Leaving handover notes on completion day?

hounslowfish

Hi all,

First time seller here. Our sale completes this week. It would seem polite to leave some handover notes for the new buyer explaining how various things in the flat work, i.e. heating, hot water etc.

I haven't heard much mention of others doing this. Is it a normal thing to do? Or is there a strong legal reason not to leave any message behind for the buyer?

hazyjo

Yep fairly common - I've always left notes/a pack along with a bottle of wine. Each to their own though.


Usually the pack will just comprise manuals, guarantees, etc, but I have added things like takeaway leaflets (saying which is best), what day the bin men come, maybe neighbours' names, handy electrician or plumber's name/number who I'd trust... that sort of thing.


I don't leave my number though!


Jx

[Deleted User]

It's a nice thing to do for the basics - eg window cleaner phone number, stopcock is under sink, etc.

Not 'forogt to tell you the bath leaks and the bloke across the road is a pervert'.

mattk_180

Don't think there's any legal reason, it just comes down to how helpful you want to be.


I'm about to complete on a purchase and would love to walk in to a little note that says "Enjoy the house ps. the back door's a bit stiff so give it a nudge when you open it".


Bit of a crap example compared to the above, but it's just nice to be able to help the new owners settle in.

fairy_lights

If you've got a shower or boiler that is complicated to use then I think a brief note would be appreciated.
When we bought our first house last your the previous owner had left us a bottle of Prosecco and a note wishing us happiness in our new home, which was a lovely gesture.

hounslowfish

Thanks for the advice, folks!

CathA

Yep, I did that. Told them the neighbours names, names and ages of their kids as they had children of a similar age. Also when the bin men came, what week we were up to in the bin cycle, little quirks re the central heating system, that sort of thing. And I left them a card.

davidmcn

hounslowfish wrote: »

is there a strong legal reason not to leave any message behind for the buyer?

There's a mild legal reason for leaving such notes, because it helps to avoid complaints that items are "broken" just because the buyers don't know the knack for how to make them work.

PasturesNew

When I moved in here there was a folder in the kitchen with everything shoved in it. All the instruction manuals and original paperwork etc the previous owners had been given when they bought it new.

When I cleared/sold my parents' house I didn't have a printer, but I wrote some notes on small sheets of paper and dotted them round the house where appropriate and on the kitchen worktop I put all the random paperwork that might be of use/interest.

I've always thought it'd be nice to do a "handover/walkround" between exchange/completion on houses, but the reality is you're rarely directly in touch with the buyers and it'd all end up as awkward hassle.

Vortigern

You might also include a forwarding address - or some sticky labels to make it easier for them to forward your mail.

You'd probably arrange for the Post Office to forward your mail for a while, so this is just a back up.

lisa110rry

If I were to be leaving my home, I would leave a note about the drawings and writings on the walls of the smallest bedroom. Each time the room was decorated, our son would be allowed to write/draw whatever he liked before we papered. The last one was poignant. He explained he had finished University got a job and was driving BMW company car and if anyone wanted to continue the story they must go to [the address of his own home].

I would also write about the time capsule installed within the new frontage wall pier.

[Along with how to use "Hive" and the shower and the boiler and all those things of course.]

It has been a happy family home and is still a happy older couple home.