Seller wants to move 2 days AFTER completion

mandgreen

Hi All

So I was hoping to exchange and complete on my first house buy today but there has been delays further up in the chain and now we are exchanging today but completing thursday.

The agent has rang me to say my seller is seeing if he can get the day of work for thursday but if not we will still complete thursday but not move un till Saturday. Does this seem acceptable to everyone? Only in my head I am thinking that house is legally going to be mine for 2 days and yet will have someone else living in it?!!!!

deanos

not acceptable to me

skintpaul

seller needs to get to a hotel, for two days!

kingstreet

Report this to your solicitor.

He needs to report to vendor's solicitor vacant possession not being given on completion.

Davesnave

No, he should know it's not acceptable and his solicitor will tell him so.

If he took that course of action, he'd be liable for a whole range of expenses which you might reasonably run up, staying elsewhere and storing your possessions..

But that isn't going to happen!

stator

Not acceptable at all. Tell the agent it is a non-starter.
If you can't agree the completion date don't exchange!

silvercar

I would be tempted to exchange today with completion written into the contract for Thursday. Once contracts are exchanged his solicitor will tell him that he needs to move out on Thursday.

goodwithsaving

No way would I agree to this. If he wants to move, getting the day off work is for HIM to organise, not for you to be lenient with. Any decent employer would allow their employee a day off (whether annual leave or otherwise) to move house. If he's trying to save leave, he can suck it up and use his leave allowance like you would have to.
As soon as their solicitor has the money, you want to be getting hold of those keys as soon as possible. The house is legally yours and you are responsible for it. Worst case scenario - imagine if it burnt down in those two days as a result of his actions....your house so your problem. Insurers ask about lodgers, tenants etc which if you'd declared 'no', could pose problems if anything were to happen. What if he didn't leave after those 2 days?
So many potential problems with this. Don't do it.

kingstreet

This happened to me, although without advance warning.

My solicitor called me and told me completion had taken place. Agent had no idea about keys, so I drove to the property, or "my new home" as I guess it should by that time have been known.

I found the previous owners sitting drinking tea, who told me they weren't moving out until tomorrow.

I called my solicitor and told her and she told me the options were to swallow it and hope they left as they said they would, or think about a breach of contract action and all that entailed.

In the end, I kept my trap shut and they left the following day. I'd never exchange contracts now without ensuring I was getting vacant possession on completion.

mandgreen

Thanks all for your advice, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a little strange!! I will advise I want vacant possession upon completion!

kingstreet

mandgreen wrote: »

Thanks all for your advice, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it was a little strange!! I will advise I want vacant possession upon completion!

The vendor's solicitor has to undertake to provide that to your solicitor to allow exchange of contracts to take place' So explain to your solicitor the vendor has different ideas to his solicitor!