Moving house can be more than just a bit of a hassle, to say the least. The combined physical, mental and logistical strain can be a lot to deal with on top of life’s other responsibilities, and it’s important that you do all you reasonably can to limit that stress.
Having a clear checklist to guide the move can help make sure you don’t forget anything important, while also ensuring you spread the tasks out over a longer period of time.
From decluttering to actually moving your belongings, here’s what your moving home checklist has to include.
Decluttering + general assessment
One of the first things to include in your moving home checklist is a general declutter and assessment of what it is that you’re working with before researching who to book with. This is because residential moving services in Irvine, CA will need to know what exactly you need to be moved so that they can account for the people power and the time to allocate when pricing the job but also so that you’re not paying to take items with you that you really don’t want or need.
You don’t want to end up moving belongings that you haven’t used for 5 years, and will likely never use again. Be brutally honest with yourself, donating, selling and throwing items away wherever possible.
While you do this, you can also assess more generally how much stuff you’ll have to move. This will help you later on, when working out how much storage you’ll need at your new home and what size removals van to use.
Booking key services
As soon as you know your actual moving date, it’s worth booking in a removals company like Bright Movers, along with any other key services you might need.
Good services can get booked up months in advance, and it can make a huge impact on your overall experience of the move if you have the right help.
Admin tasks
A big part of your moving checklist will include sorting out a number of administrative tasks. These will include:
- Switching over your utilities (gas, electric, water and wifi).
- Changing council tax accounts.
- Updating both your electoral record and your driving license with the DVLA.
- Redirecting mail.
- Updating your address with your bank, insurance providers, and any other relevant parties.
Try to spread these tasks out at least a little bit, so that you’re not left with a horrible slog of computer tasks at the very last minute.
Packing + moving
One of the last steps in this process will be to actually pack and move your belongings. Packing should ideally be spread out over a few weeks; gradually start to box up the items that you use infrequently, so that by the final few days, all that’s left are your daily use items.
Slowly take your furniture apart, again, leaving items like beds until the final few days. Make sure that, where possible, none of the items are too heavy or cumbersome to move or carry up and down flights of stairs.
When making your moving checklist, try to go beyond the templates and pointers you’ll find online. You may also need to include more specific tasks, such as arranging for childcare or finding somewhere for your cat to stay for the weekend. Go through everything that needs to get done, and then leave enough time to take care of it comfortably.
