Insurance

Organising a Home Move? Here's How to Make It a Piece of Cake

Moving home is a stressful experience which can be made much easier with a little forward planning. It is well worth spending the extra time to get everything properly organised and to alleviate those last minute panics.

Do it yourself or hire the professionals?

One of the first things to do will be to arrange how you are going to move, as to whether you will hire a van or hire professional movers to do it for you. It is obviously a lot cheaper to move yourself, but it's worth taking a good hard look at all your stuff and asking yourself if it's feasible to do it yourself. It may well be possible if you live a minimalist existence, or if you have a small army of willing helpers, but you should try to calculate how many trips it will take with an average sized van, and then ask yourself if your back is up to it.

There is no denying the professionals are more expensive, but they will be able to move all your possessions in one hit, and while they are busy loading up you can get on with all the last minute details such as cleaning the home for the new owners.

Packing up

If you have hired a firm to move you then they will be able to supply you with boxes, or you can buy them from storage companies, or beg them from your local supermarket. Its fine to wrap some of the items in newspaper, but think about buying a supply of clean white paper from the removal firm for your kitchen china and cutlery as this saves washing everything when you unpack. Purchase a supply of bubble wrap for delicate items, and a tape gun will save a lot of time when assembling the boxes. Be sure not to over pack boxes, especially with heavy items such as books. Many removal firms will supply boxes specifically designed for books as they are a lot shallower, and they also have special boxes for clothes which are long enough to take a full-length coat or dress.

It's well worth starting to pack as soon as you can, as it will probably take longer than you think. This is also a great chance for a clear out, as its really not worth taking all the stuff you have had in storage for the last ten years to your new home so it can spend another ten years without seeing the light of day. Label each box after you have packed it, and indicate which room it needs to go in at your new home. You may want to list the contents, especially for those boxes that need to be opened first.

Moving checklist of everyone you need to contact:

1. Utilities; you will need to arrange for the meters to be read on the moving day at both your old and new addresses and will need your account number handy when you phone although you will want to take your own meter reading on the moving day

2. Council tax;have your account details and your new address to hand as they will need to know where to send any rebate if you are moving out of the area

3. Telephone; remember to arrange connection at your new home

4. Mobile phone

5. Cable or satellite services including any Internet connection

6. TV license; you can update this online up to 3 months in advance

7. Vehicle registration and driving license; you can change your details online with the DVLA

8. Bank and building society

9. Content and buildings insurance; be sure to arrange contents and buildings insurance for your new home

10. Inland Revenue

11. National Insurance

12. Credit cards

13. Pensions

14. Savings plans

15. Life insurance

16. Your employer

17. Post office redirection services can be arranged over the Internet for a period of three, six or twelve months

18. Contact your doctor, dentist and optician to let them know your new address

19. If you have pets try to arrange for someone else to look after them during the move and have new name and address tags made

20. Send out change of address cards to friends and family or better still do it by e-mail

Three days before you move:

Do any last-minute laundry and make sure that you can either disconnect your washing machine yourself or arrange for a plumber to come in and do it. It's quite possible that a moving firm will do it for you but it's almost certainly not in the job description. Defrost the freezer and start to clear out your fridge. Have a chilly bin or cool bag ready to transport any remaining food items on the day.

Pack an overnight bag with all toiletries you need and the change of clothes and towels. Make sure you have a good supply of tissues and toilet rolls and light bulbs. Pack anything that is especially valuable such as jewellery and documents so they can go in the car with you on the day.

Check with your neighbours to ensure that the removal van will have adequate parking outside your old and new homes. Find out where and when you can pick up the keys and where to drop off your old keys.

One day before you move:

Take down any curtains and fixtures and fittings you are taking with you, and also dismantle any pieces of self-assembly furniture. Do any last-minute bits of packing.

Pack a box of cleaning materials and put aside your vacuum cleaner so that you can clean your old home and also give you a new one a quick once over before beginning to unpack. It's also a good idea to pack a box containing coffee, tea, sugar and biscuits and cold drinks along with a kettle and mugs.

Day of the move:

Strip the beds and mark the box clearly. Finish packing all your toiletries so that you can clear everything out of the bathroom, clean it and shut the door. Load up your car with everything you want to take with you so that it does not end up accidentally being packed in the van, and clear out your fridge. Once the removal van arrives then walk around your home with the foreman to make sure they know exactly what is going. Put the kettle on and expect to make an awful lot of tea as moving home is well known to be incredibly thirsty work.

Once they have packed up a room it makes sense to get in there as quickly as possible and start cleaning. Make sure you check in any cupboards or drawers for any missed items so that once you have freshened the room up you can shut the door. In next to no time your entire home will be fully packed and cleaned. Walk around your home one final time to ensure everything has been packed before the van leaves. All that will remain is to wait for the phone call from the solicitors, read the meters, drop off and collect your new keys and move on.