had to bridge as our buyers pulled out last minute, so we had quite a while with two houses which made moving pretty easy. Our removers took ages but then maybe they knew they had ages because we didnt need to hand the keys over that day.

Really don't want to bridge if we can possibly avoid it.

So what about cleaning up? Do i do most of it the day before and then just run around with hoover and duster after removal men have done their stuff?

Can you negotiate time of handing over keys?

OP posts:
Original poster
hairycaterpillar · 04/07/2008 20:01

No itati we have option of picking up keys for new house 1-3 days before moving out of old house...so wouldn't be homeless!

OP posts:
snooks · 04/07/2008 20:01

yes it can be a nightmare but I would rather just get it over and done with in one horrendous day than drag it out over a few (expensive) days. Moving house will never be a pleasurable experience so best just get on with it! Good luck.

PinkChick · 04/07/2008 20:09

ive moved 6 times now and i ask my solicitor to put in the contract that the previous owners clean the whole house before they leave..its not a big job when you think about it, once all the furniture has gone, its just a case of bathroom, kitchen, woodwork and hoovering..we once moved and house was filthy, i would let anyone get in bath till id cleaned it(it had ink and all sorts in it??!!) theyd basically let the house rot from the moment we'd signed papers to buy..never again..this once was imamculate when we moved in!

Janni · 04/07/2008 20:12

If at all possible, employ someone to clean up as you're doing the last of supervising the stuff going into the van. You will have enough to do the other end without cleaning your former home too!

Original poster
hairycaterpillar · 04/07/2008 20:16

I'm still struggling a little to see how I am going to manage this in a day. Some good tips though...liking the idea of a cleaner and also of getting the kids to stay elsewhere for a couple of days.

OP posts:
saggyhairyarse · 05/07/2008 21:15

I cleaned everything down the day before as most rooms were packed and most of the boxes were stacked in the lving room. I got the removal men to pack each room from the top down and as they finished each room, I went in after them and cleaned down.

When they had packed the whole lorry, I nipped round with the hoover.

admylin · 05/07/2008 21:27

We've moved a few times and the worst times were when we moved into the new place and still had the old place for a while - we never emptied it properly and then had to cart the hoover and cleaning stuff back there and get rid of the rubbish - when we had to do it all on the same day it was better. The night before you can get most of it done - we had a fun last night 'camping in the living room' all 4 of us on the matresses as the beds were taken to bits!

Chocolateteapot · 06/07/2008 14:48

Our move from Somerset to Dorset worked like this:

Day before move we had the removal people pack everything, which cost £220. They loaded pretty much everything up onto the van apart from beds and stuff we would be taking in the car.

Moving Day they came in the morning, loaded the rest on. DD was at pre-school for the morning so I went to pick her up with the cats in their baskets, whilst DH drove down behind the van.

Delay on getting money across despite funds supposedly having been there the day before and removal men had to wait on drive until DH could get keys at 2.15, fortified by copious amounts of tea from our neighbour.

They finally finished unloading something like 7pm as it was bucketing and they were trying not to get everything drenched.

Beds & large items of furniture were in the correct rooms. Most boxes were stashed all together in one of the rooms.

DDs bed was first up so she got to sleep in her room with bed, wardrobe, cuddly toys etc.

cece · 06/07/2008 14:58

Usually the estate agent has a set of keys that are then handed over to the new people. It is usually done once the money clears so they usually wait for a call from the solicitor to say they can hand over the keys to the new people.

We had a company move us. They arrived at 9 am - we were out of the house by 12.30. I left my mum and DH behind to clean

I went behind van to new house collecting keys on the way via the estate agents. They had finished unloading by 5 pm.

bluefox · 06/07/2008 15:23

Twice weve moved and not been allowed the keys until the money cleared. In both cases 3.30pm (supposedly the last minute of the banking day) to maximise interest. Stressed me out no end! Sitting with all our belongings in the van and not able to get the keys, and then just starting to unload stuff about 4pm. The second time when I realised this was going to happen again I jst wanted to call a halt to the whole thing.

cece · 06/07/2008 15:29

Oh yes the first time we moved we didn't get the keys till 5 pm! Because the money hadn't cleared. We had to have special permission to go in without cleared funds! They unpacked the van in less than an hour though! Think they wanted to go home!

RambleOn · 06/07/2008 15:47

When I completed on the house I was selling (had already moved out) the money didn't clear til 5pm.

My solicitor said that under no circumstances was I to give the buyers the keys until the money cleared.

Because of this, I left a couple with their 6mo baby and vomiting dog sitting in the removal van outside the house all day.

I still feel guilty about this 4years later

I had scrubbed the whole house within an inch of its life though, and left them flowers and a bottle of wine.

Stephen99 · 11/07/2008 00:54

makes me think this, of the last time we sold a house...a couple of years ago.

not quite sure why they say to never hand your keys over until the money clears.

we did. there was a young couple waiting and excited to move in

of course the money cleared a couple of hours later...why wouldn't it? and even if it hadn't, they'd just have to give you the keys back, surely?

it's not like the handing over a set of keys is the actual formal legal deeds-signing bit, is it?

a symbolic superstition thing this, rather any real legal meaning.

someone put me right!