The Essential Checklist for Moving House

Moving to a new house is regularly ranked as one of the most stressful things you can do in life, so it makes sense to alleviate that stress as much as possible. Being prepared is your stress-buster, so we’ve put together some essential tips for your moving day.

What Needs to Go on Your Moving Day Checklist?

 

 

A good moving day checklist will be comprehensive without being over-complicated. Organise your lists in terms of categories and people. Remember, most of the major elements such as packing (see below) will have been taken care of already, but don’t let that lull you into a false sense of security. Start by asking a few important questions:

• Who will be at the old property to oversee the move and who will be at the new one?
• Have you got routes for the removal van handy?
• Are your moving plans weather-proof?
• Have you marked the essential boxes that you’ll need within a few days of the move?
• Have you created an inventory of your belongings so you know where everything is?

Your checklist might be short or it could be lengthy. It depends how organised you want to be and how tight your deadlines are. If you’re part of a strict chain and you have to be out of your old home and into the new one on the same day, you’ll need to be regimented – and strict about the rest of the points below.

 

What Do You Absolutely Need to Do Before Moving?

 

It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the number of things you need to do before your moving day arrives. So, again, the best way to quell those nerves is by getting yourself organised. There is a mixture of vital things you need to sort out before moving, some of them having an impact on how successful your actual move is and others will ensure your comfort going forward which we often tend to forget about. Start by thinking about these:

• Is your transportation sorted? Whether you’re hiring people or doing it yourself in a hired van, double-check it’s all properly booked.
• Turbocharge your packing well ahead of time and get rid of any unwanted items before moving day so that you don’t accidentally send your games console to the recycling centre.
• Get metre readings for any gas, electricity and water metres at both properties as you’ll need to keep on top of those bills.
• Have you checked all kitchen cupboards and other places you might have missed such as cellars, garages and airing cupboards?
• Are all your documents safe? Not just your home documents, but everything that could potentially lead to someone falsely representing themselves as you. Also, have you got a postal redirect in place?

Top Tips for Packing

 

Some people swear that the secret to a stress-free move is all in the packing. It’s true that you can make your life more complicated than it needs to be by, for example, not marking boxes correctly and packing fragile porcelain underneath a stack of books. Bear these things in mind:

• Don’t overload your boxes. It’s tempting to think that boxes will take a lot more than weight than is comfortable.
• Remember that you have to pick these boxes up on moving and, more importantly, you don’t want your precious trinkets and cutlery flying over the pavement. Don’t take the risk.
• Be innovative about what you use to pack. We’re all trying to save the planet one box at a time, so use all your suitcases, holdalls, shopping bags and old boxes before you start shelling out on new ones.
• Start your packing early with rooms that you don’t use much. This gets your packing underway without you constantly having to dig through boxes for items that you’ve already packed.
• For any specialist items, seek the right help. Pianos, for example, are rarely moved by ordinary house removal teams as they’re very easy to damage. If you have anything unusual, be sure that you can move it safely well ahead of moving day.

Will Packing and Moving Agencies Make Moving Easier?

 

There are essentially two options when you’re moving – do it all yourself or hire a packing and moving agency to help. If you hate packing and if you’re short on time, hiring an agency may work for you. However, just remember that a company is only as efficient as you allow them to be. Don’t simply relocate all your rubbish from one house to another – take the opportunity of moving to declutter and get your life running smoothly from day one in your new home.

Most of all, just remember that, once the stress is out of the way, you’ll be in a new home. That’s something to be motivated by on moving day.