Moving - Best Tips & Advice

[mrsmacmc]

Wise MN'tters we are due to move home in 10 days and I'm feeling very anxious about it. We are using a moving company who are also packing us up the day before.

I've never used a packing up service before and don't want to get it wrong! I know they will leave us camping style for the night before.

Trying to think of everything we need instant access for at the new home and my brain is melting 🫠

I've got so far a list for what's to go in the cars - our movers don't take paint, kitchen box list, an admin list that includes final meter readings and to call home insurance. Also noted that we need to do the redirect for the ✉️ also got a list for us, DD who is 6 months old and the dog 🐕

Have got the present and card for the new owner organised along with gathering all the keys / paperwork / hive hub which we'll leave in the kitchen.

Help please 🤯

It sounds to me like you’ve got it (mostly) covered!

My biggest tip would be to arrange cleaners to do a deep clean on the day of exchange. We did this — the EAs let them in early with spare keys, and so when we’d got all of our boxes in, we could just start unpacking.

My second tip is just to pull off the plaster and get unpacked as soon as possible. That will be the thing that makes the biggest difference to your first few weeks in your new home!

In car - kettle/mugs/spoons, stuff for hot drinks, corkscrew, glasses. Food for pet and child, biscuits for movers, loo roll.
Put all rubbish in outside bin before packers come or they will pack that too.

Great shout about deep clean! Have messaged my cleaning ladies to see if they have space - even if they can do the kitchen and bathrooms.

The house has been empty for 4/5 months so have also added run taps to the get in list as need to be able to set up the steriliser for DD when we get in

Had forgotten loo roll - on the list now thank you 🥰

Will police the bins to make sure they don't pack up the rubbish. I remember when my mum used a packing service they folded and wrapped up the washing in her laundry basket!

Looks like you have it sorted.

During our house move. I kept a notebook that was my bible. All the details of the house sale, house purchase, new mortgage. In this, I kept a diary of who I'd spoken to / emailed and about what. Really useful to refer back to.

I kept to-do lists eg:
Stuff to leave for buyer:
Letter with home details (alarm code, utilities company, meter readings, stopcock location, nearest GP / supermarket, train station and bus stop)
Bin collection details
Bottle of wine and biscuits
All keys and Home appliance manuals

On moving day:
Clean empty house
Take meter readings
Pass keys to estate agent

Supplier Cancellation: (track all refunds)
Gas & Elec, give final readings and process a change of tenancy
Water
Broadband & TV
Home Insurance
TV Licence
Council Tax

Set up at new property:
Post redirection
Home Insurance
Council Tax
Broadband
Utilities (take meter readings when first in)

Change of Address:
Keep a check list of all businesses to advise a change of address and whether it could be done by app, online, email, letter or phone call. If a letter, write it and stamp it ready to send once moved. Raise all draft emails ready to be sent.

Banks, driving licence, council tax, GP, dentist, optician, work & payroll, schools, mobile phones, pensions, solicitors for wills, GOV online tax ac & child benefit, car, health and life insurance, union, car leasing company.
Then it was going through all my shopping apps, eg ebay, amazon, paypal etc.

Agree with the emergency box with kettle, cups, milk, tea sugar, loo roll, light bulbs (sometimes the seller takes these) plates and cutlery. Also include scissors for unpacking.

Start using up all the food you can from the freezer / cupboard now.

Before we moved the removal company recommended us packing and keeping high valuable items with us.

I did this with my jewellery etc. My husband had a spare phone sitting in its box on a chest of drawers which he left out. The box was empty when we got to the other house.

We also had decorators, cleaners in before the move, so we don’t know when the phone disappeared or who was to blame.