I was a first time buyer moving almost 200 miles away for work. Their client (the seller) had advised they could move out "whenever needed" as they had friends and family local to the area. I know now this was merely a viewing tactic to get an offer put in and I should have gotten that in writing. I was informed 2 months after all forms and searches had been completed, I was now in a chain and the seller was now unwilling to break said chain (a bit frustrating as I had begun putting my belongings in storage to prepare for the move). A new completion date was agreed by all members of the chain. I made the relevant arrangements - moving van, deposit sent to my solicitors, booked time off work, child care etc. However, just 7 days before the agreed completion date, **company name** informed my solicitor that the seller could no longer move out because the property they were moving into was tenanted (something **company name** should have confirmed well before proposing a completion date).
All this was despite me personally confirming with all parties involved a week before.
Unfortunately, the sale fell through after 5 months of the offer, costing me almost £2,000 on storage, solicitor and survey fees.
I felt misinformed and led on. This may have predominantly been down to a dishonest / disorganised seller but absolutely no vetting or checks on basic information seemed to have been made before communicating completion dates, hence I wasted time and money on fees that could have been avoided.
Completely unacceptable for what should have been a straightforward move. The whole process was unnecessarily complicated, mentally exhausting and drawn out.
