moving in prior to completion, any chance?

Zombies

what are the chances of moving into a property prior to completion

my purchase is slow going for some reason (solicitors) and I want to get in the other place

how could I get the seller (doesnt live in the property) to hand over the keys?

ognum

Hmm well if I was the seller I certainly would not let you in I'm afraid, there are kinds of legal implications!

once you are in you become a tenant and have the rights of a tenant!

Once you move in you find all the small pitfalls with the property and start negotiating a new price!

Sorry it's a no go for me anyway

plantpot87

the seller may not have the keys they may have been given to the estate agents ready for compleition date. We were not allowed the keys till completion was confirmed and I had to fetch them from the estate agents with i.d. and this house was empty for six months.

Zombies

I understand all the implications
Could I have the money in place with a solicitor?

ognum

I guess if you had exchanged and we're close to completion someone might let you in, I still wouldn't!

cattie

No solicitor worth his or her salt would advise a client to agree to such a proposition. They would in fact strongly warn them against such a suggestion. Until completion, the house belongs to the vendor & it is his responsibility to insure it etc. The buyer only owns & has legal access to the property once completion has happened.

Property buying can be slow for various reasons, but you'll just have to be patient & wait for the keys till all the legalities are over & the sale has completed.

G_M

I was given access between Exchange and Completion to do works.

But only on a daily basis, no overnights - keys returned to the agent every evening.

Very few sellers will agree. Very few solicitors will recommend agreeing.

Have you Exchanged even? If so, how long is the wait to Completion? If not, complete No No!

phoebe1989seb

Our vendors actually offered us a set of keys on exchange (a week before completion) in order to start moving our possessions into the house we were buying last year. Originally we had only planned to move garden items, but issues with our intended removals co changed all that.

The vendors had already been moved into their new house for some months so the place was empty, we were moving some 200 miles and had ended up moving ourselves which took around seven or eight Luton van loads - but we did clear it with our insurance co first......and we had no lender to worry about.

Despite this I was not really at all happy to do it - not least because the house was thatched and I feared a fire with our irreplaceable furniture inside - and whilst it turned out ok, I don't think I'd do it again or recommend anyone else to take the risk......either as a buyer or a seller

Oh and our solicitor had no idea we were doing this........

Zombies

seems like both parties being reasonable to me

both solicitors I think have only just communicated, I know they hadnt done last Tues! sellers are abroad, on holiday I think
but after negotiating we have come to a price and i will stand by that
the place is a mess anyway and the fact I want to move in will surprise them but im easy, told them not interested in a survey and have even told my solicitor to do the searches but not to wait for them if it means slowing it down

Zombies

if it meant we could just get the place cleaned and ready for either to move in or get some jobs done it would help

mumto2loves

I was given the keys after exchange but before completion.
The owner had moved out and we arranged to meet so I could take measurements (and show my new place off to my dad:p) He and my dad got chatting while my friend and I were running around all excited planning and the owner ended up saying it would be cruel to not let me have them:D
I didn't actually sleep there until completion but everything was moved in - right down to knickers in the drawers. food was in the cupboards on the morning we were waiting for the money to clear.

Personally if i was selling, we had exchanged, i had moved and completion was near I think i'd let them have the keys.

I guess it is down to the owners, if you are able to talk to them face to face - and get them to like you, you might be lucky.