You’re moving in checklist..

You have found your perfect home, your mortgage was approved and moving day is getting ever closer – in all the excitement it’s easy to forget there are things you need to do as soon as you’re in your new home, and you can get most organised in advance. Here’s our checklist of eight things to do to prepare for moving-in day.

1. Get as many packing boxes as you possibly can – and start to pack

Buy, ask friends and family or get the removals firm to drop off in advance – but trust us, you will fill far more than you anticipate. Ditto bubble wrap! And start packing at least a week in advance. Pack up spare bedrooms, out-of-season clothing, kitchen paraphernalia, toys, books… Over the ten days or so before your actual move date, you should be able to get boxes for every room ready to go. On the day itself, you should have nothing left to pack than the stuff you used the day before. There is nothing, but nothing, more stressful than having to pack and move on the same day!

• Line up Team Moving Day

Even the best of removal firms can only supply so many workers, and their job is to move you, not support you when you wobble, dash off to the shops for milk, or make the endless cups of tea everybody will want. If you can find a couple of extra people to help on the day, it will make all the difference.

• Book childcare. 

Rope in your besties or your parents to take the children to nursery or school, and pick them up at the end of the day. It’s unlikely you will be all sorted and ready to give your children their tea and get them ready for bed, so if you can plan a sleepover too, all the better.

• Book pet care.

Other than hamsters, gerbils and fish in bowls, pets don’t do well with change. Book a place in a cattery or kennels, or find someone who can take your beloved pet for 24 hours, and who promises to keep all the windows and doors closed! As soon as you know you can do the same, it’s time to bring them to their new home. Cats have a terrible habit of wanting to return to familiar territory, so plan to keep them indoors for a while till their internal homing beacons reset, and talk to your vet about how to manage this.

• Pack your first night essentials

It’s unlikely you will be all unpacked and comfy before bedtime, so before you leave your old home, pack a box with those essentials you will need for a smooth first night. Don’t send this box with your removal firm – put it in the car so you know precisely where it is. In the box you will need your kettle, mugs, coffee, tea and biscuits. Removals is hard work and regular refreshments will be welcomed by your removals team and yourself! Also pack the bedsheets and duvet you will need for that first night, likely on a mattress, before the beds are built. And your PJs… Pop a tool kit in there – if you have any hope of assembling vital children’s beds, etc, you will need the tools to do it at hand, the moment the removal van arrives. 

• Unpack high expectations 

Moving house is HARD! It’s regularly listed as one of the top ten most stressful life events, so put aside dreams of a glass of wine in your new sitting room that evening, instead be prepared for a long night cleaning, unpacking and wondering where the toaster got to.

• Book a locksmith

It’s all too easy to forget who may have a spare key to your home, so you have to expect that this is the case with your new home’s previous owners, too. Book a locksmith to come on moving day and change the locks to the front and back doors, and any side gates, sheds, etc, with locks on. It might seem a little paranoid, but safety is your priority.

• Get meter readings

You will already have advised your energy providers of your new address, but on moving day, be sure to take photos of the meters at both properties and, if you can, update your account online, or give them a call with the last readings from your old home and the first from your new.

• Set up a new house file

Start as you mean to go on, with filing all the important documents relating to your new home. If this is your first home purchase, you should also get your Will in place, to ensure if anything happens to you, your assets are distributed as you want them to be, not as the law will do it otherwise. We’re not sure why people have a bit of a thing about writing a Will, but perhaps if you think of it as protecting your dependents and easing the path for those you love, not as a harbinger of doom, you might take the necessary steps!

1. Write your change of address checklist – and send notifications

From the moment the completion date is agreed, things can move very quickly, so it’s a smart move to write a list of who you need to advise, and take action as soon as you can.

Changing the address on your car insurance policy should be a top priority, as the terms of the policy itself are partly determined by where you live. Also, did you know you could be fined up to £1,000 if you do not tell the DVLA when you change address? Not a great new home gift!

Here’s a handy list of those you need to advise of your new address, as soon as you can. 

• Banks and building societies
• Car insurance 
• Home insurance 
• Life insurance 
• Pet insurance 
• Health insurance 
• TV licence 
• GP and health  
• Council tax and electoral roll
• Broadband and TV suppliers
• TV Licence
• Mobile phone and landline suppliers
• Magazine/food box subscriptions, etc
• Your employer

1. Plan your budget

New home, different overheads. In order to apply for your mortgage, you will have already made a detailed list of your current outgoings, but these are likely to change in your new home – increased energy bills, a new council tax band, changing drive times and so fuel bills, etc – so to reassure yourself that all is well, it might be worthwhile creating a spreadsheet of your new monthly costs.

Include items such as:

• Mortgage payments 
• Council tax
• Utility bills 
• Food 
• Mobile, TV, broadband and landline costs 
• Car payments, insurance and tax 
• Buildings, contents, pet, life and health insurance costs 
• Any other debts or loan payments 
• Childcare costs
• Monthly petrol

Doing this will give you a sense of control, allowing you to settle into your new home feeling you have everything sorted, and you’re ready to enjoy your new life to the full.

1. Plan your housewarming party

Don’t be in a hurry to do this – you really don’t need the pressure! Give yourself at least three months before you plan a party. You will be having all the most important people over for a visit well before then, but work friends and neighbours can wait.

Being organised is all about stress reduction, allowing you to have as smooth a moving day and settling in period as possible. After all – these are exciting times, it would be a shame to spoil the memory with the stress of on-the-day problem solving.

Eddie – Friday 30th September 2022.