Our House Sold - Contracts signed with purchaser

[Daniel Kelly]

Hi,
Our house is sale agreed and contracts signed with purchasers.
We have a number of active bids but vendors are in a chain and are looking themselves.
Can we be held to the move out date specified in the contract? I'd imagine this is a very common issue and there is a compromise?
Wife expecting in October so need to see what the situation is?
At purchasers request we applied for retention (planning permission after the event) for a conservatory which should be approved by council in early June. I think contract mentions a request for moving in 7 days after this.
Are we held to this? I know solicitor will answer this in due course but just interested in views on here.

 

[Clara16]

from my own experience buying we signed contracts agreeing to keys in June move in date and seller pushed it out 4 weeks as her own house wasn't ready. our solicitor basically advised we needed agree, we had no options unless we wanted to pull sale, which of course we didn't want to do. seems date is negotiable

 

[mf1]

Honestly?

It depends on how realistic, practical, sensible, thick or pig ignorant people choose to be!

My advice to people is to close when you agreed to close, not when it might, perhaps, suit you to close. If you signed a contract with a closing date, or a time frame, that is what you have contracted to do. And OP had to apply for retention of an unauthorised development delaying the sale

In terms of compromising, it is the vendors who should compromise, take their money on the agreed date and find alternative accommodation. It's not your purchasers concern that the vendor has no where to move to. The purchasers did not agree to a closing date to factor in the vendors looking for another house.

And if people don't close when they are supposed to? Not a lot can happen for 28 days - during which time a Completion Notice will be served. Now everyone is very unhappy, taking the hump, feeling hard done by and running risk that the deal will collapse, or worse, that litigation will ensue

Move out when you agreed to move out.


mf

 

[Daniel Kelly]

And OP had to apply for retention of an unauthorised development delaying the sale

mf

Our solicitor and engineer could not get over how pernickety (solicitors words not mine) the purchasers solicitor was.
We would never have chosen to delay the process.
We weren't even aware of the issue as it pre-dated when we bought the house.
It amounted to 2 sq metres adding together front porch and conservatory.