What to Do on Completion Day When Moving Home

Keep contact details for your conveyancer, estate agent, mover and anyone authorised to collect keys accessible. Establish who will notify you when completion is confirmed and who will authorise the key release. Avoid passing an expectation from one person to another as though it were confirmation.

Choose a main household contact for practical updates. If someone else is coordinating the removal, explain what they can decide and how to reach you. This avoids contradictory instructions about departure, delivery or furniture placement while you are dealing with the legal handover.

If you are selling, ask your conveyancer what your contract requires concerning vacant possession and the handover of the property. Agree loading arrangements with the mover that reflect those obligations. Do not assume you may leave furniture or rubbish behind unless this has been properly agreed.

Identify items included in the sale and keep them separate from the removal load. Fixed fittings, freestanding appliances and garden belongings can cause confusion when different people are helping. Use the agreed sale documentation to resolve uncertainty rather than making a new assumption during loading.

When rooms are empty, check cupboards, loft access areas and outbuildings that formed part of your move. Look for personal documents and belongings without taking anything included in the sale. Leave the property in the condition required by your agreement.

Record final utility readings where applicable and retain clear photographs with the date. Follow supplier instructions for closing accounts. Secure windows and doors, and leave keys, access devices and relevant operating information through the agreed handover process. Do not switch off essential systems without considering the property and your instructions.

Wait for confirmation that keys may be released, then follow the collection arrangement with the agent, seller or other authorised person. Check what identification or authority is required if someone is collecting on your behalf. Keep your mover informed once access is genuinely available.

Count the keys and access devices received and ask which entrances they serve. Include shared doors, garages and any alarm information that is being handed over. Avoid sharing security codes in group messages or leaving labelled keys visible while people move between the vehicle and the property.

Once you have lawful access, identify safe routes and show the crew where larger furniture should go. Mention any newly discovered concern, such as a loose step or an entrance that cannot be used. Keep children, pets and visitors away from carrying routes.

Use room names that match the labels on your boxes and identify essentials that need an accessible position. Avoid filling landings or blocking exits with cartons. Changes to the agreed work, including unexpected assembly or additional collections, should be discussed rather than treated as automatic additions.

Take opening meter readings where relevant and contact the appropriate suppliers about your occupancy. Locate essential controls and read any available instructions before operating unfamiliar equipment. If something appears unsafe, keep clear and seek suitable professional advice instead of attempting an improvised repair.

Record significant discrepancies with photographs and ask your conveyancer how contractual concerns should be handled. PHX Services, legally Phoenix Removal Services near Aylesbury HP22, provides removals nationwide and is open seven days. Share confirmed access arrangements when discussing the move so the practical plan uses reliable information.