When you are planning to move into a new home it can be very time consuming and stressful. And that is only the move itself. Just take a look at our two-part moving guide (read part 1 here – read part 2 here) and you will see what we mean!
What else do you need to deal with? How about redirecting mail? Storing your belongings if needed? Cancelling local services? These are just three of the many aspects of moving home.
Let get into it shall we. Here are our top five most missed points that you need to cross off before you move homes.
1. Mail Redirection
Have you given any thought to how much time and effort it’s going to take to call every company that sends you mail? A lot!
It’s almost impossible to cover all of them. And dot every ‘i’and and cross every single last darn ‘t’. A better approach is to use a mail redirections service in combination with the list below. This way any services that you miss who send you mail will still get to you and then you can call them and make the changes later on.
The List:
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- Bank Accounts / Credit Cards
- Drives License
- Insurance
- Services (Phone & Internet)
- Address Lodged with the Government
You should also let your boss know you’re moving and get your address updated at work.
The best thing to do is to speak to the post office about what services are offered for redirection. Each country is different and we have readers from all around the globe. The charge is generally very nominal and well worth it.
2. Book End of Tenancy Cleaning
This might not seem obvious but there are generally only a few instances that you need to move home:
- Lease has expired.
- You are selling your own home.
- You are moving out of your own home as you will rent the place.
Each one of these pretty much justifies having professional end of tenancy cleaning done. If you rent it’s going to part of your contract that you can’t clean yourself in most circumstances. If you are moving out of your own home due to a sale to have new owners move in it’s very respectable to have professional cleaning done so the new people moving into a clean property.
Make sure you get your cleaning booked in ASAP and far ahead of schedule in case it’s hard to get a booking. It’s best to get the cleaning booked in on the same day and the move or the day after. This way you can have everything wrapped up and done with your now old home within a day of moving out.
3. Cancel Local Services
If there are any local services that you can’t transfer to your new home you need to cancel them. For example, your internet services provider does not cover the area you are moving to.
If you don’t do this you might not get a refund as the service company will turn around and simply say the service was provided and it doesn’t matter if you didn’t use it. And they are quite right from that perspective, that’s hard to dispute as harsh as that might sound. But they did supply you with a service and you did agree to pay.
So make sure you cancel anyhting you can take with you.
4. Parking Permits
Some properties need parking permits. If you are going to be living in a built-up area or close to the town centre for example.
The last thing you want is a welcome gift in the first week of living in your new home such as a towed car or a council parking fine. Speak to the estate agent you are dealing with or the owner if you are dealing directly about the parking situation on the street.
5. Book Time Off Work
This is something no one is going to tell you about. If you have a small apartment for one then sure you might be able to finish your move in a few hours on a Saturday morning. But if you have a full family home it’s best to take a good three days off work starting on Friday.
Friday can be the real moving day. Then you have Saturday to Tuesday night to fully finish your move with everything unpacked so you feel like your new home is actually a home, and not a hotel.
That’s it! If you follow these five steps before moving day then you will cover off what most people forget and you won’t be scrambling last minute to get things done.