FTB New build home, getting nowhere with a confirmed completion date

catb13

Hello all, 

so, we have bought a new build (October 2021) and NHBC has been signed off (as of Tuesday - 11th October).

Our lenders mortgage tracker say that they have the Certificate of Title report.
I have asked our solicitors if they have a completion date for us as we have had an email from mortgage broker asking if we know our completion date. 

Solicitors say they are waiting for the completion statement from the developer. I have phoned the developer and they are going to find out when that’s being sent to our solicitors. 

I have been told by developer and solicitor that they are working towards the 21st October for completion date. Solicitors have said this could change depending on this statement. 

As a FTB, I am unsure of how everything works realistically as from what I’ve read and been told, we would have received our completion date today. 

Maybe it’s just been a long day today haha!  But I just feel like I’m getting nowhere with finding out our completion date. 

Any help or tips etc would be appreciated.

GixerKate

So you reserved your New Build last October and have exchanged? You are now at the final stages of the process by the sound of it!  Excellent news that the NHBC has been signed off, presumably you don't have any queries or anything outstanding?

Sounds like you need to sit tight and wait for the completion statement to get from the developer to your solicitor and then the 21st Oct can then be finalised or may move a little.  Presumably your funds are all in order?

Might be worth asking your solicitor for an itemised list of all outstanding items that stand in the way of completion to make sure nothing pops up at the last minute.

catb13

Yep! All exchanged and everything is all ok. Nothing outstanding either.

My husband received a text from NatWest this morning saying solicitors have requested funds for 20th October, yet solicitors are still saying they can’t say that it will be 21st October! 

When I called them to ask they said they still don’t have the certificates and details from developers legal team. But yes they requested the funds tor then! Received an email to say they have added the date on HTB forms for DD mandate, we don’t need to do anything. 

They’ve also said that we will get our itemised list on invoice they send out once they’ve sent us completion date email! 

Had home demo and sales exec said they are looking forward to seeing us Friday (21st) to hand over keys! So everything points to this date, but solicitors aren’t confirming this in a letter/email!! 🙈

we can’t get time off work now as it will be less than a weeks notice and one of us works in a school which doesn’t help with getting any time off during term time…good that it’s half term the following week!!! 

eddddy

What does your contract say about completion?

Normally with newbuilds the contract says you will get 10 days notice of completion - i.e. you (and/or your solicitor) will get a formal notice from the developer 10 days in advance.  You can ask the developer if they've sent that notice to your solicitor.

It would be strange for your solicitor to request the mortgage money, if they haven't received that notice.

pinkteapot

eddddy said:

What does your contract say about completion?

Normally with newbuilds the contract says you will get 10 days notice of completion - i.e. you (and/or your solicitor) will get a formal notice from the developer 10 days in advance.  You can ask the developer if they've sent that notice to your solicitor.

It would be strange for your solicitor to request the mortgage money, if they haven't received that notice.

Came here to say the same. Check your contract - you should have exchanged with "completion on notice" and it specified that you'd be given ten days notice of completion. The builder could ask if you can complete with less notice than that, but you're under no obligation to agree. 

catb13

Exactly this!! 

We are “completion on notice”, but our solicitors are claiming they haven’t received the notice etc, even though developer have said they have and even chased it up.

So, whether it’s in an inbox waiting to be opened or someone is not being entirely truthful, it’s frustrating that everyone seems to have the written confirmation that completion will be this day, apart from us! 🤦🏻‍♀️

I thought exact same about NatWest informing us that funds will be sent on 20th to solicitors. Why would they request the funds then if they didn’t have the notice?! 

I don’t think I will be buying a house again haha! 

Thank you for your help 😊

pinkteapot

Hmmmmm.... I don't know what happens if the builder has issued the notice but the solicitor somehow hasn't received it. I don't know if that means the 10 days started or not!! I'd be getting pretty firm (stroppy!) with my solicitor first thing on Monday morning, and getting them to resolve. 

I'd also be asking the builder exactly when and how they sent it (email? To which address? etc). 

I don't know if the builder sends it to their solicitor, who sends it to yours. Or whether it goes straight from builder to your solicitor... Again, phone calls first thing Monday to establish exactly what has happened and where along the line it disappeared.

And let us know how it turns out - I'm curious now!

catb13

Sales exec has said their legal team emailed it to our solicitors on Wednesday as the NHBC was on the Tuesday afternoon. 

I emailed solicitors on Thursday just querying when we would get a date for completion as we knew the NHBC had passed etc. They have  said they are still waiting on the notice when I spoke with them on Thursday and Friday! But they must have it for everything else to be going ahead, including changing the date DD mandate for HTB forms which they informed us of and NatWest letting us know solicitors will have funds on Thursday! 

I will definitely post what the outcome is on Monday! Hopefully we will have confirmation of the completion being Friday! 

dottydoo212

My completion date is also on the 21st of October provided the legal bits are sorted out, and I'm also an FTB, so very much in the same situation. Wishing you lots of luck with the move!

catb13

@dottydoo212 Have you had confirmation from your solicitors? 

I keep getting told that only solicitors can provide me with completion date, which is fine and totally understandable. But then I have my sales exec saying he will see us Friday 21st to hand over keys etc! 

Good luck with your move too!!! 😀


So the update from today - solicitors have provided us the completion statement but claim they still don’t have the notice from developer about completion?! 

I’ve contacted mortgage broker to send solicitors confirmation of our building insurance as we are sure he sorted that along with the mortgage. 

But it’s one that isn’t to start until we have a completion date, so that’s been a fun stress to have added on top of everything else! Hopefully he will reply back confirming everything…I may just phone NatWest tomorrow myself to get the answers for this and if it’s not been sorted then I can sort it myself 🙈 

catb13

It took me 4.5 hours to realise, but our completion statement has our completion date on it, at the very top and smaller font than everything else! 🤦🏻‍♀️ 
I think I was making sure that the costs were correct and so hyper focussed on that, that I didn’t see the date for completion. It is for the 21st, so that’s a weight off my shoulders, but now to get everything else sorted by then, whilst also working and studying!! I don’t make things easy for myself haha!! 

Thank you all for your help 😊