Moving home checklist

It’s said that moving house is one of the most stressful life events a person can go through, ranking just behind divorce. But why? 

The truth is, it’s not the move itself that’s so bad – but instead all of the ‘life admin’ that comes with it. There’s plenty that can go wrong, and you don’t want to lose any precious time or money in the process of moving into your dream home.

Before you panic, take a deep breath and read our moving house checklist containing what you need to do to keep a cool head on moving day. 

Get protected 

If you’re buying a new home, consider safeguarding the fees you’ve spent in the process of purchasing your property.

Unfortunately, 1 in 4 house sales fall through in the UK – if yours ends up being one of them, you don’t want to be left out of pocket for thousands of pounds in conveyancing, survey and lender fees when you could be covered from as little as £69 with our Home Buyers Protection Insurance. 

Start packing early

A few weeks before your move, purchase some moving boxes and strong parcel tape. You’ll need around 30 boxes to move the contents of a three-bedroom house. Don’t skimp on the quality of your moving boxes – you don’t want the bottoms falling out on moving day! 

Nominate one room as the ‘packing room’, where you’ll store the boxes to be gradually packed in the weeks leading up to the move to minimise disruption to your household. Label each box – even if it’s just the room it belongs in.

De-clutter

Take the opportunity to go through your possessions and chuck anything you don’t need. Be ruthless – if you haven’t used it in a year, you don’t need it. 

You can sell old clothes and kids toys online – or donate them to your local charity shop.

Book your removal vehicle

Again, aim to sort your removal transport a few weeks in advance. Make enquiries with different companies – you’ll get a quote based on the amount of stuff you’ll be moving and whether you want help with the heavy lifting (you will!) 

Agree on a final price and make sure you get written confirmation. 

Inform the council

Let the council know which date you’ll be moving. They’ll send you a final council tax bill – or, if you’re lucky, a refund. If you aren’t moving out of the local council catchment area, you’ll still need to do this.

Then, get in touch with your new local authority and inform them you’re moving into the area and will soon be paying council tax, and they’ll set up a new account for you.

Change your address

There are plenty of organisations who need to know you’ve moved. These include:

• your bank, building society or credit card company
• the DVLA
• car insurance provider
• pension provider 
• your employer
• HMRC

Also, update the billing and shipping addresses for any online retailers you use, like PayPal, eBay and Amazon.

Sort your telephone, broadband and TV

You may be carrying your existing telephone and broadband service over to your new property, in which case you need to inform the company. They’ll check whether your new place has compatibility with your existing modem and arrange for an engineer to visit if it doesn’t.

If you are setting up with a new provider, try to arrange this before you move, as you may also need an engineer to visit to install hardware, which can take a couple of weeks. 

If you’re caught short without internet while waiting, a portable hotspot that you can top-up with data offers a temporary solution.

TV Licensing

Everyone who watches TV – including laptops or mobile – needs a TV license. 

Chances are, you’ll find an envelope from the TV Licensing company on your doormat when you move, with simple instructions to go online and purchase a license or declare none needed. Don’t put this off – you can get a £1000 fine for illegal TV viewing.

Find new healthcare services

Use the ‘Find a GP’ service on the NHS website and enter your new postcode to locate a GP practice in your new catchment area. There is a waiting list of several weeks to get registered in many places in the UK, so don’t delay. 

If you’re relatively close to your old dentist, you don’t have to switch if you’re happy with them. If you’re moving a long way away, use the NHS website’s ‘Find a Dentist’ service to choose a new one.

Pets

If you’re relocating with furry (or feathered) friends, be sure to scope out a veterinarian with good reviews in your local area. 

If you haven’t moved too far, you might not wish to change your pet’s vet. However, ensure you update the address details on their microchip database if they go missing when exploring their new area.

Redirect your mail

Not everyone chooses to do this, but you can redirect your post with the Royal Mail to ensure you don’t miss any important correspondence. 

You can do this online from £33.99 on the Royal Mail website, with a choice to redirect post for up to 12 months.

Sort your gas and electricity

Whether your new home runs on gas or electric or both, you’ll need to open an account to pay your future bills. Find out which provider serves your new property (you can check this online) and give them a call or go online to set up a new account. 

It’s also a good idea to locate your meters to read them and take a photo of them when you move in.

One last thing - on moving day, have a box with the bare essentials – that means kettle, mugs, milk, teabags, snacks, loo roll, toothbrush, toothpaste and phone chargers – to stop you needing to dig around in your packed boxes in the midst of the chaos. 

If you’ve checked off everything on this moving home list, then congratulations! You’ve already gone a long way towards taking the stress out of moving house for yourself and your family. If you want to learn more about our insurances, please get in touch today.