Completion - which day of the week

mhuk01

Hello

I am currently in the process of a house purchase and am finalizing contracts. My solicitor has just emailed to say the vendor would like to complete on 22nd August. This is a Saturday - is it possible to even complete on a weekend?

Also I am currently out of the country - is there anything that demands I am there to pick up the keys on the actual completion date?

Finally is there an ideal day of the week for completion to ensure everything goes smoothly?

Thanks

TBeckett100

I'd pick a Thursday. If something goes wrong then the solicitors will be open Friday. They don't work weekends usually and I am not sure if the CHAPS system works on Saturdays, someone I am sure can advise.

You don't have to be there to collect the key. Obviously most do through excitement or because they have a truck load of furniture they need to dump

phill99

Do not complete on a Saturday. If money isn't in accounts by then, it won't be there till Monnday. Also don'tcomplete on a Friday. My. Friend was due to complete on a Friday. Her removal was completely loaded ready to go when her purchasers declared they hadn't got all the monies together.

Was too late in the day for anything to be done. They managed too offload 2 mattresses and the kettle. But had no change of clothes etc. They ended up exchanging on the Monday but had to pay additional removal costs etc.

Complete on a Thursday.

Cheeky_Monkey

I agree.

Absolutely do not agree to complete on a Saturday - it's a recipe for disaster :eek:

I am very surprised that your solicitor has even asked you!

november

Another one advising against completing on a Saturday. In fact we wouldn't have been able to as we had to collect keys from an estate agent that was only open Mon-Fri.

We completed on a Friday (buyer's request) but I would have preferred a Thursday to give an extra day when everything was open just in case.

Old_Git

are you in a chain of more than two .
I so when is everyone else completing

AlexMac

Received wisdom used to advise against Friday completion, especially before a Bank Holiday, if only because if there's a foul-up anywhere in the chain or with a money transfer, and it can't be fixed same day, that means you could be hanging around in the empty house (if you're selling) or in a hotel, with your possessions in a van all weekend before taking ownership.

But I assume if your solicitor is happy, and if, as it seems, you're abroad, and not in a hurry to move in, why should you care? Any delay will be someone else's problem?

The only other consideration is that as most people seem to complete on a Friday, the solicitors or estate agents may be busy- and while the final stage usually involves only a few minor admin tasks, these can take time; the buyer's solicitor checking they've received the purchase money (from a lender and/or another sale), CHAPsing that to the seller's solicitor, them getting round to checking that the money's in, then them phoning the selling estate agent (who usually hold the keys) to tell 'em to release 'em. Multiply that by the links in of the chain if there is one, or the agent's long lunch!

It can all take some time; in the case of my last purchase, despite a very short chain, I know my solicitor wired the cash to the seller's brief at 11am. But it was 3pm before the agent rang to say I could pick up keys... By which time I'd broken in, changed the locks and moved in to an empty house (the owner was also abroad) around noon. But most people prefer to do it by the book!

Angie_B

I echo all of the above. Definitely no to a Saturday and I would even advise against a Friday.

I have just exchanged contracts and luckily everyone in the (admittedly) short chain agreed to a Thursday. That extra day in case something goes wrong is worth the peace of mind.

mhuk01

I am a first time buyer. There is no chain. Thank you all for the replies, I'm thinking of requesting for the following Tuesday to complete, that way there is a weekday either side. I guess the seller can still move out the previous Saturday if they like.