Mad idea? Buyer uses house before closing?

dunroving

As above, I have been presented with a problem that may need an off the wall solution.

Short story: Due to an issue with the house title (described in another thread), my entry into the house I want to buy will be later than planned. Completely the fault of the vendor's arrogant, lazy solicitor. My well-laid (original) plans involved extensive, messy works on the new house (major rewire and potentially at least some skimming/plastering) and I was planning to close on my own house about 4-6 weeks afterwards.

Buyer of my house really wants in by June 22nd, as she had told visiting family they could stay there that weekend (as this fitted the tentative timeline she and I had originally discussed). Her PhD graduation is that day and family is visiting from far afield.

My options seem to be:

Say it is simply not possible (faults due at my end/seller's solicitor) and live with the consequences. Note that we have not exchanged yet on the house I am selling.

Put my stuff in storage while I get works done (costed at £600 at least).

Move before 22nd June, and all my stuff will be in the bomb site of my mid-renovation house.

Off-the-wall idea: Allow her family to stay at my house (prior to completion) for a few days for her graduation ... I won't be there, the place will be very tidy/packed up but completely habitable.

Is the latter idea completely bonkers? I'm in Scotland if that makes a difference to the legal side of things. I have done madder things in the past - one house I sold in the US, buyer let me live there rent-free for 6 weeks as she couldn't move in and it meant the house was looked after.

marliepanda

I!!!8217;m not an expert but in England no solicitor would advise this.

You!!!8217;ll get plenty of stories of people who it worked amazingly for and plenty where it didn!!!8217;t work out well at all...

Doozergirl

Having guests for the weekend, almost Airbnb style is a but different to allowing someone to move in early.

As long as they aren't moving in and you feel like they're trustworthy then I don't think it's an issue.

As Airbnb exists, people open their houses to others.

Pixie5740

The house you are selling is in Scotland therefore there is no exchange. You should be working towards the date of entry agreed as part of your buyer's offer.

moneyistooshorttomention

With the other side of it being that one can manage to live in a house whilst it's being renovated. That's what I had to do with my current house - yep....electrics/central heating/rewiring/bathroom/replastering. The kitchen just had a minor bit of re-jigging and came later.

Not my idea of fun to say the least:eek: - and it was all I could do to physically manage to get to my bed to sleep at night. There were a few nights where I couldnt even do that - and had to sleep on the sofa.

So it can be done.

NB; It is going to be rather easier to manage if one lives somewhere where there are decent choice of places to eat out - memories of struggling to find a suitable place nearby to deliver a takeaway to me and used one I was recommended. That was followed by my chucking half that meal in the bin as inedible - and realising I'd need to learn a sight more about cooking/be well-stocked with food than I'd been used to being previously:cool:

It will also help if you live in an area where the tradespeople are reliable etc. If you're in one where people are used to them being unreliable - then you'll find they'll still let you down whenever they want to regardless, even if they know you're trying to live in the house whilst its done.

agrinnall

I wouldn't do it, I doubt if your solicitor will say it's a good idea, and to be honest I would just say no. However, if you feel in some way responsible for the day then offer to pay part of the cost of a budget hotel for them to stay in for their visit.

davidmcn

dunroving wrote: »

Is the latter idea completely bonkers? I'm in Scotland if that makes a difference to the legal side of things.

It's as similarly bonkers in Scotland as it would be in England. Especially if you haven't concluded missives for the sale at that point. What happens if they decide to chip away at the price having found new "defects"? Or just don't move out?

DCFC79

I wouldnt let the vendors family stay, couldmbe hard to get rid of them.

eddddy

dunroving wrote: »

Off-the-wall idea: Allow her family to stay at my house (prior to completion) for a few days for her graduation ... I won't be there, the place will be very tidy/packed up but completely habitable.

So you want to have some people stay at your house as guests for a few days (without exclusive use of your house) - and they have their own main residence elsewhere?

Unlike some others, I can't see any legal problem with this.

I sometimes stay as a guest in other peoples house when they are not there, and vice versa.

To make it absolutely clear that they are only guests, you could do things like visit the house once or twice for 10 mins to notionally clean the kitchen or empty the bins whilst they are there.

I guess the potential downside is that they might have a thorough look around the house, and perhaps spot problems that worry them.

If your guests really do refuse to leave, they become trespassers.

dunroving

Thanks for all the responses. I was looking at it almost like a "free Airbnb" situation, which in many ways would be preferable to the buyer (who doesn't have any furniture!). I can see, though, that she may really want to be able to have parents stay at "her" new house on her graduation weekend.

Moneyistoo... I have indeed done this before, in this house! Extensive rewire, complete redecoration and complete replaster (plaster boards, etc.), new carpets throughout. Except I had to do it bit by bit over 2-3 years because I couldn't afford to do it any other way.

I was a bit frustrated that the buyer now would like to move in earlier, as she'd said she was very flexible. But I can also see her side of things, that I had indicated the possibility I'd be out by mid- to late June.

I think I'll just bite the bullet, get as much work done on the house as possible, and move my stuff down there regardless and live with whatever mayhem occurs after that.

The slightly worrying thing is that the history of the seller's solicitor on the house I am buying makes me wonder whether there will be further delays. Was supposed to be in there by now, currently looks optimistically like it will be late May, and if it's any later I won't get the chance to do any work before I move in. C'est la vie, I suppose, and not my buyer's fault.

dunroving

Pixie5740 wrote: »

The house you are selling is in Scotland therefore there is no exchange. You should be working towards the date of entry agreed as part of your buyer's offer.

I know, I know, and am fully aware that it makes some people furious when posters mix up the England/Scotland terminology, but I knew what I meant! ;-)

I'm selling in Scotland and buying in England, so tend to mix and match when I'm talking about one or t'other.