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After your Acceptance
Confirmation
It is good for yourself or your solicitor to send a letter to
your buyer, confirming what you believe to be your agreement. Ideally,
your solicitor.
It is essential
that if you do this yourself, you state clearly in
the letter, that your
acceptance is
subject to
contract.
Possibly also
subject to valuation.
Notify your
solicitor in advance, and give them a copy
The Pre Move
Firm up the timetable.
Services
It’s worth recording who provides you with your gas, electricity and other services. You will need the details once you move with final readings and it is again beneficial to a prospective buyer to have the supplier information provided.
Whilst it is possible to find who the supplier of electricity and other services is, this can sometimes be a tedious process. Again, the more you can do for them to make the purchase easier the better it will be for you. You may wish to arrange for final readings from the utility companies.
Please prepare a note for your buyer telling them how you have left electricity and gas and what they will have to do on occupation to get things up and running. You may also need to book a corgi engineer for any gas appliances, once you have a firm date. You should also plan to get the meters read on your last day, when you know it. It is also helpful to tell the buyer who the suppliers are. Whilst it is possible to find this out it one more thing that can be dealt with early and it’s done. Also you should leave details of the security system information, as part of this pack.
Communication - The use of a solicitor does not mean that once you have agreed to sell at a particular price you must not speak to the buyer. It may be easier, quicker and incur less in the way of legal fees to sort out small issues or answer questions in person. However, do not try to take on part of their process and do keep the lawyers informed. You may require them to step in if things get difficult.
Exchange of Contracts
This is usually a fairly standard document drawn up by the seller’s solicitor in accordance with what has been agreed. Once signed and sent to the other party for signature this is said to be exchanged and both sides are bound by the contract’s provisions. Failure to comply with the provisions can lead to financial penalties, so in practice this seldom happens. At the time of exchange, the seller’s solicitor also receives a deposit that is usually 10% but again can be changed by mutual agreement
The solicitors will also ask you to sign a transfer deed that will transfer ownership to the buyer. Once completion has taken place, this will pass to the buyers Solicitor who sends it to the Inland Revenue to be stamped. The next stage is signature by the buyer before sending it on to the Land Registry.
Solicitors behind the scenes
If you have a mortgage, your solicitor will also receive a settlement figure for this to enable it to be paid in full, once completion funds are received, so you can help by telling your solicitor the details. They will also take their fee out of these funds before passing on to you or using the money to pay for any matching purchase you may be undertaking.
Finalise school details as required.
If you have something that you don’t think you want any more try to sell it or throw it out. Be brutal. Consider how much it will cost to move it and how much it costs to store. eg Home of 1,000 sq feet cost say £100K. That’s £100 per sq foot of floor space. You could go further and calculate how much of your mortgage each month goes on keeping this stuff.
You cleared out the loft and garage as part of your pre sale preparation, didn’t you?
Transit Insurance
Make sure that your contents are covered by someone whilst in transit. Write the name and number down in case disaster strikes and make sure that you know what action you should take. Also check that you are covered if the removals team are injured during the move because of something in your home that was not as it should have been.
You should make a list of everything that is moving with you and what it is worth so that if the worst happens you are prepared. You may have to do this to comply with your insurance requirements. Few people do, but you still should. Let us know if you did and it saved you a load of hassle.
Do you need transit accommodation for yourselves?
Can you park at your new home? Do you need permits?
Collect packing material such as boxes and old newspapers. Bubble wrap can be obtained from office stationers.
Have the car checked or serviced. A breakdown could be at best embarrassing, at worst disastrous.
One Month before
Exchange of contracts should usually occur about now via your solicitor.
Please prepare a note for your buyer telling them how you have left electricity and gas and what they will have to do on occupation to get things up and running. You may also need to book a corgi engineer for any gas appliances. It is also useful to tell them who the suppliers are. Whilst it is possible to find this out it one more thing that can be dealt with early and it’s done. Also you should leave details of the security system information, as part of this pack
Make sure that you know where you will get your new keys from and how you are handing over your old keys once the solicitors give the OK.
Check out household deliveries such as newspapers and milk for your new address if a new area.
Start packing things you don’t use. Why was it that you are keeping these things in your new home?
Make sure that you still have the fittings to move your washing machine such as transit bolts to hold the drum.
Take apart any large garden structures and keep the bolts or fittings with them.
Will your utility companies be available at your new address?
Check ISP Set-up’s e.g. broadband availability.
Rentals – Can you move items or must you find new suppliers?
Check supplies and new suppliers of prescriptions and medications
Council Tax Authority – You may have paid more than you should. Check this.
Two weeks before
Organise to have a mobile for the move if you do not have one and issue the number to the relevant people.
Back up your Computer. We know you do it anyway.
Make sure that you know where your important documents are and that they will move with you. Nothing is worse than searching for something that you will never find because it was left behind.
Send out change of address notices to your friends by post.
Return Library books, videos, rented games and cups and trophies awarded for one year only, or check that you will be able to return them at the right time.
Book post redirection. You can do this at the Post Office for up to a year. Beware, some post states on the envelope that it is not to be redirected. You must notify these people of they will loose contact with you.
Think about renting storage for anything that you have no space for. Now STOP. Think about what you are storing. How long will it be before you can use it properly, if ever? If it’s an heirloom that you are obligated to keep, pass it on now and enjoy your family or friends enjoyment of it. By all means talk to them to see that they really want it. If in doubt, work out how much it will cost you to store it. Please be honest with yourself about the duration.
One week before
Confirm deliveries of items such as curtains and carpets to your new address. If possible it’s easier to have carpets laid before furniture arrives, but getting the timing right can be stressful.
If you are moving anything that lives outside, try to keep it dry until you move. It can be difficult transporting a damp and possibly dirty object with your beautiful furnishings.
Send out change of address notices to your friends by email
Continue to run down contents of fridge & freezer.
Pack the best dinner plates and stuff that you will not use before the move.
Notify utilities (including phone landlines) of the move date at least 48 hours beforehand. Make sure that they will have access to read the meter or make provision for your own reading to be taken. For water - if an empty property is involved may need disconnection or re-connection.
Newspapers, milk and other household deliveries should be paid and cancelled or transferred if moving locally.
Identify a local shop to pick up essential provisions just before you arrive.
Ensure that you have directions to your new home and enough copies for everyone who will need to know. You could include with this the details of what item is to go in each room in the new home and again you should have copies for everyone who will need one.
Create an Easy Life Pack
This should contain:
Toilet paper
A mobile phone, fully charged and if prepaid has enough credit, along with any essential numbers programmed in or on paper.
A pen and paper.
Any medications that you or your family must take. This should also include headache tablets.
Something to keep any children amused such as a favourite toy, something to read or an electronic game.
Bring the address, and a map if necessary, of where you will be able to get the keys from the person you are buying your home from.
Tea and coffee etc that is not perishable for drinks and a light snack once in residence. Perishable items to be collected en route. Don’t forget mugs, plates, knives & forks and maybe a tin opener or cooking utensil and of course a kettle.
The seller may not have been as clean and tidy as you. As it’s easier to clean an empty house, some cleaning materials could be useful.
If you are staying in your new home or a hotel, it’s good to have an overnight bag packed as you would for an hotel, with clothes, toiletries etc. This takes off a lot of pressure.
A small toolkit for running repairs, screwdriver, knife, torch etc.
Lightbulbs - yes, some people do actually take them with them.
Collect and label all your remote controls.
Credit cards and some cash.
Two days before
Ensure bed linen is sent with the bed to avoid searching for sheets late into the evening.
Make sure that the only things left in the fridge are what you will consume before the move and that there is no ice to cause problems in the freezer. Defrost and then put your items back in ready for the move.
Pack all other foods that will not be used before the move.
Do your last wash and drain as much water as possible (check that this is OK for your particular machine) from your washer. Fit transit bolts.
One Day Before
Take down curtains or blinds
Pack anything that remains unpacked, with the exception of a few essentials for tomorrow.
Last clean and tidy up.
Penultimate check around the house.
If necessary, reserve a space for your removal van outside your home. The van could require as much space as a bus and usually loads from the rear.
Charge mobile phones.
Ask a friend to record any ‘must see’ programs and if you have agreed that you are taking them take down your aerial and/or satellite dish.
On the Day
Bedding and nightclothes into bin bags to be moved as dirty laundry.
Tea and coffee as required for all helpers.
If you are disconnecting anything, it is essential that you make sure it is safe. If you are in any doubt call in a corgi reengineer or in an emergency, phone Transco. Gas appliances can be turned off. Even in winter you should not need the heating on now, you’ll all be too busy to be cold.
Lights off. If required, gas off at mains. Read the meters.
Last check around the house. Are all rooms empty - floors, walls, doors and ceilings? Are cupboards empty - floors, walls, doors and ceilings? Do you have a secret hiding place that you keep things, e.g. jewellery in the toilet cistern? Last chance to check. Do you have a key under the front door mat? Did you take the front door mat?
If you have a mover, although a few omit this, have you signed the inventory schedule confirming that you agree they have moved everything that was intended?
Leave your utility notes along with any extra keys somewhere obvious for your buyer.
Close and lock the windows. Close and lock the doors. Say goodbye to your home and pass the keys on for transfer.
Set off into the sunset.
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The-PropertyLadder.com. All rights reserved.
Revised: 20 March, 2003.