Buying
Moving day, and the week either side of it
Completion is a banking event with a removals lorry attached. Almost everything that goes wrong on the day was scheduled wrong beforehand.
The points below about moving day are ordered by how much difference they make, not by how often they get repeated.
What matters most
- Keys are released only once money has actually arrived.
- Removals should be booked provisionally and confirmed at exchange.
- Meter readings taken on the day settle later disputes.
How completion day actually works
Completion happens when funds transfer between the legal representatives, and only at that point are keys authorised for release to the buyer. Transfers move in sequence through a chain, so the property at the end of the line frequently completes late in the afternoon. Banking cut-off times are real, and a transfer that misses one can push completion into the next working day with consequences for everybody.
Keys are usually released through the estate agent, and no agent will hand them over before confirmation arrives from the solicitors. Plan the day assuming access comes in the afternoon rather than the morning, because planning for the best case produces the worst outcomes.
Booking removals sensibly
Get quotes from firms that survey what you own rather than quoting from a room count, because underestimated volume causes a second trip. Book provisionally as soon as a completion date is proposed, then confirm firmly once the legal commitment point has actually passed. Paying a deposit before exchange risks losing it, since a date agreed in principle can move and the contract with the remover will say so.
The useful part is this: check what the removers' insurance actually covers, whether they will dismantle furniture, and whether packing is included or charged separately. For a long-distance move, ask whether the load stays on one vehicle overnight or is transferred, because handling is where damage happens.
Packing in an order that helps you
Pack room by room and label by destination room rather than by contents, since the removers need to know where a box goes, not what is inside it. Keep one box of immediate essentials with you in the car: kettle, tools, chargers, medication, toilet paper, bedding and the documents for the day. Photograph the back of televisions and any assembled furniture before dismantling, which turns reassembly from a puzzle into a straightforward task.
Where it helps most, move valuables, jewellery, passports and irreplaceable items yourself rather than putting them on the lorry with everything else. Start with the things you will not need for a month, because the last three days are always faster than anyone expects them to be.
Utilities and the administrative tail
Take meter readings for gas, electricity and water at both properties on the day, photograph them, and send them with the date to each supplier. That single step prevents most billing disputes, because an estimated reading straddling a move is very difficult to unpick afterwards.
In practice, set up postal redirection well in advance, then separately update the organisations that matter most, since redirection is a safety net rather than a solution. Notify banks, insurers, employers, the vehicle authority and any subscription that delivers physical items, and check what local taxes require in your jurisdiction. Arrange buildings insurance to begin at exchange or completion according to local practice, because a gap in cover at this point is a serious exposure.
Access, keys and the state of the property
Do not assume every key you are handed is every key that exists, and consider changing the locks on the main doors soon after moving in. Locate the stopcock, the consumer unit, the gas shut-off and the drain access on the first day rather than during the first emergency. Photograph the property on arrival, particularly anything damaged or removed, because that record supports a claim if items included in the sale are missing.
The useful part is this: where fixtures agreed in the contract have gone, tell the conveyancer immediately, since the remedy is much easier to pursue in the first days. Check that heating and hot water work that evening, as a failure discovered on day one is far easier to trace than one found weeks later.
If that does not fit your week, it is not a failure of willpower.
What commonly goes wrong
A late transfer somewhere up the chain delays everyone below it, and the remedy is patience plus a remover who already knows it may happen. A narrow street, a parking restriction or a lift out of service can stall an unload for hours, so check the destination in advance. Oversized furniture that came out of one house will not necessarily go into the next one, and measuring doorways beforehand avoids an expensive discovery.
For most people, keep some cash and a fully charged phone, because a long day of coordination fails on small practical things rather than large legal ones. If completion cannot happen on the day, the contractual consequences depend on the jurisdiction and the contract, so speak to your conveyancer immediately.
Everything above, in order of what to do first
- How completion day actually works. Completion happens when funds transfer between the legal representatives, and only at that point are keys authorised for release to the buyer.
- Booking removals sensibly. Get quotes from firms that survey what you own rather than quoting from a room count, because underestimated volume causes a second trip.
- Packing in an order that helps you. Pack room by room and label by destination room rather than by contents, since the removers need to know where a box goes, not what is inside it.
- Utilities and the administrative tail. Take meter readings for gas, electricity and water at both properties on the day, photograph them, and send them with the date to each supplier.
- Access, keys and the state of the property. Do not assume every key you are handed is every key that exists, and consider changing the locks on the main doors soon after moving in.
- What commonly goes wrong. A late transfer somewhere up the chain delays everyone below it, and the remedy is patience plus a remover who already knows it may happen.
The takeaway
Assume afternoon access, confirm removals only after exchange, photograph the meters, and find the stopcock before you unpack a single box.
Pick the one that costs you least, and let the rest wait.
Questions readers ask
When do I actually get the keys?
Once the money has reached the seller side and the solicitors confirm completion. In a chain that is often the afternoon rather than the morning.
Should I book removals before exchange?
Book provisionally, confirm after exchange. Dates agreed in principle move, and a deposit paid to a remover early may not be refundable when they do.
