Whether you choose to use professional movers or you decide to undertake your relocation yourself, packing and moving can be a bit of a chore. So, keep reading for 10 essential moving and packing tips you need.
1. Arrange your removals company in plenty of time
We recently looked at the convincing reasons why you might choose to hire a professional removals company to carry out your house move. As well as handling your heavy and bulky items, a removals firm can also help your move go more smoothly and their insurance will typically cover damage to your possessions.
Once you know your moving date, book your removals firm in plenty of time. If you want to move at a weekend, on a bank holiday, or in the school holidays you may find that movers get booked early – so make sure you reserve the date you want.
2. Use your move as an opportunity to have a clearout
Moving home is a great opportunity to clear out unwanted items from your home.
As you start to pack you'll probably realise that you have more unwanted items then you had realised. So, don't pack them and ship them to your new home – take the opportunity to get rid of them.
- Use websites such as Freecycle to donate unwanted items
- Donate clothes or other smaller goods to your local charity store
- Sell more valuable items online
3. Stock up on packing supplies
If you're hiring a removals company then they may have provided you with a range of packing supplies. If not, you'll have to stock up on these yourself. You will need:
- strong and durable boxes in various sizes
- bubble wrap and packing paper
- protective packaging for inside boxes
- sticky tape
- marker pens and labels in order to...
4. Label your boxes
Once you've packed your boxes, it will make things go much more smoothly if you also label them.
On each box, write:
- which room the box is for
- the contents of the box
- whether the box contains any fragile items
Doing this will help the movers unload the lorry, and make it easier for you to unpack.
5. Start packing early
Packing always takes longer than you think. So, once you have decided to move home then it can pay to get packing straight away.
Start with the rooms you use the least. This helps you to minimise the disruption, and it also means that you have a place where you can store other packed boxes.
Try not to overpack your boxes! It’s tempting to fill them up but this can lead to very heavy boxes that are difficult to carry. You also risk boxes falling apart if you've overloaded them! Try and use small boxes for heavier items and bigger boxes for lighter ones.
6. Think about where items will go in your new home
When you're moving home, it's important to think about the final destination of your items in the new property. Where will your washing machine go? Will there be difficulty in getting large furniture up stairs? How big are the rooms? How easy is access from the street to the property?
If you're using a removals company, make sure you discuss any of these issues with them before moving day. If there are any challenges then the removals firm can make arrangements to deal with these rather than you encountering problems when you arrive.
7. Organise your paperwork and documents
When you move home, store all your important paperwork in one well-labelled box for easy access. Items you may want to store in this box include:
- Passports
- House deeds
- Insurance documents
- Wills
Creating electronic copies of important documents by scanning and saving them onto a USB can also help.
To ensure you continue to receive bank statements and other important documents, use the Royal Mail redirection service to forward post from your old property to your new home. Even though you might have let your providers know about your move, there are invariably some things that slip through the net.
8. Sort your utilities
In the stress of a house move it can be easy to forget to take final meter readings, but remembering to do so will make things much easier. Take a photo of the meter reading on your phone so you don't lose any notes you make.
You may be able to register with new utilities in advance of your move. Setting up your electricity, gas, water and broadband can ensure a seamless service.
Remember also to add yourself on the electoral register at your new property, and update any relevant ID, such as your driving licence.
9. Pack an essentials bag on moving day
Even if you're moving locally, it can make things less stressful if you've packed an 'essentials' or overnight bag. This ensures you have all the items you need once you're in your new home. This this bag might include:
- A change of clothes
- Essential toiletries (don't forget toilet roll!)
- Phone chargers
- Food and drink
- Key paperwork you're likely to need
10. Make arrangements for pets and children
What plans have you made for your pets and/or children on moving day?
Moving home can be stressful and there may be lots of workers moving heavy boxes and furniture. If you have young children then it can be a good idea to have someone look after them during moving day. Ask a relative to supervise them or perhaps they could go to a friend's house for the day?
Pets can also find a new environment stressful. Either ask a friend to look after your pet for the day, or book your cat or dog into a local kennels overnight.
When you arrive at your new home it's a good idea to wait for everything to be unloaded before you introduce your pet to their new surroundings. Make sure your pet's bed, food and toys are easily accessible so there is something familiar for them in the new house.