Tips For Moving Day

08 June

Declutter first, pack second

One of our key tips for moving day is to declutter beforehand; you don’t want to be transferring old items that you don’t need, simply because you packed in a hurry. After all, you’ll want your new home to be a welcome break from the clutter of your previous home.

So, organise unused items into bags to take to charity shops, or offer them to friends or family, and arrange for them to pick their chosen items up before your moving-in date. This saves you a lot of hassle in the long run and prevents you from moving items you don’t need.

Organise a removals company to pack for you

When you’ve moved into your new home, that’s when the excitement ensues, but the task of packing beforehand can be a tedious one that you have to fit around work and other commitments. Simply organise a removal company to pack for you and make your preparation for moving day easier. A removal company is both insured for breakages and also highly skilled in packing boxes quickly, which makes the process of moving a lot more enjoyable. So, it’s certainly worth looking into if you have the spare cash to do so.

Ensure your phone is fully charged

Charging your phone may seem the least important thing to do on your official moving day, but remember that your phone holds a lot of the information required to settle in successfully. For this reason, ensure you charge your phone fully before you set foot in your new property.

You don’t want to be left unable to check where your moving van is located, or the instructions your estate agent/housebuilder provided you with about pre-set alarms, or information on how the current water and heating works.

To make sure your phone has enough power for this important day, simply:

Charge your phone overnight (the night before you move).
Charge a power bank overnight for portable charging the next day.
Pack your phone charger into your “moving-in-day” bag.

Pack essentials into a dedicated “moving-in-day” bag

When moving day finally arrives, you don’t want to be at a loose end trying to find essentials like your daily medication or phone charger, especially amongst all of the boxes you’ll be in charge of. And one of our really useful tips for moving day is to plan and pack an essentials bag the night before you officially move in.

These are the things to pack in your moving-in-day bag:

Your house keys.
Your smartphone.
A spare set of clothes.
Phone charger/power bank.
A bottle of water - to keep you hydrated.
Any daily medication you need to take.
A pack of cleaning wipes, to clean up any last-minute spills/new surfaces.
Speaker/headphones – so you can listen to music while you unload boxes.
Toiletries you’ll need quick access to, e.g. toilet roll, deodorant or makeup remover.

Remember to take your moving-in-day bag in the car with you, too. Don’t place it in the back of your car/van with your moving boxes, as this is your point-of-call for storing all of your essential items.

Walk around your old property one last time

It seems obvious but before you can start pastures new, you need to ensure nothing you intend to take with you is still stored in your current home. Our advice would be to take a quick walk around each room before you step outside and lock the front door for the very last time.

Of course, if you do forget something, you’ll likely get it back, but this can be a long, drawn-out process, and if it’s a larger item, you might face redelivery costs from the new occupier.

We’d also recommend making a checklist of each of the rooms and what to check for, either on your phone or in a notebook. Then, once you’ve checked over each one, you can cross it out/tick it off. This gives you peace of mind that you did definitely check you packed your iron from the spare room, or your spare washing detergent in your extension.

The questions to ask on moving day

When you arrive at your new home, it’s important to ask the questions you need to while people who have lived there, property developers or housebuilders are present. This saves you from worrying about how to work out new systems and ensures everything is readily available to you.

So, ask the following questions:

Where is the thermostat? This saves you time trying to locate it yourself.
Where is the boiler stored? This means you have the information needed to access the heating and water.
Where is the electric/gas metre stored? As you’ll need to know this information when you take your first metre reading.
Will we need to register for a parking permit? You (or your removal van) don’t want to be fined for moving into your property, so this is really important to know.
Which energy supplier is responsible for this property? This makes your journey to changing bills a lot smoother.
What are the names of the neighbours? This ensures you can make a good impression on the people you’ll be sharing the neighbourhood with.

Now you know all of the top tips for moving day, you’ll feel a lot more confident about it!

And if you enjoyed this helpful moving day guide, we’ve got a whole collection of blogs on similar topics, over on our home-buying advice hub. This includes informative articles on sustainable living, such as how to heat your home for less and much more. Explore all of the free information we have to offer and channel it into your home-buying process!