Completion Day Advice

firebubble

I'd add:
1. For the place you're leaving, run the vacuum round and give the bathroom and kitchen a wipe - it doesn't need to be hygienic, but make the place look presentable.
2. Leave out a list of paint colours/alarm codes etc, manuals for appliances that are staying, location of the stop !!!! etc - anything like that which you don't need but will be useful to the buyers.
3. Don't take the light bulbs, and leave the remaining toilet roll in each loo.
4. Ahead of time, dig up any plants that you have agreed you can take.
5. Make sure you have emptied sheds, garages and lofts.
6. Leave them a bottle of wine (screw top!) and some takeaway menus.
7. For the new place, take cleaning stuff with you - no one ever cleans to the standard you want, so before you start unpacking you can make it shine.
8. This maybe just me, but replace the loo seats

lisyloo

Take toilet rolls

Oxon

This thread is really useful, thanks :j

Murphybear wrote: »

If you are going to tip them make sure you the get cash in advance

Do people normally tip? Another expense I hadn’t thought of!

firebubble

Also, get your post redirected and make a list of companies and people to update.

In particular, make sure to let old financial companies - pensions, investments, insurance etc know.

If you have to give notice on a local gym membership or similar that you're moving too far to use, calculate when you need to give notice as soon as you exchange and have a completion date.

hazyjo

Oxon wrote: »

This thread is really useful, thanks :j



Do people normally tip? Another expense I hadn’t thought of!

Lots of threads debating this. I usually give around a tenner a head. Think I gave around £40 or £50 the time before last as they went over and above (including stopping en route to collect a second hand fridge freezer for me to use until I could get the kitchen replaced).

AlexMac

Slithery wrote: »

Change the locks.

Agree this good advice. We replaced locks on day 1. And a day or two later we got the existing intruder alarm re-commissioned...

... however, we didn't check all the window locks sufficiently thoroughly. They looked robust, on timber double glazed windows, but were only secured by half-inch woodscrews... which popped out when attacked by a crowbar.

We got off light; some jewellery from the upstairs bedroom point of entry (a neighbour's builder had helpfully left a ladder lying around unlocked) but the alarm then scared 'em off. Taught us a lesson; bombproof now.

So I'd add making sure the house is secure to Slithery's tip. But then we do live in South London; my mate in a Dorset village bought a thatched cottage which had never even ever had a front door lock fitted since it was built many years ago!

Cakeguts

Changing the locks is very important because there have been threads on here where vendors have been back to the house they sold in order to pick up something they had forgotten and had just used their key to get into a house that is now owned by someone else.

Lurkingtoposting17

Thanks to everyone for the advice! We completed yesterday and everything looks good! I was lucky with my vendors that they left me a washing machine, oven and fridge freezer and had them - along with the whole house, professionally cleaned!

I am with my parents atm so moving some bits in dribs and drabs over the week slowly but surely. Takes a lot of the pressure off, considering it needs some decorating and light renovations.

QQ for those more knowledgeable than me. I know I need to ring the existing water/utilities companies but with the broadband/phone do I just arrange set up with the new supplier I want or do I need to ring their old supplier? They've taken the hub/boxes etc so it's not as if I could continue the contract?

Many thanks for all the wonderful advice!