Top Tips When Moving Home

They say that moving house is one of the most stressful times of your life. At The Move Team we aim to reduce that stress for you with our fantastic man and van packages. Not only by doing our upmost on the day to ensure that everything goes smoothly, but we have also produced a checklist for you to help get set up for the move.

When you decide to move:

• Before putting your home for sale, you will need a Home Information Pack (HIPs). Commission a HIP quote – ask your estate agent to recommend a broker or simply look online. One of the best sites is run by the government called Really Moving.
(http://www.reallymoving.com/cat/5/Home-Information-Packs.aspx)
• Appoint a solicitor and find a surveyor for your new home. Again your estate agent or mortgage company should be able to recommend these. If not, look online for recommended companies or even better get a recommendation from a friend.
• There are all sorts of ways to find a property these days. Online there are numerous websites with property listings. You might also try the new commission free sites where you contact sellers directly such as Net Movers.
(http://www.netmovers.net/)
• Create a file for documenting all moving papers and receipts.

Two Months before your move

• Have a clear out – If you have a loft full of stuff that you haven’t used for years do you really need to box it all up and move it to the new house?
Why not consider a de-clutter?
You don’t have to put it all in the bin! Why not try to sell items on ebay (www.ebay.co.uk) or gumtree (www.gumtree.co.uk) or even freecycle (www.freecycle.org.uk) where people will take just about anything that you list!
You could also clear out furniture that you don’t need. Most councils will run a scheme where they will collect your unwanted furniture. There are also a number of furniture recycling groups. A great starting point is the furniture re-use network (http://www.frn.org.uk/directory/london.asp). The Move Team’s man and van service can always take anything that cant be re-used to the local dump.
• Find a mover – obviously you have done your homework and that’s why you are looking at the move team. What more is there to say! Please browse our site and view all of our great man and van packages based round the London area.
• Mail – start making a note of the mail that comes through your door. All of those people will need to know your new address. Make a list and write to them all a few weeks before you move. Make sure you save your old household bills which will have your account numbers on which you will need to move accounts. This might also be a good time to look at saving a few pounds with suppliers, try any of the numerous price comparison web sites for the best deals on gas, electricity, phones etc. (www.uswitch.com), (www.moneysupermarket.com).
If you want to save yourself the bother of contacting all of your mail correspondents why not use the Royal Mail Service which for a small fee will redirect all your mail to your new address. (http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/product1?catId=400040&mediaId=600008).
You can also take opportunity to get yourself removed from the unsolicited maildatabase write to The Mailing Preference Service, DMA House, 70 Margaret Street, London, W1W 8SS or call 0845 703 4599 for an application form.
Don’t forget to move things like medical records, driving license details etc.
• Start talking to your young children about the impending move. Moves to new locations can be traumatic for young children so preparing them in advance gives the child plenty of time to prepare for the move.
• Familiarise yourself with your new area. Get some local newspapers’, have a look at online forums. You can also find all sorts of information about your new area at up my street (www.upmystreet.com) which can tell you everything from schooling to crime figures.

One Month/ few weeks before your move

• Start Packing. You can start packing as early as you like. The move team can provide a wide range of packing boxes and materials which we can get couriered to your door in advance of your move. We can also provide a full packing service if you want to save yourself the bother. If you are going to pack see our article on packing for some useful hints and tips. (link to article on packing)
• If there is a gap between the old owners moving out and you moving in arrange for a cleaner to give your new house a good going over to get it as clean as possible from the start.
• Parking. Do you need a permit? You can organise this through your local council. Just give them a call and get 2 bays reserved for the day.

The day before the move
• Disconnect major appliances. Refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc. should all be disconnected, defrosted, and dried out.
• Finish packing!
• Create a Moving Pack. This should include all your vital documents, Passport, driving licence, estate agent details, utility supplier details, Money. Keep this with you at all times.
• First Night. For each member of your household, you’ll want to pack a few nights’ worth of clothes, bedding, toiletries, etc. And dishware for meals. Remember that it will take you some time to UNPACK on the other end!
• Make sure all boxes are properly labeled (I.e. the room they’re going in to in your new home).

On The Day Before

• Walk through your house one last time to make sure everything is accounted for.
• Strip the beds.
• Keep linens in a box that travels with you, so you can use them the first night.
• Make sure you have the keys to your new home, or have arranged to collect them
• Record all utility meter readings (gas, electricity, and water).
• Stay until your movers have finished.
• Before leaving check that all windows are secure and water, gas and electricity supplies are switched off.
• Double check the time that the man and van will arrive and set your alarm clock nice and early.

In your new home

• Make sure you are present when the removal crew arrives so you can guide them around the house confirming what is to be moved where and any special instructions.
• Start with the essentials – do you have power, gas and water, telephone and internet.
• You can instruct the move team to place your belonging where you want them. That way all you have to do is unpack.
• That’s it – your in. Have a cup of tea. Give your movers a nice tip or pat on the back and enjoy your new home.