Moving home Checklist: 7 things you need to remember
In the excitement of moving to a new place, it can be easy to overlook certain important tasks. This can result in financial losses and logistical complications in the long term. Fortunately, with our moving home checklist, you can reduce the stresses of moving, remain confident you have accounted for everything, and ensure your life in your new home gets off to the best start.
1 – Switch over all your utilities services
As soon as you know the exact date you will be moving into your new home, you should contact all of your utilities companies and arrange to switch these services over to your new address; including your electricity, water and central heating. Moreover, you should also carry out water, gas and electricity meter readings before vacating your old property and inform your utilities companies (or your landlord if you have been renting). By doing so, you can avoid being charged for utilities services that you have not used.
You should carry out the same procedure with your landline and broadband providers, as well as the TV licensing company and any digital TV service providers that you may use. Contacting these companies in advance will facilitate a smooth, stress-free transition into your new home.
2 – Update your financial records
Before leaving your old property, it’s important that you provide your banks, building societies and any other financial organisations with your new contact details and moving date.
By informing your bank and building societies about your upcoming move, you can rest assured that they will be able to contact you in an emergency and that all of your confidential financial correspondence will be delivered to your new address.
In this manner, you should also update your status on the electoral roll. Not only will registering your new address on the electoral roll enable you to vote in local and national elections, but it can also improve your credit rating – proving crucial in the long term.
3 – Have your mail redirected
In order to ensure a hassle-free moving process, it is advised that you arrange for all of your mail to be redirected to your new address. Providing your revised contact details to your magazine subscription services, grocery delivery companies, your local pharmacy and any e-commerce sites that you may use will prevent correspondence complications in the long term. After all, the last thing you want to experience on moving into your new home is having to collect your private mail from your old address.
4 – Make sure your new residence is insured
Once you have found out the exact date that you will be moving, you should contact your insurance company and ensure that your existing home insurance policy will remain in place during and after the moving process. As matters stand, you can contact your insurance company 30 days prior to moving in order to arrange home contents coverage for your new place of residence. By doing so, you can protect your possessions against any theft, loss or damage that may occur whilst they are in transit. You will also be able to achieve peace of mind that you and your possessions will be safe and secure whilst settling into your new abode.
5 – Don’t forget vehicle documentation
In the same way that you will need to supply change of address notifications to your utilities companies, mail subscription services and financial institutions, you will also need to ensure that all of your vehicle’s documentation has been officially updated in accordance with your change of residence.
From your driving license and car ownership certificate to your car insurance policy, you will need to contact the relevant official bodies related to each of these documents up to 4 weeks prior to moving in order to ensure your vehicle will be covered during and after the move.
Fortunately, updating your car’s important documentation is a fairly simple and hassle-free process. All you have to do is contact the DVLA either online or via post and send them the V5C section of your car documents that have been updated with your new contact details. If you apply online your new licence should arrive within just one week.
6 – Dispose of unwanted items
Packing to leave a property can be an incredibly daunting task due to the sheer amount of possessions that you own. For these reasons, it is strongly recommended that you dispose of any unwanted items prior to starting the packing process.
Reducing the amount of items that you need to store and transfer into your new property can efficiently streamline the entire moving process. Moreover, selling and donating any unwanted clothes, kitchen appliances and large, bulky items will also equip you with more decorating space in your new property and additional funds to spend on fixtures and furnishings.
7 – Establish an organised packing system
If you establish an organised packing system once you have found out your exact moving date, you will be able to benefit from a much quicker and easier moving process.
Firstly, you should create an inventory checklist which accounts for all of your most valuable items. Referring to this checklist throughout the moving process will ensure that you do not leave any prized possessions within your old residence.
Secondly, you should allocate separate moving boxes for each room of your home and label them accordingly. This organised packing system will help you to efficiently unpack when arriving at your new home.
Finally, you should arrange for any large or fragile items to be placed into storage if they will not be required in the days and weeks leading up to your move. Utilising local storage facilities is a great way to reduce the cost of moving vans and reduces the stress associated with the packing process. This simple yet highly effective packing system can help you account for all of your household.
If you have any further questions regarding the logistics of moving home, or if you would like to enquire about our Post & Packing mail redirection, storage, packaging and courier services, please feel free to contact us today via phone or email. With our help, you can enjoy a swift, simplified, and stress-free moving process into your new home.