Be Prepared : Ten top tips for moving day

Spring is always a popular time to move home. It seems that as soon as the sun begins to shine, the property market brightens up too, and things get moving. 

But whether you are renting or buying a home, are choosing to move or having to move due to circumstances beyond your control, it is always a huge change. And it can all feel very stressful.

So in this article we give you ten quick tips about how to be prepared for moving day. They will help you to make sure nothing is forgotten, and that the day itself is as hassle-free as possible.

Have a folder for essential documentation

Even though most information is likely to be on your phone somewhere, there may still be paperwork that is useful to have to hand on the day. For example any contracts, correspondence or other documents relating to the old or new property, the removals company, insurance or utility bills. It’s a good idea to have a single folder where you keep all these documents so that you can quickly find them if you need to check anything on the day.

Organise movers and parking

Once you have a definite moving date, you need to decide how you are going to move your stuff.  If you plan to hire a removals company, a man and van, or do private van hire, you need to do this as soon as possible as they can be very much in demand. Never leave it till the last minute or you may struggle to find someone.

Even if you are relying on family and friends to help, the more notice you can give them the better.

Check your insurance cover

If you are buying a home, you will usually have to arrange buildings insurance in advance as a condition of your mortgage. But it’s also important to arrange contents insurance for your possessions. 

Whether you are buying or renting, even if you already have contents insurance, you need to check with your insurer that it will still apply at your new home. If you are moving to a different area, or a different type of property, bear in mind that you may need to pay a different amount for your insurance. 

Also check that your possessions will be covered for loss or damage during the move itself.

Insurance is something that you can sort out up to 30 days in advance, so it is one task that you don’t need to leave till the last minute.

Set up mail redirection

Another task that you can do in advance of your move, once you know the date, is to set up mail redirection. This will ensure that any mail sent to you at your old address will automatically be redirected to your new one instead.

You can set up mail redirection either online or at a Post Office, and can arrange for mail to be redirected for 3, 6 or 12 months.

Find out more about mail redirection on the Royal Mail website here.

Utility companies & readings

It’s important to contact your utility companies before your move to let them know that you are moving. Utility companies include electricity, gas, water, and broadband.

They need to know that you are moving so that they can stop charging you for the service at your old property on the date you move out. It’s a good idea to take meter readings for electricity, gas and water (if you have access to a water meter) just as you leave the old property so that you can check later that you are not being charged for anything you haven’t used. Then when you get to the new property, take meter readings immediately so that you have a record of where you should be charged from.

You also need to liaise with your broadband supplier (and landline phone if you have one) of your old property to ensure that you won’t be charged for use after you leave – particularly if someone else is moving in straight away. And you will also want to liaise with the supplier who is providing service at your new home to ensure that this happens on the day you move in.

Change of address

Even with mail redirection, and your contact with utility companies, there are various other organisations whom you need to inform of your change of address. These include:

• Electoral roll – you can update your details at Gov UK;
• Banks and building societies;
• Credit card providers;
• Your place of work;
• Your children’s nursery/school/college;
• DWP – if you receive benefits you can find out how to update your details at DWP here;
• HMRC – you can do this at HMRC online for tax, pensions, National Insurance and Child Benefits; 
• DVLA – you need to update your driving licence and V5. See details at DVLA here;
• Car insurer;
• Doctor and dentist – you will need to register with a new practice if you have moved area;
• TV licence – you can update your details at TV Licensing;
• Any subscriptions or regular mailings you receive.

And of course don’t forget to tell all your family and friends where you are going to be!

Pack smartly

It’s never too early to start packing. And the earlier you start, the more opportunities you will have to pack smartly. We would suggest three ways you can do this:

• Declutter before you pack

There is no point packing stuff you don’t want or need, then paying for it to be moved to your new home (where you still won’t want or need it). So get rid of as much stuff as you can before you move, and make a fresh decluttered start in your new home. The sooner you start the better, and the more time you will have to get rid of everything you don’t want before your move.

• Pack safely

Don’t just get the biggest boxes you can find and stuff them full. Think about the safety of both your possessions and the people moving them. Take time to wrap breakable items in something like bubble wrap, newspaper, carrier bags or fabric items such as towels or tea towels. And make sure that no box is too heavy for one person to lift. So if you have items like books, mix them up with lighter items such as clothing, to spread the weight between boxes. And do ensure boxes are taped up really firmly to prevent them splitting open at the worst possible moment.

• Plan for your new home

Think carefully about where you want stuff to go in your new home and pack accordingly. For example, if you have two children currently sharing a bedroom but they will have their own at the new home, pack their things in two separate lots of boxes. The same applies if you currently have either one living/dining room or a kitchen/diner but will have separate rooms in your new home.

Label boxes very clearly so there is no doubt about where they need to go. This should mean that the removals team and/or anyone else helping you will not need to keep asking you where you want things once you arrive at your new property. It may also help to put signs on the doors of your new property once you arrive, to ensure that boxes go into the correct rooms.

Keep essentials and valuables with you

An additional part of the packing process is to separate out the items that you want to keep with you on the day. The main things are essentials and valuables. A few ideas for both of these are:

• Essentials

  • Kettle, mugs and drinks eg tea, coffee, milk, sugar etc;
  • Snacks such as sandwiches, crisps, biscuits, fruit etc;
  • Regular medications;
  • First aid kit;
  • Phone chargers;
  • Toilet and kitchen roll;
  • Bin bags;
  • Cleaning items eg washing up liquid, all purpose cleaning spray, cloths, vacuum cleaner;
  • Basic toiletries such as soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant and hand towels;
  • Nightclothes and clean underwear, in case of delay in the main removals van arriving (if this is a major concern for any reason, you could consider airbeds and sleeping bags too);
  • Children’s spare clothes, nappies, entertainment etc.

• Valuables

  • Jewellery;
  • Treasured handbags;
  • Tech gadgets;
  • Cameras;
  • Musical instruments;
  • Ornaments;
  • Items of sentimental value eg photographs, letters, special toys.

Arrange cover for children and pets

If you are moving fairly locally, see if there is someone that you can leave your children and/or pets with for the day. Everything will be much easier if you can give your undivided attention to the move, and not be worrying about what is happening to everybody else. It may even be worth putting pets into kennels or catteries just for a day or two so that you can get on with the move, knowing that they are safe and being looked after.

If none of this is possible, do everything you can to provide the children with plenty to do during the move. See if there are useful jobs that you can give them. Otherwise, designate an area as the child zone and keep it free of removal activity as far as possible. Similarly, pets need to be kept out of the way, contained and supervised so that they won’t either come to harm or get in the way.

Arrange a final clean of your old property and a hand over of keys

Whether you are leaving an owned or rented property, it’s important to leave everything in the best condition possible. Bear in mind that if you are leaving a rented property, you may not get all of your deposit back if there are any issues with the property. 

So make sure that everything is as clean as possible, and that any niggling maintenance issues have either been dealt with or already reported to the landlord. Hopefully the previous occupants of your new property will do the same for you, so that you are not spending the first few days in your new home sorting out things that should already have been done.

Make sure you know in advance what the arrangement is with keys. For example are you dropping them off with or collecting them from an agent, or leaving them/picking them up at the property. And it’s important to know what time you can do this, or whether you have to wait for a phone call on the day.

We hope that the above information helps you to face moving day fully prepared and ready to go. Good luck! And if at any stage you need a quick boost to your finances, remember that Loans 2 Go offer a range of personal loans – including emergency loans – that may be able to help.

For more helpful lifestyle and financial tips, visit us here again soon at Loans 2 Go.