Completion but not moving straight away

ahfat41

Just after completion will be going away. What do I need to do and whether it can be done remotely? I Most important is utilities such as gas and electricity. Council tax, water rate and bb could be set up online. Is there anything I need to do urgently as will not be living there for a little while? Thanks

p00hsticks

Insurance - how long is a 'little while' as some will consider it unoccupied if left for more than 30 days.
Will there be contents ?  

MyRealNameToo

ahfat41 said:

Just after completion will be going away. What do I need to do and whether it can be done remotely? I Most important is utilities such as gas and electricity. Council tax, water rate and bb could be set up online. Is there anything I need to do urgently as will not be living there for a little while? Thanks

I'd consider adding post forwarding service as it takes a while to be setup but depends on how quickly you are moving after you get back. 

May be worth changing the locks after completion and before you go; similarly making sure everything is turned off.

eddddy

Will you be there on completion day to collect the keys and have a quick look?

If not, you'll need to have a plan for who looks after the keys until you can collect them. (Probably the estate agent, but bear in mind you'll only be able to collect them during opening hours.)


If the sellers are moving out on completion day, they'll be stressed and in a rush, so might do something daft. Things I've come across include:

• Left a window open
• Left the back door unlocked
• Turned off the freezer, but forgot to empty the food from it
• Left the heating and/or hot water running on a daily timer
• Left lights on

If you won't be there on completion day, I guess you could mention that to the sellers, and ask them to do an extra check just before they leave.

And ask them to do things like turn off the hot water heating (if you are confident that you know how to turn it back on); turn off the fridge and freezer (if they're leaving them) and leave their doors open; maybe even turn off the water at the stop tap (if you know how to turn it back on).

MyRealNameToo

eddddy said:

Things I've come across include:

• Left a window open
• Left the back door unlocked
• Turned off the freezer, but forgot to empty the food from it
• Left the heating and/or hot water running on a daily timer
• Left lights on

Technically can also add...

• frozen fish behind radiator 
• raw whole chicken between the structural build in wardrobe and the after building built in wardrobe inside it
• more frozen fish in the loft's water tank

Technically there were also the waste pipe cut on the dishwasher/washing machine and industrial strength detergent in both machine, cigar burns and red wine spillages on the wool carpets and more  but those wouldnt be a problem whilst youre away


Yes, she was very !!!!!! off when the fixtures and fitting forms were returned with "we dont want any of your old tat thanks" written on them. 

Not sure the average post completion checks are going to spot raw meet where it should be but imagine you will know about it by the time you get back from holiday. 

ahfat41

Guess could ask EA to go and check but that will incur a fee!

Albermarle

ahfat41 said:

Guess could ask EA to go and check but that will incur a fee!

Also they may well send someone junior/very young, who probably has never owned a house, and would not know what to be looking out for.

J63320

If the sellers are leaving a washing machine, make sure there’s no washing in it. Ditto dishwasher.

A friend moved recently, and on the morning of the move she stripped the bed, put the bedding on to wash - and forgot all about it! Fortunately the new people moved in straight away, found it, dried it and gave it back to her. But if they’d not moved in for a week or two it would have been smelly and mouldy, so they would then have had to clean out the machine.