What happens on completion day?

Finally, the big day is here and it’s almost time to collect your keys. You’ve found your dream home, had your offer accepted and signed on the dotted line. Well done, you’ve got the hard bit out the way! So, what’s next? House completion day of course! This is when the money is transferred, and you can officially say you’re on the property ladder. It’s both an exciting and daunting time. We know you’ll be raring to move in now. However, before you start packing up, it helps to know what to expect.

Prior to completion

Before completion day can happen, the exchange of contracts needs to take place. This makes the transaction legally binding, so that you can call your dream home yours. It’s up to the housing association to choose the date completion goes ahead. Just make sure it’s on a weekday, so it’ll go forward as smoothly as possible. Remember, if you back out after the exchange of contract, there may be some hefty penalties!

What is completion day?

On completion day, your conveyancer will transfer your purchase funds to the seller’s conveyancer. You’re now thinking - how long does it take to release mortgage funds? Well, just a heads up, sometimes you may come across a few stumbling blocks at this stage. If the money hasn’t gone through by 3pm, you’ll may have to wait until the next working day. Don’t panic though! Your house isn’t going anywhere, and the sound of your keys jingling is only around the corner! Before you know it, you’ll be enjoying a cup of tea in your new home. Once the vendor confirms they’ve received the money, it’s time to start loading up the van.

If you’re a planner, you’ll probably be curious about completion day timings. It normally goes ahead at midday. If you’re lucky, sometimes it can even be as early as 10am! With new developments it’s usually earlier in the day than later. Absolute latest it takes place is 5pm. But that’s under very rare circumstances! If you’re going down the route of shared ownership, the process is pretty much identical. What’s the catch? There isn’t one! The only difference is you don’t need to worry about the price tag of the house, once you’ve found ‘the one’. If anything, that’s a bonus!

Collection of keys

You’re probably sat browsing through keyrings, to clip onto the keys for your new abode. Before you get ahead of yourself though, get those important arrangements sorted out! Who are you getting the keys from? What time are you getting them? Is there anything you need to take? Preparation is key for collecting keys on completion! You can either get them from the housing association, sometimes your conveyancer’s office or we sometimes release the keys via a keysafe at your new property. It’s also a good idea to take some form of ID. You never know, they may ask for proof! If you’re still up to your ears in packing, a friend or relative can collect them on your behalf. Just let your conveyancer know. 

The Aster process

Completion day will still be exactly the same when purchasing your shared ownership home, and it’s a great way of getting onto the property ladder! After all, the only thing better than moving into a new house, is moving into one that didn’t break the bank. 

For more information on shared ownership with Aster, you can get in touch with our friendly team, and browse our developments.