mail forwarding before completion

MikeEngTech

Hi,
Does anybody set up mail forwarding with Royal Mail before they have completed? They need 5 working days notice. Solicitor says we are completing this friday (16th) but as far as I'm aware, we havent exchanged contracts yet. I've emailed them asking about this but I've got a feeling they are planning to exchange and complete same day or the day before and my Dad used the same solicitor for his and he only got 1 days notice. We are in a chain. He says he has all the paperwork and everyone is happy with the 16th, "it's the 16th" he said on Wednesday when I was seeking clarification if we are definitely moving but he said we havent exchanged yet.
When do you set up mail forwarding?

MikeEngTech

even the estate agents have contacted us saying they have submitted their invoice to our solicitors as they got an email off them confirming the 16th but I am sure we havent exchanged contracts yet. They seem very sure of this 16th date though.

G_M

MikeEngTech wrote: »

..
....... Solicitor says we are completing this friday (16th) but as far as I'm aware, we havent exchanged contracts yet. I've emailed them asking about this but I've got a feeling they are planning to exchange and complete same day or the day before

Get a grip. You are the one buying the property, so you decide if/when to Excange, and you decide what gap you want between Exchange and Completion.

Instruct your solictor properly, in writing.

No, of couse you don't set up RM forwarding (or make any other arrangements!) before you have Exchanged. Your purchase might not proceed.

That's one reason most people have a week (or two or three) gap, so they can make such arrangements before Comlpetion.

MikeEngTech

I think I!!!8217;m going to insist tomorrow on exchange or no completion this Friday. How do people do it when they exchange and complete same day though? Send the mail to a family member? I don!!!8217;t know if someone in the chain doesn!!!8217;t have an exchange deposit or something. Odd that we haven!!!8217;t exchanged yet but everyone said they were happy with the 16th 2 weeks ago.

MikeEngTech

!!!8220;Instruct your solicitors properly!!!8221; it!!!8217;s their job. They should be asking me what I need. Don!!!8217;t be so rude.

bowlhead99

MikeEngTech wrote: »

"Instruct your solicitors properly" it`s their job. They should be asking me what I need. Don`t be so rude.

He's not being rude.

You said the solicitor is telling you when you are completing and you don't know when you are going to exchange but have a 'feeling' that they're planning to exchange and complete on same day. You also mentioned you are in a chain. So for that to happen, everyone in the chain of three or many more people would all have to be happy to exchange and complete the same day despite the potential problems that can bring. And you are one of those several people in the chain who has to be happy with it and to instruct their solicitors accordingly. And at the moment, you are probably not 100% happy with it because you're on here asking about some of the practicalities of how it might work.

So, rather than saying or implying it's the solicitors job so the solictor should plan it all and get it done and tell you when they've done it or ask you when they get stuck, you should be actively instructing them to do what you want (as you have appointed them to represent your interests to all the other parties in the chain and the chain will not exchange if you're not 100% happy with it).

If you are curious about how things will work in practice, you need to ask your solicitor how things might work with different scenarios (as they will have experience of working with lots of scenarios in the past) and tell them what you prefer, and instruct them to only do it if it works for you.

It might be more efficient for the chain as a whole if one party in the chain (e.g., you) doesn't care how the deal gets done and is willing to just bend to what the other people agree to do, no matter what inconvenience it puts on them personally. However, that person might then find themselves with a laundry list of annoyances and inconveniences in the process while everyone else gets pretty much whatever they want.

While a successful sale and purchase process involves compromise, it can give you more stress and hassle if you initially take the lazy way of sitting back and just assuming it will all get sorted out for you and you have a feeling the solicitor will solve the problem by doing x or y or z. It is better to decide what you want and instruct them to do x and only do y if there is no possible way around it and definitely don't do z. Or vices versa.

glasgowdan

You can leave a self addressed envelope at the old house so they can post any mail out to you free.

davidmcn

glasgowdan wrote: »

You can leave a self addressed envelope at the old house so they can post any mail out to you free.

Or pop round to collect it.

Or just accept the risk that things might go astray.

eddddy

MikeEngTech wrote: »

Solicitor says we are completing this friday (16th) but as far as I'm aware, we havent exchanged contracts yet.
...
We are in a chain.

Out of interest, how long ago did your solicitor say this? Could the plan have changed?

If there's a chain, people higher up the chain will need to book removal vans, book time off work, arrange childcare etc for completion day. Many people can't arrange that with only 3 or 4 days notice.

Check with your solicitor and/or EA what the latest plan is. If you want a minimum of 5 days (or more) between exchange and completion - tell your solicitor.

spendinglikemad

From a sellers perspective setting up your mail forward in advance will prove extremely annoying if exchange/completion doesn't happen for whatever multitude of possible reasons.]

As a seller my buyers decided to try and change all utilities based on a date they were given by their solicitors (unbeknown to us which was mid january) so we are now 4 week on from that with no exchange yet and mail arriving at our house for another family!!!

Proceed with caution.......royal mail redirection is very fast so just set up on the day you exchange - worked for us (exchange/completed simultaneously)

SLM

Margot123

My buyers have already notified the Council they are moving in, so bills are coming in their names.
This started nearly 2 months ago, and we still don't have an exchange date.

My advise is not to redirect anything until completion; it may be annoying to you but not half as annoying as it is to a seller receiving a PROSPECTIVE buyer's post and bills.