Can moving house affect your relationship?

Almost three-quarters of Britons (74.5%) saying they have experienced relationship problems after moving home with a significant other, with this figure increasing to 87% for those moving in together for the first time.

For couples moving in together for the first time, the top causes of conflict are adjusting to new habits (29%), lack of personal space (24%) and financial disagreements (13%). For couples who were already cohabiting, disagreements over what to throw away/bring to new property was the top cause of conflict (34%), with financial disagreements coming in second (24%) followed by move related stress (21%).

There were also some more unusual sources of stress. One respondent said she didn’t like splitting the food bill because her boyfriend was a frequent gym goer who “ate everything in sight.”

Regan Mcmillan, director of Kiwi Movers says: “We see firsthand the stresses couples deal with when moving. Aside from the obvious ones like getting their belongings safely to the new place and fitting furniture into new spaces, many are concerned about things they can’t control, like retrieving their deposits promptly and getting important mail delivered.

“It’s understandable that some stress and friction lingers after the move. Regarding the most common causes of friction, we advise clients to agree before the move what to throw out and what to keep, rather than adding it into the post-move mix."

Make sure you have a pre-move plan in place for how to deal with situations when they arise. Have a clear idea for how to manage money and chores, and make sure you support each other.

It does appear however, that practice makes perfect – the research showed that the more times a couple move together, the less likely they were to experience relationship problems.