Moving home is routinely regarded as one of the most stressful experiences of anyone’s life, and that’s usually because they’re so much to remember. You have the natural inclination to avoid change combined with the hassle of the day. However, it doesn’t have to be the massively stressful event that it often is. Here are five quick tips to make your house move less stressful.
Itemize your items
Make sure you have a list of every major item that you own, ranging from large pieces of furniture right down to key appliances in the kitchen. This makes it easier to divide up items by room so that when you offload them, everyone knows what goes where. For things like beds and wardrobes, add a very brief description so that it goes into the right bedroom.
Similarly, it’s easy to distribute this task to each member of the household. You can also go one step further and number each box, writing a brief description of the contents next to that number on your list for much the same purpose.
Take lots of photos
Take photos of the state of each item before it heads to the new house, and definitely take photos of the wiring setup of each device. For complex wiring setups, such as computers, it can save a lot of time when setting them back up, and the same applies to TVs, especially when they have consoles, DVD players, set-top boxes and so on attached them.
Taking lots of photos also acts as evidence should any damage occur during transit. Insurers generally only offer contents insurance on your belongings during transit if they are being moved by a professional moving company, and photos before and after can help settle any disputes, particularly if the item in question is valuable.
Mark out zones for rubbish
Particularly when it comes to clothing, it’s easy to accidentally throw out the wrong items if everything is in black bin liners. This means you need to mark out clear zones for rubbish, recycling and items that need to go to a charity shop before you start. Even better, use different colours of bag for rubbish and charity shop items so that you can see at a glance what needs to go where.
Book your removal van in advance
Removal companies get busy, particularly during the summer, so it pays to book them at least three or four weeks in advance – preferably even further ahead. This also allows you to get ready ahead of time, and it also allows a representative from the company to view your property to give you an accurate quote. In addition, you can find out what the removal company will do for you, such as packing, carrying and so on- definitely worth looking into if you’re moving specialist items like grand pianos
Find out more: Why should you compare removal companies?
Ensure ease of access
If you are in a narrow street and parking is limited, you may need to block off a section so that you can get the removal van in and out, otherwise it’s going to be a very tedious day. Talk to your neighbours so that they know what’s happening, and ensure that if you need to apply for any parking permits, you do so in advance.
A house move doesn’t have to be particularly stressful, especially when you plan it in advance. For more help, check out our Moving home checklist. These tips will help it to go off without a hitch – we hope!