Along with divorce and getting married, moving house is one of the most stressful things in life.
For the best chance of making your move as smooth as possible, plan ahead, get organised, and follow the tips below:
Get cracking on packing
You have two choices when it comes to packing: do it yourself or call in the professionals.
- Doing it yourself is not only cheaper but also gives you the chance for a ruthless clear-out. Give yourself plenty of time to pack. You can start with some items such as book collections or occasional use kitchen bits a few weeks in advance.
As you get closer to moving day, try to get away with living off the basics such as a few items of clothing, essential toiletries and a small number of plates, mugs and pans.
One approach is to pack one room at a time. As you pack, take care to wrap breakables carefully and be sure to label all the boxes with what’s in them and which room they need to go in when you arrive at your new property.
- Choose a professional packing service, and you’ll benefit from their experience and expertise when it comes to protecting precious items, as well as the speed at which they work.
They’re also less likely to get distracted by emotive discoveries, such as your child’s favourite toy car that they haven’t played with for years, and it’ll free you up to concentrate on other tasks such as any last-minute admin.
Removal firms
Get recommendations and quotes from removal firms well ahead of your move. Well-established companies with good reputations are likely to be busy, especially during popular moving periods such as the summer months, so it’s a good idea to get on their books as early as possible.
You’ll pay more if you want them to supply boxes, bubble wrap, and even pack your stuff too – but it could be money well spent as it’ll mean less work (and stress!) for you.
The British Association of Removers (BAR) and the National Guild of Removers and Storers (NGRS) list approved removal firms in your area. While sites like Really Moving make it easy to compare quotes.
Some removal firms will provide insurance during the move, but you may find your home insurance provider covers you.
Make a survival kit
Pack essentials separately and clearly label the box. Your survival kit should include a kettle, tea, coffee, water, long-life milk, a packed lunch, mobile phone charger, toilet roll, light bulbs, cleaning materials, tea towels, cutlery and plates.
Pack another “first night” box including bed linen, towels and toiletries.
Make a list of companies and individuals you need to inform of your move well in advance of moving day. This should include banks, building societies, insurers, HMRC, your employer, your doctor, the DVLA, and utility companies.
Arrange with the Post Office to have your mail redirected for a minimum of six months.
Utilities
Take final meter readings for gas and electricity when you leave your old property and initial meter readings at your new home. Inform your utility provider of these.
You’ll also need to inform the water company and council tax billing authority of your move.
Telephone and broadband services will need to be stopped at your previous address and installed at your new property – you may need to give several weeks’ notice to ensure this runs smoothly.
Important documents
Keep important documents, such as your passport, driving licence, birth certificate, bank cards, and any paperwork related to the move, with you.
Kids and pets
Neither pets nor young children are much help during a house move. Dogs and cats are better left with friends or in kennels on moving day and collected later. If possible, arrange childcare for children who are not at school.
Cleaning
Unfortunately, there are no rules about how clean a previous property owner must leave a property when they sell up – so be prepared for the worst. Either be ready to get scrubbing yourself or hire a professional cleaning firm to give your new pad the once-over as soon as you move in.
Insurance
As well as ensuring your possessions are insured while in transit, you also need to arrange buildings and contents insurance for your new home (tenants only need contents insurance). Make sure your car insurance is transferred to your new address as well.
Keys
Think about getting the locks changed on your new property – you never know who the previous owners may have given spare keys to in the past. If the property has been let out, there could be several ex-tenants with keys.
