Between exchange and completion

mlz1413

Have some ID when you go to estate agent to collect the keys.
I just turned up and everyone who knew me was out of the office.   Luckily I had my passport on my phone which they accepted. 

Brie

Bigphil1474 said:

As you are first in the chain, you have it the easiest, in theory. We were bought by a FTB when we moved last year and we were out by 11am and dropped the keys at the estate agents who got in touch with them. We didn't see them at all. Our vendors were still moving out when we turned up at their house and about 5 minutes after we arrived the house was ours on paper, but they took another hour to move out. 

Most of the stuff is once you've moved in - meter reads, don't forget water, let council tax know etc. Definitely get the postal redirect put in - i think it asks you when you want it to start so could leave it a week. We went for a year just in case we got any mail once a year. A lot easier as you will have 2 properties for a while. 

Yes but ....  maybe I've misunderstood what you're saying.  Meter reads should be done as soon as the place is yours and you have access to it.  Likewise you'll be doing the readings at your rental the last day you have access to that.  A bit of an overlap but given the stress reduction well worth the price I think.  

Make sure you know where the stopcock is so you can turn off the water in an emergency.  We've been in our "new" house for nearly 8 years and still haven't found it.

n15h

Congratulations OP!
One thing i did as a FTB on day 1 was to check the boiler and fireplace were working and had been serviced that year (previous owner had left the boiler service book which had details of every service including the last one done the year I bought the house).

If they haven't been serviced, then check the radiators/heating is working as expected and think about getting them serviced as soon as possible. Its more for peace of mind knowing the heating works especially as weather/temps start to get colder.

Albermarle

n15h said:

Congratulations OP!
One thing i did as a FTB on day 1 was to check the boiler and fireplace were working and had been serviced that year (previous owner had left the boiler service book which had details of every service including the last one done the year I bought the house).

If they haven't been serviced, then check the radiators/heating is working as expected and think about getting them serviced as soon as possible. Its more for peace of mind knowing the heating works especially as weather/temps start to get colder.

Good advice, but do not panic if it seems not to work.
Often the thermostat has been turned down, especially if the house was empty.
Or if the system has lost some pressure and the boiler will not fire up, it might just need a water top up. 

kimwp

Have you got your white goods already?

RAS

Check the bin days, usually on your LA web-site.

Depending whether the house has curtains or blinds, get the precise measurements of any that aren't remaining and check local chazzers, Facebook etc for temporary replacements?

knightstyle

All good advice plus check where to switch off the electric, gas and water.  make sure the water stop !!!!!! will work.

n15h

Albermarle said:

n15h said:

Congratulations OP!
One thing i did as a FTB on day 1 was to check the boiler and fireplace were working and had been serviced that year (previous owner had left the boiler service book which had details of every service including the last one done the year I bought the house).

If they haven't been serviced, then check the radiators/heating is working as expected and think about getting them serviced as soon as possible. Its more for peace of mind knowing the heating works especially as weather/temps start to get colder.

Good advice, but do not panic if it seems not to work.
Often the thermostat has been turned down, especially if the house was empty.
Or if the system has lost some pressure and the boiler will not fire up, it might just need a water top up. 

Yes, definitely not to panic and you'll be able to troubleshoot very quickly on day 1 if the thermostat is down or water may need a top up or may require someone with more expertise. 

Edit: Also check/measure any dedicated spaces for washing machine/dryer. I took measurements of the space under my kitchen worktop for the washing machine. When I went to Currys, I found the washing machine I wanted would be too wide and tall to fit in that space. I was able to find an alternative that fit in the space, and I was glad I took measurements first before ordering.