How to move house without the hassle in 10 easy steps

Clean up

It’s a kindness and good karma to leave the place as clean as possible. Personally, and I know I’m very sentimental, I think it’s a final act of gratitude for the home that hosted you.

Put the essentials aside

Make sure you pack everything you need for the first week and keep those boxes and crates away from the more generic packaging. This will make the transition to your new home a lot less stressful.

• dress
• toiletries
• medication
• Everything you need for work, such as e.g. laptops
• Your children’s favorite toy
• Remote controls, charging cables and all that nonsense
• Keep all your valuables and all important papers with you – don’t let them get confused with the general packaging

…And some treats too

On this day you will be grateful for:

• Tea, coffee, milk, soft drinks
• Kettles, cups or teacups and saucers – no need to neglect your standards
• Cookies and other snacks
• A few plates and cutlery, maybe a pan or two to heat up something simple like soup
• Toilet roll for the new house

make a plan

Make sure you know which room in your new home will house all of your important furniture pieces. It’s not a decision you want to make that day.

If possible, get ahead of the movers, put a number on each door, and sketch a floor plan to stick on the wall by the door. This allows you to control the process more quickly. It’s much easier to say, “The sofa that weighs as much as a car that’s perched precariously on your shoulders goes in room two” than “This goes in the dining room.” You have no idea which one is the dining room.

Sort out the keys

Leave your own keys in the house, but also collect all the keys of your neighbors, friends and family and leave them in the house as well.

Disable your alert code and maybe ask your shoppers if you’d like you to assign them a temporary code. (Notify surveillance company).

Provide a forwarding address

Don’t forget to forward your mail and unsubscribe from any regular deliveries or subscriptions.

Make sure you notify utilities, banks, and insurers (including pet insurers), and most importantly, update the address associated with your pet’s microchip. Also contact your local council to get your final tax return.

Say goodbye

Leave a welcome message and maybe some flowers or a bottle of wine for the new owners. It’s a kindness most people appreciate, and it’s a nice way to leave your home with good dignity.

It’s also helpful to include things like the day of the garbage can, the details of trusted window cleaners, cleaners, dry cleaners, pizza delivery people, and so on.