“What time do we get the keys?”
There is no set time. The availability of the keys is determined by (1) the sellers moving out (2) your mortgage funds coming into our Bank Account and (3) If selling, your purchasers being able to pay the price over to us. We have no direct control over any of these and therefore can’t give you any exact time until it all falls into place on the day.
We normally arrange for your mortgage to come in the day before, to avoid delay in this connection.
You come in to sign the Deeds a few days before the Entry Date and leave us one key to your place, which we send to the Purchaser’s solicitors the night before the entry date to be “held as undelivered”. This means they hold the keys to our order. They send us the purchase price cheque on the same basis.
We send a cheque for the Purchase price of your new place to the Sellers Solicitors and they send us a key, both “to be held as undelivered.”
We then have to wait for everything to fall into place. You load up in the morning and wait for our call.
The purchasers Solicitor calls us to say they are ready for us to cash their cheque.
We ring the sellers solicitor to check if their clients are clear and if so we tell them to cash our cheque.
We call you and ask you to call in to collect your keys to the new place. Based on the time of our call you let us know when you will be clear of your own place. (You leave the remaining keys in the property when you leave it for the last time).
We phone the purchasers’ solicitor and confirm that they can hand over the keys to the Purchasers but tell them not to attempt access until after the time you have given us.
When you get the keys
Take a note of the meter readings and send online or phone in the readings for both properties to the Service Providers using the contact information below. If you don’t know the Gas and Electricity suppliers, note the meter serial number and for Gas, contact the National Grid on 0870 608 1524; for Electricity contact Scottish Power on 0845 270 9101.
Check everything is in working order. You have only 5 working days to intimate any defects and you cannot claim (1) if something is working but does not comply with technical regulations, (2) if the missives state the seller would not be liable,(3) if the value of the claim(s) is less than £400 in aggregate or (4) if the defective item is not a “system or appliance”
If the property has been damaged since you viewed the seller may be liable for the repair but not if the damage existed before you viewed or if you had accepted any damage would not be repaired, at the missives stage.
Get on the Voters Roll by contacting the number below. You lose a lot of points on a Credit Search if you are not registered to vote from your new address.
We sort out the Council tax for your sale and the Seller’s Solicitor should deal with the Council tax for your purchase. The Council will not acknowledge receipt of our Intimation of the change in ownership and we have no control over the Seller’s Solicitors actions so if you don’t hear from the Council in around 6 weeks give them a call direct to ensure that they have actioned the change of ownership.
Don’t forget to notify your change of address to…
- Bank
- Building Society
- Buildings & Contents Insurance Company
- Life Insurance Companies
- Car Insurance Company
- Pensions Company
- Premium Bonds/National Savings
- Employers
- Credit /Store Card Companies
- DVLA
- HMRC
- Doctor
- Dentist
- Optician
- Newsagent
- Schools
- Clubs
- AA/RAC
- Online shopping companies
- Amazon; QVC; etc
- Internet Service Provider
- University
- Subscriptions
- Rental Company
- Charity donations
- Broker
- Vet
- Cable/Sky TV
- TV Licence
- Investment Companies
- Library
- Mobile phone Company
- Friends
- Relatives
- Other people…
Some useful contact details
- AVRO ENERGY www.avroenergy.co.uk
- BRISTOL ENERGY 0808 281 2222 www.bristol-energy.co.uk
- BULB www.bulb.co.uk
- ECO TRICITY www.ecotricity.co.uk
- EDF 0333 200 5100 General enquires www.edfenergy.com/for-home/help-and-support
- EON 0345 052 0000 www.eonenergy.com/for-your-home/moving-home
- GREEN NETWORK ENERGY 0800 520 0202 www.greennetworkenergy.co.uk
- IGLOO ENERGY 0333 405 5555 www.iglooenergy.co.uk
- ISUPPLY 0330 202 0373 www.isupplyenergy.co.uk
- M&S ENERGY 0808 169 7822 www.mandsenergy.com
- NPOWER 0800 073 3000 www.npower.com
- OCTOPUS ENERGY 0808 164 1088 www.octopus.energy/contact-us or email hello@octopus.energy
- OUTFOX THE MARKET www.outfoxthemarket.co.uk
- OVO ENERGY 0330 303 5063 www.ovoenergy.com
- PFP ENERGY 01772 395 777 www.pfpenergy.co.uk
- POWERSHOP 0808 159 0516 www.powershop.co.uk/contact-us
- SAINSBURYS ENERGY www.sainsburysenergy.com
- SCOTTISH / BRITISH GAS 0333 202 9802 www.britishgas.co.uk
- SCOTTISH POWER 0800 027 0072 www.scottishpower.co.uk
- SHELL ENERGY 0330 094 5800 www.shellenergy.co.uk
- SO ENERGY 0330 111 5050 www.soenergy.co.uk
- SSE (SCOTTISH HYDRO) 0345 070 7373 www.sse.co.uk/moving-home/energy
- TONIK 0333 344 2686 www.tonikenergy.com
- UTILITA 0345 207 2000 www.utilita.co.uk/help
- UTILITY WAREHOUSE 0333 777 0777 (existing customers) www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/contact/existing
- 0333 777 3212 (new customers) www.utilitywarehouse.co.uk/contact/new
- TV LICENCE 0300 790 0368 (direct debit) 0300 555 0286 (payment card customers) www.tvlicencing.co.uk
- DVLA www.gov.uk/change-address-drivinglicence or DVLA, SWANSEA, SA99 1BN
- VOTERS ROLL 0131 334 2500 www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
- COUNCIL TAX – CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL 0131 608 1111 www.edinburgh.cov.uk/movinghouse
- COUNCIL TAX – EAST LOTHIAN COUNCIL https://www.eastlothian.gov.uk/info/210559/council_tax_and_benefits/12321/council_tax_forms
- COUNCIL TAX – FIFE COUNCIL https://vf.fifedirect.org.uk/Viewer-VicForms.asp?user=anon&Form=Council%20Tax%20Change%20of%20Address%20Form%20%281%2E0%29%2Ewdf
- COUNCIL TAX – MIDLOTHIAN COUNCIL https://www.midlothian.gov.uk/info/606/council_tax/282/report_a_change_that_affects_your_council_tax/2
- BT 0800 800 150 www.bt.com/help/home/contactus
- NOW TV www.nowtv.com
- PLUS NET 0333 242 7059 www.plus.net
- SKY 0300 7591 018 customer services or 150 www.sky.com/help
- TALK TALK 0345 172 0088 www.talktalk.co.uk
- VIRGIN MEDIA 0345 454 1111 customer services www.virginmedia.com/shop/contactus
- THREE 0333 338 1001 or 333 from 3 phone www.three.co.uk/support/contact-us
- EE 0800 079 8586 or 150 from EE mobile Broadband or EE TV customers 0800 079 8586 www.ee.co.uk
- O2 0344 809 0222 (pay as you go) 4445 from O2 mobile
- 0344 809 0202 (contact) 202 from O2 mobile www.O2.co.uk/help
- TESCO MOBILE 0345 301 4455 www.tescomobile.com
- VIRGIN MOBILE 0345 141 0111 OR 789 from Virgin mobile
- VODAFONE 0333 304 0191 or 191 from Vodafone mobile www.vodafone.co.uk