Preparing for Your House Move

New keys, a new place and a new start maybe. Moving can be an exciting time yet a stressful one for many. I’m currently packing my flat up ready for my move tomorrow and I’m actually, relatively quite calm. Here I share some tips to help you prepare you for your move.

Think About Your Current Bills
Jot down all of the bills you’re currently paying and any other accounts you currently hold (e.g. pensions, credit card etc). You will need to inform each of them about your move, change of address etc and whether you’re transferring them over, cancelling, getting your final bill etc. It’s best to give them at least 2 weeks notice so they will have it on record. From experience, some companies doesn’t start processing them until a week before your move out date. Some you can do online, some you have to ring up. Get everything prepared like your final electricity, gas and water readings so the process will be a lot smoother. With pensions, bank accounts and any other accounts like this, it’ll take a day or two to fully change address on their system.

Sell or Giveaway
100% guaranteed you have things you could sell or giveaway. Start being harsh on your possessions and think about whether you actually use/wear them and if you are going to use/wear them in the future. If clothes don’t fit you or your style has changed, start selling them. Anything that still has the tag on, sell them. You may want to ask families, friends, colleagues, neighbours if they want anything of yours before you start selling. Depop and eBay are good places to sell your items. Car boot sales, Facebook groups, pawn shops are a few alternatives. If no one want things, give them to charity. Getting rid of stuff will help you in the long run. You don’t want to carry junk along with you. It’s always nice to make some extra cash on the side.

If you live in flats, one way to give stuff away is to put them by the lift on your floor, with a note telling people it’s free to grab. Putting it there will have more exposure and someone will definitely eye it up. I did this and it was gone after a few hours. Post room, your building’s noticeboard are a couple of other places where you can inform people about the freebies.

Mentally Dress Your New Place
Before you move, take some time to look at photos, and floor plans of your new property and try to imagine where each piece of furniture and wall decor may be placed. This will give you an idea of whether it’ll fit and or suit the place. If it’s obviously ill-fitting, sell them off.

Consider Moving Some Back to Your Parent’s House
This won’t apply to everyone but it’s great if you’re renting and are moving to another rented place. Your new place could be smaller therefore not much room to store stuff. If your parent’s house isn’t too far, move stuff that you’re not going to need, but want to keep, home. If your parent’s house isn’t an option, look at some self-storage companies as a temporary.

Redirect Your Mail
You may not have thought about this but you can get your mail redirected to your new address. Something important may arrive at the old address after you’ve moved out. There’s that risk of having your details stolen and is used for fraud. Royal Mail will redirect your mail to your new address for a fee depending the length of term. This is something to keep in mind every time you move.

Double Check Your Tenancy Contract
This will only apply if you’re renting. It’s best to go through your contract to check the property maintenance and the end of tenancy procedures. Remember, your deposit is on the line and anything that isn’t up to scratch, the estate agent will deduct it off of your deposit. They may send over a list of things to do and sort out whilst you’re preparing to move out. It’s best to go through them to ensure this whole procedure goes smoothly and your deposit is back in your account. The number one thing to remember is to cancel you’re standing order for rent if the estate agent doesn’t do this automatically, otherwise you’ll have to pay an administration fee for them to return the payment.

Don’t Leave Things to the Last Minute
It is tempting to leave things to the last minute yet you want this move to be smooth and stress free. When you’re stressed, you can’t think straight and may end up forgetting to do things. Start early, start packing the room that you need the least then work your way through the rest of the house, pack room by room. This will help keep you organised. Give yourself enough time and write lists.

Do you have any other tips?