Completed today-seller hasn't moved her stuff

Paul_the_Painter

Locks Locks Locks!!!

Get down Bodge and Quit NOW!

If out of the goodness of your own heart you allow her back in to the house to pick up her stuff, it will be at your convienience - not hers!

Just from her actions I fully expect that she has kept a key.

Get a slide bolt for the back door as well, you need to ensure that your house is secure. I personally would be sleeping at the house tonight as well, a person who acts like this, may not be the type of the person who respects anothers property.

Soot2006

And if you genuinely feel you can't be bothered to deal with this because it's not a big thing. It is.
If anything happened to the house - gas left on, tap left on, vandalism or worse ... it's your responsibility now.

ab7167

We had this - and yes, the vendor DID spend the night in the house he sold us, we arrived Saturday am (after being told on the Friday lunchtime that he would definitely be gone that day - cheeky enough as it is TBH, although he did know we weren't going to move in as it needed new wiring, CH, etc...), with our crowbars and the cricket club in tow to gut the place prior to the electrician starting on the Monday. We found the place full of boxes, stuff everywhere and we were wandering loudly making remarks about what a t*****r he was and pricing the items left behind - when he came downstairs in his dressing gown with a fag in his mouth. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he soon got a move on when we started demolishing the place around him. We ended up moving all his stuff into the garage, changing the locks and telling him it was his business to move his stuff before it got nicked. No lock on garage... Our solicitor said that it would be so much expense and hassle to force him out that we were better negotiating and sorting it amicably. I don't think he was quite on this planet, TBH, as he seemed to have no concept of "you sell a house - you move out of it!" but he was 60 and this was his family home he'd lived in all his life, moving to retirement property. Interesting little saga...

justjohn

talk about taking liberties...I would not let this slide.
What about squatting laws?(none in scotland)
What about exchange of contract?(this eventuality would be covered in scotland in the missives)

i assume OP is in england

PasturesNew

justjohn wrote: »

talk about taking liberties...I would not let this slide.
What about squatting laws?(none in scotland)
What about exchange of contract?(this eventuality would be covered in scotland in the missives)

i assume OP is in england

No, Wales

You can have all the contracts you like .. but if the seller doesn't actually understand and thinks it doesn't matter ... possibly even thinks that the buyer will give them a call once it's completed so they can chat about the actual moving out date.... then you can't legislate against loonies.

justjohn

flog it on gumtree to be collected now
Then bill the seller for 1000 quid for clearing the house.
job done..

How do you know the seller has another place to go to ???
Maybe chain has brocken down?

poppysarah

I'd change the locks. Move it all into one room. (If you're being nice, else put it outside)

Tomorrow she moved everything else it goes in a skip and she gets the bill.

Seriously taking the proverbial.

Lookingtothefuture

starnac wrote: »

I need some advice as to where I stand. We completed on a house today and picked up the keys from the estate agents. When we let ourselves into our new house we were horrified to find that the seller hasn't moved any of her stuff!

Where do we stand? We've got a van booked to move all our stuff tomorrow but now have no where to put it. Our solicitor doesn't work today so they put us onto a different solicitor in the same company only to find out that he is the vendors solicitors and so has conflict of interest speaking to us. He has asked te vendor to go round tonigt and move all her stuff into one room as she claims she can't possibly move it til the weekend.

Where do we stand? We have already had the "sell it/dump it put on the street" comments which aren't actually helpful to us so if someone could give us some decent advice we would be very grateful.

Thank you

Hello,

I am sure you are mad as hell right now :mad: however the vendor of the property has now breached your contract of sale. Speak with your own solicitor tomorrow and get proper legal advice. The company should not give you advice from the vendors solicitor as you rightly said this is a conflict of interest. As it appears has already happened in that the vendor has been given the opportunity to move her stuff into one room until the weekend. From my point of view this is unacceptable, this was not what was written in the contract that you exchanged with after all. Perhaps mention that the Law Society/Council of Licenced Conveyancers might be interested to hear about this practice....? Did the Estate Agent you bought through suggest these Solicitors? if so maybe get them to help you sort out this mess. They love phoning solicitors!

As I say, speak to your solicitor tomorrow FIRST THING! in normal circumstances a daily rate of mortgage interest can be charged to the Vendor. Personally I would ask for as much as I could, e.g. the costs of the day off of work, the costs of hiring a van, petrol, further time off work next monday, more hire of the van, more petrol, rent etc etc, as compensation.

The advice you have been given about changing the locks is very good advice. You own this house now and are paying the mortgage. The vendor should not have access whatsoever, I know someone else was teasing you but they had a valid point, what if she is having a party now? what if something happened to the house e.g. damage to carpets, doors, windows etc.

Also arrange through the solicitors a date and time when you are free for the Vendor to collect her belongings. Dont give her free range to come and go as and when she feels like it.

Hope you can sleep tonight and get this resolved tomorrow. I can imagine you are feeling very stressed right now.

Kind Regards

more_money_for_me

Personally I would take a weeks rental on a self store. Use the van in the morning to move her stuff to it. Move my stuff in and change the locks. Contact her via the solicitor telling her that her stuff is in storage, her costs are removal costs of x hours at x pounds, plus settlement of storage. Once she has paid up you will tell her where her goods are.

Paul_the_Painter

Given that it's been 2 hours since the last time the OP posted, guessing they are round the house now!

Can't wait for tomorrow to find out if the previous owner tried to return!

Beds made was the worry for me, if you are staying somewhere else (i.e. in YOUR new house) you don't leave your bedding in the old place, even if you are stupid enough to not believe that "completion" means just that - job done, you've got the money, get out.