Both are valid ways of using "would have", in this case I'm using it as the past tense of "will have". But I appreciate the ambiguity it creates. > We use "wou

Both are valid ways of using "would have", in this case I'm using it as the past tense of "will have". But I appreciate the ambiguity it creates. > We use "would have" as the past tense form of will have: >> I phoned at six o'clock. I knew he would have got home by then. Note the difference between this and: > I phoned at six o'clock. I knew he was home by then. Which implies first-hand knowledge of his location. The first only signals a logical conclusion. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-grammar-reference/will-have-would-have https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/english-gram...