Ordering for delivery before completion

starsandcircles

I'll be moving from fully furnished rental on completion day, there'll be one day between exchange and completion, theres no crossover time between properties and the idea of sleeping on a blow up bed until I get new furniture ordered is seeming less appealing.

Is it wise/unwise to order new furniture and appliances to be delivered the day after I move in?
I'm thinking worst case scenario, if completion doesn't go ahead I have time to cancel the order.

ele_91

Depends, where can you buy from that lets you cancel an order with a couple of days notice? Speaking from experience, unfortunately there is a lot that can go wrong before you’ve exchanged. 

tinytiddles

Personally I wouldn’t, if it gets delayed from the agreed date at the last minute you might be in a situation where whoever you’re ordering from can’t change the delivery date. Could you have it delivered to your current home and hire a van to move it yourself on moving day?

eddddy

Have you agreed with your landlord that you can give them 2 days notice of moving out?

Presumably, you'd want a bed supplier who is happy to re-schedule or cancel delivery with as little as 2 days notice. I'm not sure you'll find anyone that flexible. 

canaldumidi

You'd be most unwise to either order products for delivery, or serve notice on your current rental, until you have at least Exhanged. That's why there is often (used to be usually) a gap of a week or two between Exchange and Completion - to allow buyers to organise the move.

But by allmeans ring and order your stuff once your conveyancer has confirmed Exchange has taken place. Whether you can get delivery in the next day or two depends on the supplier!

hazyjo

Many places won't just let you cancel an order. You may be able to delay delivery but there will prob be a charge.

Perhaps order something with next or same day delivery after exchange.

Some furniture like sofas may even take several weeks to arrive after ordering.

Grumpy_chap

starsandcircles said:

I'll be moving from fully furnished rental on completion day, there'll be one day between exchange and completion, theres no crossover time between properties and the idea of sleeping on a blow up bed until I get new furniture ordered is seeming less appealing.

Is it wise/unwise to order new furniture and appliances to be delivered the day after I move in?
I'm thinking worst case scenario, if completion doesn't go ahead I have time to cancel the order.

This may well depend on what you are buying and where you are buying from.

The biggest risk with ordering before exchange is that the purchase fails to go ahead at all and you end up with items you are committed to buy but have no home for them and no prospect of a home for them.  That risk depend son what the item is, for example:

• A bed will be needed wherever you buy
• A washing machine may be required, but some vendors will leave one behind
• A sofa may be specific to the size / shape of the room and a change of property may influence a change of sofa choice.

Then, the difference that can follow from where you are buying.  If it is a national chain store, they will want you to take delivery pretty much when it suits them.  However, a local independent may be far more flexible.

Slinky

We slept on a blow up bed for 4 months when our house sale fell through and we had to move into another house, leaving all the furniture behind. You get used to it. Make sure you put a blanket below the sheet otherwise it's very cold.

pinkteapot

I would never order furniture before exchange. It's just not worth the hassle given how likely the date is to move. 

You can get mattresses on next day delivery. We've used Mattressman a few times now and they have various ones in stock for next day day delivery: https://www.mattressman.co.uk/ 

Bed base/frame can take longer, but a mattress on the floor is just as comfy as a mattress on a bed. 

You can sit on a camping chair till lounge furniture comes, but beware that it's sofas etc made to order that'll be your longest delay. A lot of the shops are currently on a 4-month lead time for those. Places like Argos might have some available from stock? Or scout around furniture shops selling off display items. 

And for all items, remember to keep an eye on Facebook marketplace. You can get some great bargains if you pick your way around all the tat. 

user1977

the likes of Ikea can deliver pretty much instantly (or whenever their next delivery slot is). Never really understand the places which insist they need months to build a sofa.

MaryNB

starsandcircles said:

I'll be moving from fully furnished rental on completion day, there'll be one day between exchange and completion, theres no crossover time between properties and the idea of sleeping on a blow up bed until I get new furniture ordered is seeming less appealing.

Is it wise/unwise to order new furniture and appliances to be delivered the day after I move in?
I'm thinking worst case scenario, if completion doesn't go ahead I have time to cancel the order.

Be careful not to order anything on credit before completion.

When I was moving to rented I only ordered one piece before exchange - it was the last one available, very easy to change delivery address and I accepted the risk of not being able to return it. Everything else was ordered after completion.

If you're moving from rented and only exchanging the day before completion presumably you'll have at least a month overlap.

I had a month overlap. Found a mattress provider that could deliver in a week. Bed frame and dining table and chairs came from IKEA. I did have to wait three months for a couch from DFS but I had a camping chair I could use while I waited.