House completions and the coronavirus

The Government issued guidance on the 26th March 2020 to give advice to people buying and selling, private residential homes, which they intend to live in during the coronavirus outbreak. The guidance confirmed it is still possible to move home if the property you are moving into is empty and this would also apply to new builds.  However, where a property is currently occupied the advice is for parties involved to do all they can to amicably agree on alternative dates to move, for a time when it is likely that the stay-at-home measures against coronavirus will no longer be in place.  Therefore, it may be difficult to complete if you have a related sale.   

The new emergency enforcement powers that the police have been given to respond to coronavirus, there is an exemption for critical home moves, in the event that a new date is unable to be agreed. However, The Law Society has suggested that delays in completion dates should be amiable and completion should be delayed until government restrictions have been lifted and dates may need to be further extended.  As a result, UK Finance confirmed that to support customers who have already exchanged contracts for house purchases and set dates for completion, all mortgage lenders are working to find ways to enable customers who have exchanged contracts to extend their mortgage offer for up to 3 months to enable them to move at a later date.

If moving is unavoidable for contractual reasons or parties are unable to reach an agreement to delay, parties must follow advice on staying away from others to minimise the spread of the virus.   There may also be difficulties in finding removal companies to help you with your move.  Nevertheless, it is very important that parties act In line with government’s advice, anyone with symptoms, self-isolating or shielding from the virus, should follow medical advice which will mean not moving house for the time being, if at all possible. All parties should prioritise agreeing on amicable arrangements to change moving dates for individuals in this group, or where someone in a chain is in this group.

We at Fiona Bruce LLP continue to be open for business and if you would like an opportunity to discuss your concerns with one of our Residential Solicitors in relation to the points above please do not hesitate to contact us. 

The contents of this article do not constitute legal advice and are provided for general information purposes only.