The Moving Process

Tips for Moving

Once you have bought your new home, you will need to start thinking about physically moving. If you are able to, you might want to consider using a removal company to help alleviate some of the stress of moving. If this is the case then you will need to take into account early on so that you can ensure you have some money put aside for their fees.

If you don’t have the budget or not much to move then you can always do it without the help of a removal company.

There is so much to think about when moving, please find below a few tips and suggestions to make your move a little smoother.

Removal and Storage

Are you able to move your things by yourself or do you need help? You might want to consider whether you need to put things into storage and whether you need the help of a removal company or whether you can do it yourself.

You might want to get a couple of quotes so that you can compare on price and offering before deciding on which one to use.

What to look for in a removal company:

Cost
Where they are based?
Check if they are a British Association of Removals (BAR) accredited business.
Check timings and that they suit your needs.
Check details of the insurance cover in case of any of your possessions being damaged in the move, and also what their service includes and doesn’t include.
Are they prepared to come and visit your home to assess the amount of possessions you have before the move – this comes as standard with most removal companies and is recommended since it means that the company will know how long it will take to move it all and can give an appropriate quote.
Check if they supply you with boxes and packaging, if not you might want to get lots a month or so before the move. Consider breakables such as glasses and that you have the right packaging to ensure they are not damaged in the move.

Time Out

If you have a lot of belongings, you might want to consider booking time off work so that you can a) pack or b) unpack and you might even want some time off once you have moved in to relax after the move.

Valuables

Remember to make sure that you put all your important documents such as passport, bank information in the same place. There is nothing worse than needing your bank statement and not being able to remember where you packed it. You might want to start putting them all in the same box once you start packing and ensure you either take that box with you or label it clearly.

Change of Address

Don’t forget to inform your contacts of your change of address. In addition you might want to redirect your mail to ensure that anything overlooked is still forwarded to you.

Doctor
Dentist
Local Council for council tax
Bank/building society and credit card companies
Insurance – house, car, contents
Health club
DVLA to change your driving licence
Electricity, Gas and water companies
Schools for your children
TV licence company
Mobile phone company and landline phone company

Organisation

The key to a successful move is being organised.

Get packing as soon as you can. You might want to work out an efficient packing regime, i.e. packing by the room and clearly labelling everything to ensure your unpack is as smooth as possible.

Book your removal company or if doing it yourself book time with those that are going to help you move.

You might want to have a weekend bag made up with all your essential toiletries and valuables in one place in preparation for the move.

A month before..

Inform your bank, building society of your move and new address and the date it is to be used from.

Sort out new providers for phone, electricity and gas etc. Arrange final bill payments.

Give notice to your landlord if in rented accommodation.

Arrange house contents and building insurance.

The week before..

Redirect your mail .

Start running down the contents of your fridge/freezer so you can defrost before the move.

Cancel milk and newspapers.

You might also want to have a vital supplies kit with a kettle, toaster, tea bags, sugar, milk and mugs etc to tide.

Clean the house ready for the new occupants.

Remember your new house keys.