Buyer wants to see house 2 days before completion

Oscar36

Hi, we're due to exchange contracts on the sale of our house this Wednesday with the completion date set for Friday.

Today our buyer sent a message to say they would like to come round tomorrow night to measure up. I replied to explain that unfortunately we won't be around much this week due to going back and forth to the storage facility, getting my son settled into a new nursery etc (we're moving to another area), however the buyers replied to say they can come round whenever and they would like to come round ahead of Friday.

Do I legally have to allow the buyer access before completion? We've been given very little notice, the house is upside with boxes etc and this is a huge inconvenience for us. We could really could do without this at this late stage but obviously don't to take any chances on them pulling out. Any advice is much appreciated.

diggingdude

Really they should be insisting on it before exchange rather than after. But that would be for their benefit not yours. You can refuse and they could pull out if they wanted. You could also agree and then refuse permission after exchange if you wanted though that is low. Or you could just let them in for 20 minutes at a time that suits you

Lungboy

It's a fairly reasonable request, indeed people on this forum regularly suggest buyers check the state of a property before completion to ensure things are as they should be.

tealady

They may be be doing a bit of "a*rse covering"to make sure all is ok.
Can you not ask a friend to house sit just once.
After all if you refuse then your buyers may refuse to exchange, can you afford to risk that?

davidmcn

Before exchange - nobody is legally obliged to do anything.
After exchange - it's down to what's in the contract.


Given the buyer will be stuck with the condition of the property as it is at exchange, it's understandable they might want another look.

JIL

I'm in the process of buying a property, the survey has been done. As per the last house I will ask to have one last walk around before we exchange. It's a big commitment, I just want to settle my mind before I sign. It's not that I think I will change my mind. I think it's a case of just being absolutely certain before I change my current living arrangements.

G_M

Lungboy wrote: »

It's a fairly reasonable request, indeed people on this forum regularly suggest buyers check the state of a property before [STRIKE]completion[/STRIKE]exchange to ensure things are as they should be.

The contract of sale requires the property to be handed over at Completion in the same condition it was in at the date the contracts were Exchanged.

Given that the buyers may not have seen the property for some weeks, they have no idea what condition it is now in. It is therefore perfectly reasonable to want a viewing immediately before exchange.

Granted, few people do this - but they should! And any reasonable seller, with nothing to hide, should facilitate this.

Oscar36

Thanks very much everyone, appreciate your responses. I appreciate it's common practise to look around a house again before exchange, I guess I'm just annoyed with the short notice when they've had weeks to come round. I would have preferred to make sure the house was a bit straighter but not much we can do about it now. Hopefully they can look past all the boxes and mess! Thanks again.

G_M

Oscar36 wrote: »

.....I appreciate it's common practise to look around a house again before exchange, I guess I'm just annoyed with the short notice when they've had weeks to come round..........

As explained, coming round 'weeks' before Exchange defeats the purpose of checking before exchange!


The reference to 'measuring up' is a common excuse used to be diplomatic, rather than saying "We want to make sure you haven't removed all the light fittings and half the tiles off the roof."

hazyjo

Know you have a short time between exchange and completion, but I'd never advise boxing anything up before exchange! If timings are that tight, pay for removal men to pack.

Smodlet

Two days between exchange and completion? Sorry, OP, but that phrase with "bed" and "lie in it" springs to mind. Two weeks is tight enough, imho. I don't blame your buyers in the slightest. Perhaps your question should be to ask yourself why you are not doing likewise, no matter the distance, unless your new property is vacant.

I am sure your buyers will not expect everything to be pristine at this late stage, any more than their place probably is right now. It is just another inconvenience on top of a whole heap of others, right? Really not such a big deal if you choose to think of it in this way. Eyes on the prize, yes? Focus on next week when you are in your new home. I hope you and yours will be happy there; if you are, it will all be worth it.