Moving Home Checklist – Your Essential Guide Before & Up To Moving Day

 

A moving home checklist can help at a very stressful time when it’s easy to forget some of the necessary arrangements and organisation. This is especially likely to happen if you’re in the process of going through a complicated house sale. It’s difficult to think about the actual mechanics of moving when you’re still concentrating on securing a home to move to.

Difficult or not, you do have to be prepared for your move. You can’t just leave everything until the last minute and expect it to fall into place. So what sort of things do you need to remember when you’re moving home?

A change of school

One of the most important considerations, if you have children, is ensuring that their continuing uninterrupted education is secured. You will need to speak to your child’s current school, and their proposed new school well in advance of the move; a couple of months if possible. It’s worth checking with the responsible local authority for the full process involved, and to check which forms you will need to complete, as the process varies depending on the area.

Preparing your belongings

The sooner you can start this task, the better. It’s a great opportunity to get rid of any items that you don’t need, especially if you’re downsizing. A good idea is to have an area for items you are taking with you, an area for items that can be donated to charity, and area for items that you may want to sell on sites such as eBay and Gumtree and an area for items that need to be disposed of. Many charities will collect items from your home so give them a call. If you have bulky items to dispose of then your local authority may be able to arrange a free collection; have a look on their website.

Make sure you tell everyone

If you are renting your home then it’s probably written into your contract how much notice you are required to give. If your contract is due to end then you need to make sure your landlord knows you do not intend to renew. You’ll also need to make sure that the utilities companies know about your move, as well as your phone and Internet provider, and the local authority for council tax purposes. Of course you will also need to notify your bank and any other financial institution you are registered with. The BBC has provided an online list of people you may need to notify when you are moving which is worth looking at so you don’t forget anyone.

Don’t miss any vital correspondence

If you’re moving to a new home, you don’t want to take the chance of missing out on receiving vital mail on time. Make sure that you remember to use the Royal Mail re-direction service so that you continue to receive mail, even from people who are not aware of your new address.

The final approach

As your moving day draws near, so the final practicalities need to be considered. A couple of days before you move you should defrost your freezer so that’s it’s completely defrosted by moving day. This is also an ideal time to clear your kitchen cupboards. It’s a good idea to get some provisions together so that you have something to eat and drink on your last day or two in your home, and on moving day, when you may not have any facilities for cooking.

Of course you also need to make sure that all your packing is completed, and that all of your boxes are labelled appropriately. Make sure that any vital documents are kept safely.

Finally, on the day of the move itself, don’t forget to do a whole house check to make sure you don’t leave anything behind.