keys?

Katie__3-2

Hello everyone, was wondering if I could ask your advice

We have completed on the sale of my grandfathers house today.

The house has a front and side door, up and over garage door and a pedestrian garage door.

The only key we have for the house is the back door key, which we left with the house for them.

The front door is a yale type lock so they can still get in and out, the garage is unlocked (and always has been in the past 20yrs+, have never known there to be a key for it).

We have now had a call from their solicitors saying that they might raise a claim against us that keys werent left for the other doors.


Just wondering if this is infact the case? We werent aware that there was a rule for this, we genuinely dont have any more keys for the house, the guy has been fairly pushy throughout the whole sale and we thought we could wash our hands of it all today, but it appears this may not be the case..

G_M

If any claim is raised, go round with a screwdriver.

Unscrew & removethe locks, or barrelsof the locks (if yale-type latch locks). Thake them to a locksmith and buy a matching replacement lock/barrel (£5 Yale; £20 Mortice), go back and screw back onto door.

Sorted.

silvercar

Just tell them you have given all the keys you had.

They should change the locks in any case.

G_M

silvercar wrote: »

Just tell them you have given all the keys you had.

They should change the locks in any case.

Good point. I would always change the locks (as above) when moving in.

Katie__3-2

silvercar wrote: »

Just tell them you have given all the keys you had.

They should change the locks in any case.

This is what I thought, and what I have said, but the threat of making a claim against us has thrown me a little. I didnt even know it was possible to do that?

Thanks

Katie__3-2

G_M wrote: »

Unscrew & removethe locks, or barrelsof the locks (if yale-type latch locks). Thake them to a locksmith and buy a matching replacement lock/barrel (£5 Yale; £20 Mortice), go back and screw back onto door.

Sorted.

Dont think he'd let us do tht, he doesn't seem like a very accomadating man, think he may raise a claim just for the spite of it..

ValHaller

Katie_ wrote: »

Dont think he'd let us do tht, he doesn't seem like a very accomadating man, think he may raise a claim just for the spite of it..

Were you contacted directly via his solicitor? - your earlier post implies this. Which is I think, unusual. And looks designed to put you on the back foot.

Katie__3-2

the estate ageant rang me in the first instance, I said we didnt have the keys, he's had the one key we did have, didn't know where the others were etc. Then his solicitor rang our solicitor, our solicitor rang me and said they may put a claim in.

ognum

OP did you not think it would have been reasonable to tell your purchaser that you only had one key and that was what you would be handing over?

The way people receive information is often to do with the way it is presented, if you had made everyone aware form the start none of this would have occurred.

I think I would be pretty annoyed if presented with this information on move in day and would probably make a claim on you just because I was so annoyed. the last thing you have time to do over the weekend you move is sorting out locks. Although I would change the locks sometime in the first week.

ValHaller

Katie_ wrote: »

the estate ageant rang me in the first instance, I said we didnt have the keys, he's had the one key we did have, didn't know where the others were etc. Then his solicitor rang our solicitor, our solicitor rang me and said they may put a claim in.

Then I think you need to speak to your solicitor - not the office junior either - because this may only have gone via the secretary without the solicitor's involvement. Make clear that you have provided all of the keys. full access and vacant possession and ask what part of the sale contract would you be in breach of.

No point in getting too hung up until you have the facts from your side.

Katie__3-2

ognum wrote: »

OP did you not think it would have been reasonable to tell your purchaser that you only had one key and that was what you would be handing over?

The way people receive information is often to do with the way it is presented, if you had made everyone aware form the start none of this would have occurred.

I think I would be pretty annoyed if presented with this information on move in day and would probably make a claim on you just because I was so annoyed. the last thing you have time to do over the weekend you move is sorting out locks. Although I would change the locks sometime in the first week.

Genuinely if it had occured to me I would have said. The garage has never been locked in my living memory and the front door was never used either. The garage is detatched so the house is secure just using the side/back door key as an entry and exit point which is what our family have done for the past 25years or so. Naively it didnt even cross my mind that this would be an issue for anyone.

Thank you for your advice ValHaller