Exchaning & booking removals - how are you meant to do it?

[CountingToThree]

We are due to exchange any moment now, and the completion date everyone has agreed to is next Friday (25th), which we are happy with. Everything has come together a bit quicker than we thought, originally were thinking completion mid-August.

We have had 4 or 5 people round to quote for packing & removals over the past month - of those we are now left with 1 that has availability next Friday (but that might have changed since we last spoke).

How are you meant to do it, everyone is getting booked up but we can't book until we've exchanged and the completion date is confirmed. Same with everything else - utilities, broadband etc - Is it all just going to be a mad rush once we get the call from the solicitors?

gah - Exchanging not Exchaning

you book a provisional date and confirm as soon as you have exchange. Any half decent removal company will cope with this.

get to the post office and get a redirection form. As soon as you have exchange, hand it in, as they need a few days notice. The urgent stuff is

utilities - take meter readings on the day you move.
car insurance
house insurance (you need to insure the new place from EXCHANGE)
broadband/phone

all else can wait as it will be picked up by the redirect.

good luck!

If your removal company won't let you book a provisional date (some of them won't), then ask your solicitor to contact you just before they exchange so you can at least check that the removal company have space - don't leave it to chance. Your removal company may let you have boxes in advance, if they do get them now.

As already mentioned get a redirection form, have contact details for your utilities, phone and home insurance - the rest can be done after you move. Strong plastic bags are handy for packing some things. Put your cleaning refreshments boxes together now. Some of our utilities wanted 7 days notice, but you can only give them what notice you've got yourself.

I spent half a day sorting practical things and paperwork out and then spent seven days packing up on my own. My husband had day eight off to take things to the tip and help with taking beds apart etc. To be honest I just bundled things that were in drawers and non breakable into carrier bags and they went in boxes. We had to tie things together in the shed and put a bag around the ends of anything messy, so I did this as soon as we need completion would be quite quick. If you're taking things like cookers, fridge freezers, pull them out now and clean hehind. Our solicitor told us to be out by 1pm and we were still cleaning at 12.30pm when our buyer and removal van turned up.

Once you know it's all on, I just think you have to be focussed. I set myself certain rooms/tasks every day and stuck to them whatever. If you're packing, keep meals simple - a ready meal and salad or get OH to get some fish&chips.

Hope it goes well.

As others have said try and book a provisional date with your movers (or book one where you can take out cancellation insurance in case your date does move). V important that you have insurance on the other house to start on the day you Exchange - I hadn't realised this either! Our insurer has a very helpful policy of being able to extend our current insurance to cover both houses for up to 60 days at no extra cost ( More Than) which is great.

Make a big list and work through it systematically. For utilities, see if you can ring them to set things in motion even if you only give them a provisional date - you don't need to give readings until the day you move out.

Good luck!

Ok - bit late for the provisional bookings now i think. Surely the moving company would always accept a firm booking over a provisional anyway? Cancellation insurance seems pretty hefty.

will just keep my fingers crossed that it all goes through today so have tomorrow to get on the case of movers (or everyone else's dates have to change!)

We aren't packing ourselves (2 small kids, no extra space and no family locally to help) so don't need to worry about that at least.

Hate this bit - only 3 of us in chain, bottom and middle (us) have signed, just waiting for top of chain who were happy with the date so theoretically shouldn't be a problem but just can't get on with anything till it's all confirmed!