What to Expect on Possession Day

Typically, possession occurs – and you’ll get the keys – around noon on possession day. If you included a pre-possession inspection as a term in your Offer to Purchase, your real estate licensee will arrange that through the seller’s representative. It may take place the day before possession or the morning of; that’s up to you to negotiate with the seller as part of the offer process.

During a pre-possession inspection you want to ensure the property is in substantially the same condition as it was when you submitted your Offer to Purchase. Attached goods should still be in place, as should any additional inclusions that you had in your Offer to Purchase. Appliances should be in the same working order, too.

In terms of cleanliness, again, you should expect the property to be in similar condition as when you bought it, but there is nothing that requires a seller to clean the property to a certain standard.

Once you’ve taken possession, if you find the property is not in substantially the same condition or if something has been removed and should not have been, you need to call your lawyer as it will become a legal issue between you and the seller. By the time you get the keys, the money has typically transferred to the seller. Your real estate licensee can attempt to discuss the matter with the seller’s representative, but if things aren’t fixed to your satisfaction, your only recourse is to speak to your lawyer.