Completion day questions?

Lisa2000

So I am completing my house purchase this Friday. Chain of 4 of which I am the second in the chain. My solicitors have said to expect an early afternoon completion but no guarantees, could be earlier, could be later, which I understand. I have booked a moving company who are pushing me for a specific completion time which I obviously cant really give.  They will also charge me for every 30 minutes of waiting time so don't want to ask them to come too early in case its a long wait. What happens if I'm still moving my stuff out at completion time? Do they just have to wait for me? or do i need to be fully out before completion happens.
Do I wait until completion has happened to bring my keys to the estate agents or should I bring them before hand?
I've only ever been the bottom of a chain before so not really had to factor in these things. 

hazyjo

I'd never book a removal company by the hour!

My last house sale completed at 9.30am! I've also hung around until well into the afternoon before.

How much stuff do you have? Ideally the majority will be packed the day before and the essentials packed on completion day.

Have you actually exchanged?

Drawingaline

Our removal vans turned up at 8.30, took until 2 to pack up the house! We completed at 1, called the ea and said I would drop keys off at 2. (They didn't have a set). Got to new house by 2.15 (was local) and all unpacked by 5.30

But we were a family of six moving from a three bed to a four bed after 11 yes, so a lot of stuff. We paid for the day, technically we should have paid extra after 5, but the crew were a man down so that explained it taking longer. 

Have used removals four times and never paid by the hour. 

It always takes longer than you imagine though. 

pinkteapot

Is it a ‘proper’ removals company or a man and van type? Removals companies know that completion time could be 11am or 4pm. Or later. 

All those I’ve used are fixed price but did have additional charges if they had to work past a certain time, usually about 6pm. 

One purchase we didn’t get the keys until just before 5pm. Completion happened mid morning but the vendor thought they could self-move out of a 4-bed house and it took all day. 🙄

Drawingaline

And while you should be out once the call happens, most removals will take a good few hours and as long as you have the removal company there working it shouldn't be an issue if you are not fully out. Issues happen when people are moving themselves and underestimate what a big job it tends to be. So we had an hour in our house after completion. (In fact it was nearer two as we moved in Jan when all the kids were off school and we just couldn't physically get six people, a boot of precious stuff (all belonging to my husband 🙄) and two large cats in the car in one trip. And it was raining so left the two teens in the house to finish up the hoovering and mopping, dropped the others off and came back to get them and the hoover! (We moved 10mins away) but we sold to a FTB who wasn't desperate to get in.

Thrugelmir

Once was out by 10.30.  Waited around all day. Finally got the keys at 4.30.  
Only moved a mile away. 
Book a fixed price service! 

elsien

My neighbour wasn’t out of the house they were selling till 10.30 pm. Luckily the buyers weren’t moving in that day but it wouldn’t have made any difference if they were. Ideally your vendors will be out in a timely manner but there are no guarantees. 

Lisa2000

Err, sorry explained badly, they will charge me if they run into unsocial hours, just dont want to inconvenience anyone or get charged for other people being slow.
Theyre just loading and unloading, all the stuff will be dismantled and packed ready to go the day before, they estimate it will take 2-3 hours to load.

Thrugelmir

The issue isn't other people, but the respective solicitors being advised that the funds have arrived. All depends on the banks processing of the CHAPS. Which can be undertaken at any time until around 2 pm. 

firebubble

If you're not using a combined packing/moving service you should aim to be packed up completely and have done a basic clean by the day before completion (apart from absolute last minute stuff eg kettle, your bed, last bits in fridge such as milk - all this stuff can go in your car as it's likely you'll need it all for the first night in your new home). On the morning of completion, the movers will come and put all your stuff into the removal van, then they drive to the new place and will wait outside. You finish up cleaning your old house, leave the keys (and any other bits eg appliance manuals, maybe a welcome bottle of fizz!) for the new owners. You'll get a call from your solicitors saying completion has happened and then you go and get the keys to your new property from the estate agent. You go back to your new place, let the movers in and they unload your stuff.
Because you could be slow packing up, the money could be slow moving down the chain (or something like a bank system failure can happen), or your seller could be delayed packing which means you have to wait outside, as others have said, you'd be better off agreeing a fixed rate for the day.

AnotherJoe

Lisa2000 said:

So I am completing my house purchase this Friday. Chain of 4 of which I am the second in the chain. My solicitors have said to expect an early afternoon completion but no guarantees, could be earlier, could be later, which I understand. I have booked a moving company who are pushing me for a specific completion time which I obviously cant really give.  They will also charge me for every 30 minutes of waiting time so don't want to ask them to come too early in case its a long wait. What happens if I'm still moving my stuff out at completion time? Do they just have to wait for me? or do i need to be fully out before completion happens.
Do I wait until completion has happened to bring my keys to the estate agents or should I bring them before hand?
I've only ever been the bottom of a chain before so not really had to factor in these things. 

Something is off-base here. What kind of removals company did you book?

Every removals company I've ever used has been for the day, and the only potential extra fees are if it runs on past 5pm.

They come in first thing, say 8-9 and then pck and you leave when they re done, the 'traditional' time for which is noon and then you go wait outside the new house for completion to happen by which time the sellers should have done the same and be gone on to their new house.

So, what exactly did you book?

EDIT: OK just seen your update. So this is standard, your original post was wholly confusing, and its only if it runs on past 5pm which i presume is what they mean by unsocial hours (look in teh Ts&Cs !!! ) you just have to suck that up and pay and then maybe try to reclaim that from your sellers if they havent vacated in time, which does happen.

Also, you can take your keys round to the EA when you finally leave and lock the door (if thats convenient) otherwise drop a front door key off to them the day before or thereabouts with other sets left in the house in a prominent place.