Moving house is a very exciting thing. It’s a chance for a fresh start in a new location and gives you a chance to organise some of the clutter that’s gathered in your life. It’s also one of the most stressful events a person can go through – along with death, divorce and planning a wedding. Couples are much more likely to fight during a move, children will experience issues and overall your house can become a very tense, stressful place in the run-up to moving day. Which makes it much easier for you to forget things! To help you out (and hopefully remove some of that stress), we’ve put together a little checklist of all the essentials for moving house.
Two Months Before
- Book time off work either side of the move, so you’ve got enough time to do things at a relaxed pace and not rushing around like a headless chicken.
- If you have children at school who might need to transfer, look at new schools and get those balls rolling.
- Order boxes (either cardboard or easy-stack plastic crates) and your general moving supplies. If you need to move some things into storage, find yourself a unit and get it ready.
- Have a clear out of all of your stuff and throw away/sell/give away the things you no longer want. If there are things you come across that you want to keep but won’t need between now and the move, get started on packing with them. Moving house is a fantastic chance for a fresh start! At this stage, you can put the things you don’t need every day into a storage unit once they’re packed away, so you’re not tripping over boxes for the next two months!
5-6 Weeks Before
- Hire a removal company. For a first time mover with just a single bed flat’s worth of stuff, this might not be necessary but for a bigger house, it will save you a lot of time, energy and stress to have it done for you.
- If you’re getting a new mortgage, look into whether you need life insurance to meet their requirements. If you already have it, make sure it all ties together properly.
3-4 Weeks Before
- To help you stay connected, search online to find the best TV, broadband and phone deals for your address. If you can get everything booked in to be connected, do.
- Do the same with energy tariffs. Now is basically the time to research all of the monthly rates you will be paying and find the best deal.
- Carefully consider a new credit card. If you’re buying things for your new home, 0% interest on purchases might help with the expense of moving and offer you some protection on larger purchases.
1-2 Weeks Before
- Keep on working through your home, packing and deep cleaning as you go. It might seem a bit far away, but the time will fly by!
- On the subject of packing, make sure you put yourself a box set aside for the first day/night essentials for your new home. The likelihood that you’ll get everything unpacked on the first day are slim to none, and the last thing you want is to be routing through boxes to try and find the kettle! A few things to include would be the kettle, tea, coffee, sugar, biscuits and toilet roll!
- Start sorting out your bills, settling accounts and getting your new providers lined up. Go to through and update your address with suppliers, including your TV licence, bank, credit cards, insurance providers, pensions, investments, and anything else important that relates to your address. Start a list and keep track of those that you’ve changed, add to it when you remember new things to change, and tick them off when you’re done.
- Register for council tax for your new address.
- Make sure you cancel/reroute any local deliveries, like the newspaper, milk or subscription boxes.
The Day Before
At this stage, you might want to just collapse on the sofa and mentally prepare yourself for D-Day. But before you do:
- Do a final (quick) clean of your house, making sure to get all the areas where furniture has been moved or floors have got dirty with movers wondering through. If you did your thorough deep clean already, this will only take a short time
- Strip the beds.
- Walk through every room in your house and make sure everything is accounted for. That means looking for things you’ve forgotten to pack, and anything you’ve packed that you shouldn’t have.
- Make sure you have the keys to your new house, or you know where and when you’re collecting them.
On The Day
The day of the move will be an exciting day, and you probably can’t wait to get in and start unpacking. But before you rush out the door, don’t forget to:
- Make a note of all your meter readings, take photos if you can, and save them somewhere for future use.
- Take a look around and make sure you haven’t forgotten anything. Check the inside of every cupboard, go back into the loft and around the garage looking for little things you might have missed in packing. Make sure you check all the windows are secure as you go, and that your water, gas and electricity are switched off.
- If you’re using a removal crew, make sure you’re around when they first arrive so that you can show them around, answer any questions and ask some too.
You’re In!
You’re in! Now you can relax, open up some wine and enjoy your new home.
Except… you’re not quite done yet. You still need to:
- Switch utility providers.
- Introduce any pets to their new home.
- Change the locks on the property.
- Update your electoral register (since you won’t be automatically registered to your new address).
- Register with a doctor, dentist and vet.
- Get to know the area and find your new favourite pubs, restaurants and social activities.
NOW you’re done! At Blue Box Self Storage, we know that moving house can be a very stressful experience, especially when it comes to trying to keep track of all your belongings and things you’d forgotten you owned. That’s why we provide short-term lease on all of our storage units so that you can pack up at your leisure and store away those things you won’t need in your new home right away. To find out more, just get in touch with the team today.
