When you’re moving house there can be hundreds of things to think about. Liaising with vendors and buyers through estate agents and solicitors, mortgage arrangements, packing, thinking about the move itself… it’s no wonder it can start to feel overwhelming at times. It doesn’t help that much of the moving process is out of your hands – there isn’t much you can do to speed up waiting for searches or for other parts of the chain to get sorted.

That’s why it’s good to get the bits you are in control of organised and ready to go, so you feel like you’re getting somewhere! We have a full step by step guide to moving house here, which is really helpful to make sure you’re on track.

But we thought it might be handy to put our top five suggestions for things you can get sorted in advance, which you can tick off your checklist and feel good about!

1. Speak to a removals company – we would put this first of course, but make sure you have a removal company sorted as soon as possible. We can get very booked up at certain times and Fridays are always the most popular days. Get in touch to organise a quote and we can discuss getting you booked in – even if you’re not sure about move date yet. Best not to risk missing out by leaving it too late. Remember to always choose a BAR (British Association of Removers) registered removal firm for peace of mind.
2. Let everyone know – it can take a while to change your address on everything. Some you may not want to do in advance, so make sure you have a list with contact details to include financial organisations, insurance companies, government bodies, healthcare providers, utilities, phones, work, schools, friends and family. Get a mail redirection service organised at the Post Office to ensure if any are missed, you’re not caught out. Make sure utilities are aware and you know what to do with final/initial meter readings.
3. The big clear out – there’s bound to be things you don’t need to take to your new home. So, start having a clear out as soon as possible – wardrobes, kitchen cupboards, lofts, garages and under the stairs cupboards included! Don’t forget things like starting to use up food in the freezer and cupboards – you won’t be able to transport frozen food and so you don’t want it going to waste. Don’t leave the clear out until you’re packing when it all becomes more stressful.
4. Start packing – or at least start thinking about packing. You might decide you want to use a packing service such as the one we provide. If so, we would come and take a look and advise you how it would work. A packing service can save you a lot of time and stress – we’re super quick and make sure everything is packed safely and securely. If you’re doing it yourself, start early – pack up items you rarely use as far in advance as possible, such as those in your loft or kitchen equipment, to spread it out. Make sure you have all the packing materials you need – get good quality moving boxes. Remember to label boxes clearly.
5. Think about move day plans – if you have pets and young children you might want to think about what will happen with them on move day. It’s often easier if they can be looked after elsewhere so they don’t get upset or underfoot – or bored! Think about other things like whether it’s likely to be wet and muddy (we do live in the UK) – have you got some way of protecting your carpets? What items are being left for the new owners, and will it be clear to a removals team? Will any furniture need dismantling or white goods need disconnecting?

With a bit of planning and professional help, a move needn’t be so stressful after all!