Picking up keys on moving day

BiBi · 10 June 2017 at 11:18PM

Hi guys

Could I have a quick show of hands please?

What time/time of day did you pick up your keys on moving day?

I have hit an odd problem which means I've just lost the removals firm I had booked and am having no luck getting a new one as yet...

My solicitor yesterday advised that I should be able to pick up the new house keys at 2pm on completion day. The form stated 12.30 as standard text but it had been crossed out (with no comment added) and my junior solicitor said I should leave it until at least 2pm for all the days activities to complete. I'd booked the removals firm from 11am as on my previous moves I'd always picked up the keys in the morning.

I updated the removals firm and they said that 2pm was too late and I should find another firm (fairly easy move, 2-bed to 2-bed and my buyers are buying my sofa suite and all white goods & wardrobes).

I called 2 other firms to be told the same thing. They said I should be collecting my keys from 9am....

I left a message with the solicitors to ask if i could pick up in the morning (as this would better suit me too) but in my experience they won't get back to me until I've chased for a few days. So I thought I'd poll opinion just for info to see if there was a norm or if something has changed since I last moved.

I.e. Is it well known that removal firms only start in the morning or have I just hit unlucky in today's calls?

Thanks in advance for any helpful info

G_M · 10 June 2017 at 11:44PM

BiBi wrote: »

Hi guys

Could I have a quick show of hands please?

What time/time of day did you pick up your keys on moving day?

sorry but it's a pointless question.

It will be different on a case by case basis.

The keys will be available once Completion takes place. So it depends
a) what time your solicitor receives the money from you and /or your mortgage lender and/or your buyer
b) what time he sends the money across to your seller
c) what time your seller receives the money and
d) what time your seller notices/acknowledges the money has arrived, and informs whoeever is actually holding the keys.

There may well be a target time (midday, 2.00 pm whatever) but it might be earlier, or it might be 5.00 pm

Cakeguts · 10 June 2017 at 11:54PM

You get the keys when you have paid for the house. There is no set time for this to take place.

alex_163163 · 11 June 2017 at 12:01AM

When we moved last month, the removal lorry arrived about 9.30-10am, loaded everything up, and then went and sat outside the new house. When we booked the firm, they said they would charge £20 per hour per man (2 man team) for every hour past 1pm that they had to wait, or we could pay an extra £30 waiting time waiver fee and then it didn't matter what time we got the keys. We paid the extra fee just in case. But we got the keys by 12.30 anyway.

Just to be clear, when you updated them with the new time, is that the time you asked them to arrive at your current place to start loading the van? If so that might be why they have said they cannot do it?
Surely they must have had cases where keys haven't been collected by 2pm.

wordsearch · 11 June 2017 at 1:00AM

We got ours at 2:30pm.

BiBi · 11 June 2017 at 5:55AM

Thanks for 'showing your hands' Alex & Wordsesrch, much appreciated.

I wish there was a waiver fee option, I'd definitely take that. My quotes so far have been around £80 p/h (van + 2 porters). So if they're wanting me to pay from 11am and it doesn't happen til 2pm (at the earliest!) then I'll have wasted approx £160 (2 hours wasted, one hour loading - approx) as there's not much to actually move.

Thanks

remembermee · 11 June 2017 at 7:13AM

Completion for us happened before 11 in the morning but we couldn't get the keys until 5pm because the previous owners were still packing up &#55357;&#56868;

BiBi · 11 June 2017 at 7:32AM

There's only me moving on moving day day, 9 miles away.

My buyers are renting their house out to their son, and not moving into mine for a few weeks.

The house I'm moving in to is empty.

So it seems it may be a solicitor thing so hopefully it won't be too difficult to get thIs fixed. Obviously delays on the day are unavoidable, but a good plan should minimise the risk

Aced2016 · 11 June 2017 at 7:36AM

Can you not move the next day ? If this is possible do that instead.

If not are your parents, family near by ? You could pay to hire a Luton van should be big enough. And you can have it all done on your terms for much cheaper.

getmore4less · 11 June 2017 at 7:38AM

Hire a van for the day and get your mates to do it.

if you are properly planned and packed(nothing too heavy) should be a doddle for a 2 bed.

The problem will be it is too small a job if you are trying to squeeze it into an hour or 2, they can't book another job for the day.

if you are not starting moving out till 11am what time do you think your buyers will be getting keys?

Clutterfree · 11 June 2017 at 8:11AM

Our removal firm arrived at 8.30am to load the van.

Drove to new place 2 miles away but didn't get keys until 4pm. :eek:

While we were waiting for the keys they unloaded all the garden stuff so we were really only sat doing nothing for about 45 minutes or so.

They finished unloading at about 7pm.

We were at the end of a pretty long chain though, which is why it took so long for all the monies to get transferred.

PLEASE READ BEFORE POSTING

Picking up keys on moving day

Comments

Categories

Get our FREE Weekly email full of deals & guides - and it’s spam-free