Need help with cleared funds!!!

OK so the estate agent needs cleared funds for our sec deposit, rent, etc when we come on August 6th. We have the cash, that's easy. Now getting it in an acceptable format is the hard part. I really need help/ideas.

1) they won't take that much cash in the office as they have no safe
2) won't take debit/credit card because I don't have the chip and pin type
3) they didn't answer me regarding GBP amex travellers cheques

they say a bank draft is good but we don't have a bank there yet and can't get one until we have the signed lease. She suggested taking cash across the street to the bank and getting a bank draft. Will banks do this if you're not a customer?

Ideas? Please help

Can't you wire the funds to them in advance?

Yeah, it'll cost you a bit more, but wiring directly to their bank account should do the trick. It'll cost you more, but is probably the easiest option. Make sure you deal with a bank on the US side that knows what it's doing. Look into this ASAP because IIRC, it's not an immediate thing.

i'll have to call them and see if this is an option. its definitely not an immediate thing

anybody know if the banks there will do a draft for a non-customer who walks in with cash?

When we wire UK to the US, it generally takes about 5 business days for it to clear on the other side.  There will be a charge for sending the wire (probably on both sides), but it's smooth & swift as long as you provide all the required details.

For UK to US wires, we go to our UK bank & give them the wiring instructions -- wires to the US require the receiving bank's name, address, telephone number, the receiving bank's SWIFT number, the receiving bank account number & legal registration of the account (how it's titled).  Can't remember if they also want the US federal (ABA) routing number or if it's just the SWIFT number for international wires.

To ensure the money goes through smoothly & without event, check the information requirements with both the sending & receiving bank to make sure you give all the complete info you need to do.

anybody know if the banks there will do a draft for a non-customer who walks in with cash?

No idea.

My experience with wire transfers (from US to UK) has been great- transfers have always arrived in the UK bank account the next business day, and only cost me $45 (and that's with transferring thousands of $ in student loan money at once.)

What about a credit card cheque?  Again, it will cost, but it is instant payment which is what they need.

Vicky

Oh & having worked for a financial services firm previously & having had to sort out wires that failed, it was usually due to either (account or routing) numbers recorded or given incorrectly, or the wiring instructions being incomplete or otherwise faulty -- so completely human errors.  Not because the wiring system itself failed.  So it does pay to get all the details correctly & completely & have them repeat numbers etc back to you.

Are you still in the US? Your US bank most likely can do a bank draft in pounds sterling that you can take over with you. I had to do it once for uni fees, and it worked fine.

Hopefully I have it all sorted now. I was able to get the funds today rather than waiting for etrade to transfer money to my wachovia account (etrade will not do a 3rd party wire transfer  )

I got the account details from Dexter's and sent it off. It should get there properly and in 4-5 business days, if not earlier.. which is a few days before the optimum date of Friday, august 3rd.

I put all the info they gave me on the wire transfer: bank name and branch name, account number and type, sort code, plus the reference info they asked for (as well as some additional identifying info for us), and swift number + iban number because they listed that under additional helpful info. So, fingers crossed it goes well.

...sort code...iban number...

Sounds like you did well!  Yes - sort code would apply to UK bank accounts, and I forgot about the IBAN number - I've needed that too when I've sent money the other direction.  Glad it worked out!