Moving house checklist: Top to do's

Once you’ve found your new home, exchanged contracts and have a date in mind to complete, it’s time to move! Discover our handy checklist on some of the key things to remember when moving home:

2 months before the move:

• Research your new area to find out about what schools, shops, and other facilities are in the vicinity.
• If you have children who will be moving schools, make sure they have all the supplies they need (e.g. uniform).
• Make sure to confirm your moving date, and put notice in with your landlord (if you are renting).

6 weeks before the move:

• Begin cleaning out closets, drawers and the loft – it’s time to declutter and decide what you need to take to the new property, and what can be taken to the charity shop or sold.
• Choose a removal company (if required) and get removals quotes, make sure you only take your essential possessions as the less you have to move, the cheaper the removal company will be!

1 month before the move:

• Order some boxes/crates to package your belongings.
• Confirm that you have the required days booked off of work.
• Ensure that you have everything you will need for the move, such as tape for packaging and larger transportation if required.
• Begin packing up rooms that aren’t used very often, this will make it easier for you as you won’t have as much to pack up on the moving day. Don’t forget to label each box as it will make it much easier to organise your belongings in your new property.

2 weeks before the move:

• Arrange for someone to look after your pets/children for the moving day.
• If required, make sure that your friends and family are free to help you move on the day.
• Cancel any services you receive (e.g. magazine subscriptions), or arrange for them to be sent to your new address.
• Make a list of where everything is in your new home and ask the sellers where the essentials such as the fuse box, thermostat, gas and electricity meters and stop clock are prior to moving.

1 week before the move:

• Finish as much packing as possible to make it easier for yourself, ensure that the boxes are labelled and in an order which will make unpacking them simple, such as room by room.
• Make certain that you have all of the keys to your current house (don’t forget to grab spare keys from friends/family as these all need to be handed to the new owners).
• Give the post office your new address and organise mail forwarding
• Book a time to get your new keys from your estate agent.
• Defrost and empty the fridge-freezer, it must be dry before moving.
• Ensure that all your friends and family know your new address.
• Compile a help sheet for the new owners of your old house (if someone is moving in), include things like how to use the boiler, where the fuse box is, and anything about your alarms. Make sure to label all of the keys too eg. back door, loft window etc.

The day before the move:

• Do a final check around your old house, verify that nothing has been forgotten.
• Don’t forget to fully charge your phone, having it run out of battery would only cause more stress!
• Strip the beds (unless you’re using them) and pack up the sheets.

On the moving day:

• Transport all of the boxes containing fragile or important items in your car, don’t let the removals team pack it as it could get broken.
• Leave all of the keys to your old house arranged for the new owners, don’t forget any garage or window keys as well as the door keys.
• Ensure that all the plug sockets are switched off.
• Check the packing inventory after the removal team has packed everything, confirm that everything is accounted for. You should do this again once you arrive at the new house to make certain that nothing has been lost or forgotten.

When you’re in your new home:

• Move in all the furniture before moving in the boxes, this way you will have the right amount of space for everything.
• Check that all of the keys for your new house work for doors, windows, sheds and any other access.
• Tell the removals company which items go where.
• Look around for anything the old owners may have left behind and return anything you find to them.
• Don’t start unpacking everything! Begin with making the beds so you know that you will have a nice place to sleep once the day is over. This should help reduce your stress.
• Try using the heating/boiler; the quicker you learn how to use the new system, the better. If you’re not sure how to use them, ask your estate agent for help.
• Ensure that anyone who is moving in with you (particularly small children) have their bed and room sorted as much as possible. Remember that it will take a bit of time for your children to get comfortable with the new space, so be patient.
• To make things easier for both you and your pets, try keeping them away from the new house until everything has been unpacked and put into place.
• Plug in all of your large appliances (e.g. dishwasher, washing machine, etc.)
• When time allows, make sure everything that was agreed in your contract is present, such as white goods.

Extra tips:

• If you have a floor plan of the new house, colour code each room to correspond with your boxes. Doing so will make it much easier for you and the removals company to put all of the boxes in the right rooms.
• Leave a spare box for the morning of the moving day. You can put all of your essentials in it once you’ve finished using them in the morning. It would be helpful to leave this box for things like your toothbrush, hairbrush, phone chargers, medicine (if required), and anything else you class as a must have. Also, make sure that you transport this box in your car. if you let the removals company take it you may not get your essentials back for a while as they unload everything.
• If you have children that are older, let them organise their own room. It may help them feel more comfortable in the new home.
• Pack a bag for your kettle, mugs, tea bags/coffee, and snacks for the day you arrive. After bringing in all the boxes you may want a tea break!
• Leave all of the unpacking until the day after you have first moved in, if you try to get everything done all on the first day it could be more difficult.

Find your new house with Zoom995

If you’re still looking for your new home, search our properties for sale in Crawley and the surrounding areas, and if you’ve found it and need help with your finances and arranging a mortgage, please contact our financial services.

At Zoom995 we’re with you every step of the way helping with our expert, local advice. Visit our Crawley offices or call us on 0333 358 3095.