What happens on completion day

jamie_128

Im confused and had conflicting information from both estate agents and solicitors havent told me anything.

Our seller is moving away so no chain, our buyer is no chain.

Ive been told that i should expect the keys for our new house between 12 and 2?, yet my estate agent wants our keys for our house for 2pm to pass onto our buyer.

Ive been told by a few people that i should be moving in one van load and wont have much time between getting the keys and handing ours in, this doesent seem very practical to me?

AdrianC

Empty the house into the van, drop the old keys off before 2pm, pick the new keys up when they're available, unload the van into the new house.

Am I missing something?

If it won't all fit into the van, you might need a bigger van.

Completion happens simultaneously(ish) for both properties. Once it's happened, the keys to the old place are no longer yours, and you don't have any access. You don't get access to the new one until you've completed.

RelievedSheff

Completion day and moving day can be a very stressful time. There is a lot of sitting around waiting for phone calls from solicitors to say that sales have gone through.

We got everything packed into the van early. Our move was slightly different as we had part exchanged against a new build so we just handed the developers our keys when we picked up the keys to the new house.

But get the keys to the estate agents early doors. Then find somewhere to have several coffees and wait for the phone calls.

Our sale went through at 1pm but it can be anytime really from 9am to 5pm.

In your case the money will have to work it's way up the chain so there could be delays along the way.

Try not to stress out too much.

oystercatcher

You pack everything into the van in the morning, hand the keys over, then have a brief period of homelessness until the money has gone through.... then the you can pick up the keys and move into new place....simple....but stressful.

Do not try and go back and forth with a small van you will hold up the people wanting to move into your place (which will no longer be yours)

jamie_128

so im supposed to hand my keys in before i get the keys to our next house? I cant see us fitting all our stuff into one van and a few cars like.

pinkteapot

Everyone in the chain has their removal lorry loaded up in the morning and everyone sets off lunchtime for their new house. Simple.

Until some poor sod gets to their new house to find the vendor is DIY-Ing their move and is still moving out at 5pm. :mad:

These days the money transactions happen so fast that legal/financial completion is often done by mid-morning but people aren’t usually moved out till noon or so.

phill99

Normally you wake up stressed out of your head as you haven't slept in three weeks and on the verge of killing partner/kids/estate agent/vendor/purchaser.


You then realise you still haven't packed up the stuff from the loft which you should have done last week so you start panicking.


You then have a loud slanging match with your partner/wife/husband/random person over trivial stuff.


The moving van then turns up two hours late and get shirty with the driver.


You load the stuff on including all of your clothes, change of underwear and toothbrush.


Then you have a load more arguments with loads of people.


You call the solicitor and can't t hold of him as he is on a course today and you can't get hold of his secretary either.


The estate agent has called you seven times asking when the keys will be dropped off and you are now looking up the names of contract killers as you want him wiped off the face of the earth.


You're about to leave your house and then get a call from the solicitors office saying that the purchasers funds haven't cleared so they can't complete today. Everything then comes off the removal truck just to get to your toothbrush and clean knickers which your partner told you not to put on first.


You then start the whole process again tomorrow.

pinkteapot

jamie_128 wrote: »

so im supposed to hand my keys in before i get the keys to our next house? I cant see us fitting all our stuff into one van and a few cars like.

That's why you use a removal company who can use a 7.5 or 18 tonne truck as appropriate.

Seriously, if you're middle of the chain you can't self-move unless your buyer has said they're prepared to wait till the end of the day for the keys (which in fairness they might be happy with if they're a FTB and not moving in on the day).

G_M

The relevant estate agents (on your sale and your purchase) will hold the keys until informed by the relevant solicitors that Completion has taken place. Only then will they release them to the new owner.


If there is a delay in the money changing hands, Completion may be delayed. In a long chain, with money passing uo the chain, the final buyer may not get the keys till late afternoon. In your case with a short chain it should be quicker.


But you will still have some waiting.


Do not wait till Completion to pack your stuff. As soon as your buyer's solicitor receives your money, the house is no longer yours and you have no further right of access. So get packed and out in good time. (remember to read the meters!).


Then wait for your money to be received by your seller, and his seller to tell the agent to release the keys.


On a busy day (eg a Friday) the solicitors may be dealing with multiple Completions - they won't be sitting doing nothing and watching their bank accounts ready to phone immediately...........

AdrianC

jamie_128 wrote: »

so im supposed to hand my keys in before i get the keys to our next house?

Umm, yes...

You're using the money from the sale of your old house to pay for the new one, right? So you no longer own the old one before you own the new one. Why would you expect to have the keys to, and your stuff in, a house somebody else owns?

I cant see us fitting all our stuff into one van and a few cars like.

You're going to need a bigger van, then... Or rent a storage unit as a stopgap.

G_M

jamie_128 wrote: »

so im supposed to hand my keys in before i get the keys to our next house? I cant see us fitting all our stuff into one van and a few cars like.

Then you need a bigger van. Why do you think people employ removal firms?


(ps -to make life easier, hand one set of keys in to the agent the day before. I'm sure you have 2 sets at least!. When you have finished loading the van(s), lock the door and push the 2nd set through the letter box.


Remember to change the locks on your new home.......