What time in the past have you collected the keys after completion?

winnie1988 · 21 November 2013 at 10:08AM

I know there is never a set time to collect keys but I wondered what times you have had the phone call to collect?
As we are FTB I am wondering whether it is worth taking the day off that we complete or the day after? We don't have to move anything with great urgency as we are moving out of the parents.

LADYXXMACBETH · 21 November 2013 at 10:14AM

We got our keys about lunchtime. It took us ages to move all our stuff though and a lot longer than we thought. I would take the day off if you can or even better do it over a weekend if you have time. If it was me I would move and unpack at the same time. You are in a very fortunate position. I wish I was !

Davesnave · 21 November 2013 at 10:17AM

Some days later. We asked for them to be left in a secure place, as we were so unwilling to have any face to face contact with the EA.

He still has no idea what we look like!

I don't believe this is normal, however.

PasturesNew · 21 November 2013 at 10:21AM

It's usually about lunchtime. If I were not moving in that day I'd at least look at having the afternoon off so I could:
- make sure it happened/deal with any hiccups or questions
- get the keys in my pocket before the EA closed so I could go and check/look

I'd like to know that it's mine, it's been left in good condition, it's secure/watertight and nothing 'mad' is going on like electricity not working, gas not working, water not working.

And it's nice to wander round it for the first time empty so you can plan what you need to do before you move in. e.g. it might be a lot muckier than you expected and you might want to go out and get the right cleaning materials, or measure up for curtains, or double-check a few measurements that didn't occur to you before.

Grimbal · 21 November 2013 at 10:29AM

Our last sale completed at 9:15, buyers picked up the keys from the EAs at 9:30

pinkteapot · 21 November 2013 at 10:39AM

Completed at 11.30am but the vendor didn't show up at the EA with our keys until 4.30pm because they'd underestimated how long it would take them to move their stuff out. :mad:

G_M · 21 November 2013 at 10:54AM

Removal van & men spent 4 hours sitting outside new house till 5.00 waiting for Completion & keys....

Miss_Marple_2 · 21 November 2013 at 11:00AM

I completed at 1.30 and picked my keys up at 1.45. Solicitor phoned me at 1.30 to say completed and EA phoned me at 1.45 to say keys were released to me. The house was empty so EA already had all sets of keys. The only thing that surprised me is that when I turned up at the EA, I had not met the agent there before, I just said I was there to pick up some keys and she just handed them over. She didn't even ask me my name.

jbainbridge · 21 November 2013 at 11:20AM

We completed at about 11am last time. Dropped keys off / picked up new ones about 12.30pm.

phoebe1989seb · 21 November 2013 at 11:58AM

In our experience completion has been any time between 9am and around 3pm and we've dropped off/picked up the keys shortly after this. Last time was late morning IIRC.........although that was for our buyers, we'd already been given the keys to our onward purchase (that was empty) on exchange!