If you’re never moved before this blog is for you! Our moving home tips blog is packed full of useful information and ideas. Perfect for first-time buyers moving house. We discuss all the moving home stages from a practical point of view starting with giving notice if you live in a rented property.
Give notice to your landlord
It is always worth giving as much notice as possible to your landlord – but the actual notice requirement will depend on your rental agreement. An average completion takes 8 weeks with Attwells Solicitors but your conveyancer will be able to offer you more advice regarding moving dates as this depends on the chain you are in.
Finalise your moving date: when do I start packing?
Once contracts are signed, you will then arrange a moving date.
Once you have a moving date you will need to confirm notice with your landlord if you are renting. This would be an ideal time to book time off work, book a removal service or ask friends if they are available to help you. You may also wish to arrange childcare or a place for your pet/pets to stay.
If you decide to use a removal company then check whether they offer additional services such as insurance and storage. Make sure that the removal company belongs to the British Association of removers and book your van at least 3 weeks prior to your moving date.
If you are moving now is a good time to start collecting boxes, your local supermarket or local shop may be able to supply you with some. We would recommend you start packing decorative, out of season, and other items you rarely use.
Make sure you label the boxes and keep your Fixtures Fittings and Contents Form to hand. You would have completed this form prior to signing your contract, therefore you are contract bound to leave the items agreed upon in this form.
Move your broadband and television?
Nowadays most people don’t have a home telephone. However, you will have a landline if you have broadband. Depending on where you are moving to you may not need to change your broadband provider. We would recommend you call your broadband provider up as early as possible to discuss your options. BT requires at least 2 weeks’ notice and may have to install a new line.
Depending on demand some TV and entertainment platform providers may require some notice to book an engineer’s visit. Also, explore if the current provider operates at your new address.
Both Sky and Virgin will require your moving date and new address to check coverage. You may also be asked to clear your outstanding balance. Sky charge an up-front one-off payment of £35 for installing your Sky TV on a weekday, a weekend is slightly more costing £50. It’s also worth noting they charge for missing your appointment, canceling or rescheduling on the day too. This is £25 and will be added to your next bill.
Virgin Media charges a £20 movers fee to transfer your service to your new address.
Two weeks to go! Don’t panic!
Start running down your freezer and cupboards, items such as tins of baked beans or shower gel can take up a lot of room. It may also be worth measuring furniture to see what will fit down the stairs or out of the front door. Some flat pack items are not designed to be taken apart, so please be mindful. Equally, you may only need to partly dismantle some items, for example taking the legs off your bed.
How to notify or change your utility suppliers?
Firstly, you will need to check who supplies your new home. You can find this information out via www.findmysupplier.energy. U Switch also offers a postcode searching system, so you can find the best deal for your needs.
You need to call your gas and electric supplier at least 48 hours before you are due to move. They will ask you for your moving date and your new address so they can send you a final bill.
On the day we recommend you take a photo of your meters – gas, electric, and water. This will offer you proof of usage with a time and date should you need it.
Once you have moved you can call them supplying them with your final meter reading or you can inform them of this via their website.
7 days to go!
Prior to the big day finish off packing non-day-to-day items. Keep all your boxes in one room and if possible, note which ones are heavy. If you have any direct debits linked to your old home cancel them, likewise remember to cancel any regular orders, such as newspapers or milk.
Changing your address?
When you move, you’ll need to inform several organisations as well as family and friends of your move. Your place of work, your bank, insurance, pension, and credit card providers will all need to know. Along with your council (for council ta
x), the nice people at TV Licensing, your doctor and other health care providers, the DVLA, and benefit providers such as Working Tax Credits.
The Post Office does offer a useful re-direct service, alternatively, you could provide your buyers with a bundle of pre-paid envelopes to forward any mail. This method would be suitable for letters, however, parcels could be an issue, so remember to change your eBay account, Amazon, and any other online shopping providers.
The day before your move – What should you do?
The day before your move you should defrost your fridge freezer. Place towels and a bowl to capture the water. Please let your appliance defrost naturally. Once you have moved your fridge freezer you will need to let it stand for at least 30 minutes, 1 hour to be safe. This gives the gases inside time to settle.
We would also recommend disconnecting large appliances such as washing machines – remember to fit transit bolts if required.
Another great tip is to pack a survival box for your new home. Including items such as a kettle, tea/coffee, and a toilet roll.
On the day of the move
You will need to turn off electricity, gas, and water supplies at the mains and take a final meter reading as suggested above. If the property is going to be vacant for a while drain the water system too. Finally, lock all windows and doors, make one last check, and say goodbye to your old home!
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