Once you’ve found your swap and made it through the swapping process, you can get moving! When it comes to moving house though, it’s not just about the big things… there can be so many small details to remember. It’s no wonder that there are some things that slip minds. We’ve written this guide to work as a helping hand on moving day.
1. Label boxes
This might sound like an obvious one but when you’re rushing, little things like labelling a box can easily be forgotten. While it seems like a small mistake to make, the impact it can have on your move at the other end can be quite a big one! The last thing you want to do is to spend the following day emptying boxes, not knowing what needs to go where.
Label your boxes in marker pen with the name of the room they are to be put in when unloading as well as what’s in it. Mark any box with fragile items inside clearly, so you know which ones need extra care. You could also mark anything that’s got items in it that you’ll need to use in the first days in the new home with ‘Essentials’.
2. Use the right packing materials
Not using the right packing material can lead to a number of problems, the biggest one being risk of damage. Boxes that aren’t strong enough can easily collapse, or bin bags of clothes can tear open, leaving your items broken or damaged. Boxes or bags that don’t close properly can also mean your items get damaged if you’re moving in bad weather.
Underestimating the amount of stuff you’re trying to move and how many trips it will take you to get there is also a common problem. It’s always hard to work out how many boxes you’re really going to need, so it’s always best to overestimate! Get in touch with a removal company and see if they have any second hand boxes they could give you for a small price, or try going to clothes shops and see if they have any old boxes left over from deliveries.
3. Be careful what you do and don’t pack!
Once you get into the swing of packing it can be hard to stop – and while that’s good, try not to get carried away and pack things you might actually need on the day of the move! Particularly watch for this if you’ve got ‘helpers’ packing with you who don’t really know what you want to take with you.
Always work out first what you’ll be needing in the days leading up to the move and on move day itself. This could be simple things like a change of clothes, toilet rolls, a wash bag and towels, phone chargers and some food, or more important things like passports, jewellery and laptops. Make a list of the things you’ll need immediate access to at your new house and when it comes to packing this stuff, put it in a completely separate bag or box and label it as ‘Essentials’, so you know easily how to find it when you get to the other end.
Equally, make sure you know what’s yours to take from your current home. If you’ve been living there for a number of years it can be easy to think that something is yours, when in fact it was already there and actually belongs to your landlord.
4. Plan to avoid moving on a Friday
Unless you really can’t avoid it, try as hard as you can not to move on a Friday. It might be tempting to deliberately plan your move so that you have the weekend to sort your house out but remember that your new landlord may well be closed over the weekend. This means that if there are any problems with your new home when you get there, they may not be able to be fixed until the following Monday, leaving you with these issues for two days!
If you have to move on a Friday though, don’t panic. Make sure you’ve got back up plans in case things go wrong and if possible, arrange with friends or family beforehand to stay with them if any issues come to light.
5. Collect all the right keys from the previous owners
Make sure you check in advance with your new landlord and the current tenants of the house that you’re moving into, whether there are any extra keys that you’ll need on moving day. Don’t forget about things like windows, sheds, conservatories, garages and garden gates, or you might find yourself in a tricky situation on your first day in the house!
6. Check that everywhere has been properly cleared when you leave.
Again, it might sound obvious, but making sure you’ve packed everything before your move is always a good idea. When you’re concentrating on the important things you use all the time, it’s easy to overlook the cupboard under the stairs, the loft and even any items in the garden shed – especially if you’re moving in a hurry!
Do a proper walkthrough of your house once you think everything’s out, open all the cupboards and drawers and don’t forget the loft and any outside spaces – don’t just quickly glance in the rooms! Don’t forget to check things that were hanging on walls too, clocks are one of the most common things accidentally left behind!
There you have it, our guide to the smaller, easily forgotten items when moving house. For a guide on the bigger things to remember, take a look at our article here
The HomeSwapper Customer Support team are always on hand to give advice and tips on how to get the most from HomeSwapper. They deal with Swappers every day and have a unique insight and view on the thousands of successful swaps that take place on HomeSwapper.
