Completion date issue

legopony

Hi,

My partner and I have been in the process of buying our first house since the summer. The mortgage is sorted, surveys done etc. Our solicitor has everything ready for us to move in as soon as a completion date is sorted.

There are 3 parts of our chain, us (we are currently living at my partner's parents' house), the woman we are buying from and the person she is buying from (who is going into rented accommodation).

All 3 parts of the chain agreed over 2 months ago that 26th Nov would be the best completion date. All solicitors said this would be fine and said they would work towards this.

I was called today to be told that the solicitor of the person we are buying from has not chased some outstanding paperwork and therefore we cannot complete on 26th.

I understand that completion dates change, but with over 2 months notice of the date surely this shouldn't have been an issue and surely her solicitor should have been chasing this paperwork weeks ago, not leaving it until this week?!

We now have to re-arrange removals, leave from work, furniture deliveries, dates for insurances to start etc. It seems that this has all been caused by one solicitor not acting in a timely manner.

Is there any point in me making a complaint or will I just get fobbed off?

I'm so angry!!:mad:

thelem

Have you exchanged, and when did that happen? Two months between exchange and completion seems ages, and the paperwork should have been sorted before exchange.

Edit: Reading your post again, it sounds like you might mean exchange everywhere you've written completion. If so, then yes, exchange dates often change because paperwork isn't ready, and completion (which is when you get the keys) usually won't happen until at least a week later.

Fire_Fox

Sorry but you have misunderstood the process. Completion dates are not set in stone until exchange of contracts you could lose the house right up until the last day, you should not organise anything solid until then. This is the problem with the current fad for short times between exchange and completion; not so long ago it was usually a month but I guess people got impatient.

legopony

Hi, yes I understand that nothing is set in stone until exchange and we haven't exchanged yet, we were told this could happen on the same day as completion if needed. I have been pushing for exchange for over a month but it's not been coming due to her solicitor not having things in place and not chasing things!

legopony

Thelem - I mean completion, no exchange. It was the date we were getting the keys we were talking about and I have been pushing to exchange before this...everything seems to be held up by the seller's solicitor not chasing things.

thelem

If you haven't exchanged yet, then be prepared for dates to change, people to reconsider the price or even someone pulling out. All you've got so far is a non-binding "sure, that looks like a nice home, I think I'll take it".

Fire_Fox

legopony wrote: »

Hi, yes I understand that nothing is set in stone until exchange and we haven't exchanged yet, we were told this could happen on the same day as completion if needed. I have been pushing for exchange for over a month but it's not been coming due to her solicitor not having things in place and not chasing things!

This is all a normal part of the house buying process, unfortunately. You can exchange and complete on the same day but, as you are finding, this gives you no time to get organised and it does mean anyone in the chain could pull out or gazunder right up to that morning.

legopony

OK guys thanks for your input, it's just so frustrating. I'm pretty sure I could do their jobs quicker myself! Ho hum, fingers crossed for some developments soon. Thanks

GDB2222

I can see no advantage for the average buyer or seller in exchanging and completing on the same day. The whole idea of exchanging beforehand is that you then have a firm date for completion, and you can organise your Finance and removals/builders accordingly. It is quite common to leave 4 weeks between exchange and completion. With Christmas coming up, possibly 3 weeks would be better, but I would not cut it much finer than that, and of course it is up to the other people in the chain.

kingstreet

A provisional completion date, agreed when some documentation was still outstanding, should not be relied upon for booking removals, giving tenancy notice etc.

Only a completion date confirmed by exchange of contracts should be used as a reliable guide.

This was written for future readers' benefit rather than the OP.

Kynthia

My brother was buying a house and his own mortgage company pulled out on the morning of exchange over info they'd had for weeks!

My buyer pulled out the evening before exchange. As dissapointed as I was, I hadn't even booked a van or packed a box as exchange dates can change and sales fall apart.

Ideally I'd ask for at least two weeks between exchange and completion so that I could do the bulk of the packing and book the removals.