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What are things to do before moving house? It’s true what they say – moving house is one of the most stressful things you’ll ever do. However, you’re over the worst of it. It’s just before you complete and move in, and you’re frantically packing boxes, sorting final bills, and cleaning the house. Suddenly, though, you remember what you were supposed to do but didn’t. Well, don’t worry; we’ve put together this helpful checklist of all the things you need to do before moving house to ensure you’re not caught out at the last minute.
1. Confirm The Date Of Your Move
First up on your checklist for moving home is getting your moving date officially confirmed by your conveyancing solicitors and the property sellers.
If you’re renting or not in a property chain, you might be lucky enough to be able to spread moving between homes across several days. This way, you can start doing work in your new home, like cleaning and organizing, or maybe even decorating, without the stress of moving in in the same 24 hours.
Alternatively, if you happen to find yourself at the very end of the chain, you might find yourself waiting a while for all the other transactions to go through. You must find out your place in the chain and plan accordingly if things take a little longer than expected.
2. Get Removals Quotes
Before moving house, you’ll need to decide how you’re going to carry all your belongings to your new home.
If you’re moving to a small property or moving from your parents’ house, it might work out cheaper to hire a van for the day. However, if you have a lot of furniture to move, you’ll likely be better off enlisting the help of a removal company.
Regardless of which removal service you choose, make sure that all your valuables and personal documents are in a safe place. If you can, keep them with you as you travel.
3. Change Your Address
Let everyone know you’re moving home and changing your address at least two weeks before moving. You must remember to change your address with all your services and providers before leaving your old house.
If you fail to notify everyone of your change of address, you could miss out on important correspondence and have your personal information enter the wrong hands. Just some of the companies you need to inform of your house move include:
- Utility suppliers
- Local authorities
- Insurance (find more details about general liability insurance here)
- Subscriptions
- Vehicle services
- Banks and credit card companies
However, there is an almost endless list of companies you need to notify when moving home. To ensure you don’t forget any, take a look at this handy change of address checklist.
Read more: How to Pack a Moving Truck
4. Clear Out Your Old House
Just before you move is the perfect time to go through all your old belongings and decide what is and isn’t worth keeping.
Before you start packing everything up in boxes, sort through all your old clothes, electronics, and furniture and see what you still use regularly. This way, you can see what is worth taking to your new house and avoid taking things that will take up space.
Cutting down on the number of items you need to move will also help minimize moving costs and a lot of backache at the other end.
5. Take Final Meter Readings
On the last day before moving out, you’ll need to take your final meter readings and give them to your supplier. You should then note the tasks and the date, just in case you question your last energy bill.
Your energy supplier will use your final meter reading to close your account and send an accurate final bill to your new address. If you don’t send a final meter reading, your provider will use an estimate to calculate your definitive account instead, which could be more expensive.
You should be sent a final bill within six weeks of closing your account. Please don’t cancel your Direct Debit during this period, though, as it makes it easier for your supplier to refund any credit left on your account or take final payment.
6. Pack Your Belongings
When it comes to moving house, packing can be one of the most tedious jobs. Hopefully, though, you’ve already had a clear-out of your belongings, so this part should be a little easier.
When packing everything up, make sure you label all the boxes correctly. Then, please make a list, so you know exactly what’s inside each box and where it needs to go in your new house. This will make everything a lot easier when you get to the other end, so you don’t have to go rooting through boxes to find what you need.
7. Arrange Pet & Child Care
It can be straightforward to overlook the need for pet and child care when moving home when you have so many other things to think about. However, organizing other arrangements for children and pets before moving day is essential.
Having children and pets in the house can significantly slow down the moving process and make it much more stressful. So, ask a family member or a friend you trust if they would take care of them for a few hours.
8. Pack A Moving Day Survival Kit
You must have all the essentials for the first night in your new home, so it’s a good idea to pack a box or two with stuff you might need to get to quickly, such as:
- Kettle, mugs, tea, milk, coffee, sugar
- Cleaning products, vacuum cleaner, bin bags
- Phone chargers
- Loo roll, kitchen roll
- Duvet and bedding
- Temporary furniture
- TV or radio
- Snacks and water
You should also make sure to keep all your important documents, like your passport and mortgage paperwork, somewhere safe.
Moving Into Your New House …
Congratulations! You’ve made it to moving day! By now, you should have packed up all your belongings and had a removal company transport them to your new property.
Before you start unpacking everything, you might want to clean the property deep. This will be much easier without all your belongings taking up space and blocking your path.
- Unpack room by room, starting with the kitchen
- Check all your utilities are up and running
- Double-check that you have the keys to every door, window, and cupboard
- Find out what day your bins are collected
Final Words
Finally, take the rest of the night off – kick back, relax and start settling into your new home. I hope the article about “Things to do before moving house” has helped you with some helpful information! Thanks for visiting Greenhouse Center!
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