The Really Helpful Moving Checklist
Things You Might Not Have Considered When Moving House
Moving house can be a stressful time, thankfully we’ve put together this helpful moving checklist to make things a little easier. There’s so many things to keep track of, so many things to organise and then there’s the endless hours of packing. No one would blame you for forgetting a few things. If you’re moving for the first time in a while we recommend our basic helpful moving checklist as a jumping off point for organising your move. This list includes some things that may not seem obvious.
Forwarding Your Mail
After you’ve moved, the last thing you need is to add a missed bill to your list of problems. Australia Post offers a mail redirection service that automatically forwards mail to your new address, giving you time to focus on the more hands-on moving activities like packing.
Changing Your Address On Your Driver’s License
Changing your address on your license is another thing that should be done soon after moving. Certain states offer fines for wrong information on drivers licenses, so best to get it out of the way quickly and avoid another unwanted cost.
Plan Your New Commute
After a big weekend of lugging boxes and settling into your new home, the last thing you need is to be late for work on a Monday morning. If you haven’t worked out the best way to get to work from your new house, it’s best to do so in advance, and maybe even give yourself an extra 15 minutes or so just in case!
When you are driving home for the first few weeks – remember you have moved.
Extra Inspections On Your New Home
When you move into a new house you may want to organise extra inspections as well as the standard building inspection. Things like inspections for asbestos and termites can be very important if you are considering renovations at any point. Likewise a wiring inspection from an electrician can help you nip potential electrical problems in the bud, and make sure you don’t have to deal with them while you’re living in the house.
Disconnect The Power At Your Old Property
It’s best to be proactive about power when you move into a new house. Nobody wants to go without power (or wifi in this modern age) for a few days. But in all the hustle and bustle of setting up a new house it can be easy to forget to cancel your old power connection. You could end up giving some other relocators a potentially expensive housewarming gift.
Pool Fencing
It can be far from the front of your mind when moving house, but having adequate pool fencing is essential. This is doubly important if you have small children.
Check Council Rates Are In Your Name
If you’ve bought, it’s prudent to check that the council rates of your new property are in your name. Like it or not they have to be paid and a late payment can land you with a nasty fine.
Make Sure You Drive Home To The Right House!
When driving home from work make sure you go the right direction. After a long day you can be tired and revert to habit. However if you don’t realise you’re going the wrong way in peak hour traffic you could find taking much longer than expected!
Request Time Off In Advance
If you lead a busy lifestyle, moving house will add much more stress to your plate. Often people move on the weekend. If possible take off Monday or Friday to give yourself a 3 day weekend. An extra day can give you a lot of time to get more things done, leaving you with less on your mind when you do get back to work.
Get Rid Of Excess Items
There’s a huge amount of extra items you may want to shed ahead of time. Be it food, furniture, bathroom supplies, clothes or even old kids toys, if you have unwanted items it’s best to be rid of them before the move. Some handy ways you can do this are by having a garage sale, donating to food banks and planning dinners around what’s already in the cupboard.
Plan How to Move Fragile items
There are some items that may require special attention during the move. A variety of things ranging from ceramics to huge things like pianos may require certain measures taken during the move. Make sure you let your moving company know ahead of time and contact any specialist services that may be required.
Pick Up Some Free Boxes
If you plan ahead you’ll be able to find free boxes all round the place in your local community. Supermarkets and Green Grocers often have spare boxes lying around from produce deliveries. You can also find some at places like book stores and restaurants.
Label Boxes With Different Coloured Tape For Each Room
There’s a reason traffic lights use colours instead of words. When you’re inundated with boxes during the move, a bold yellow sticker or piece of tape will stand out more than a label scratched on with a sharpie.
Photograph Your Plugs Before Moving
This one is particularly useful for entertainment enthusiasts. If you have a large stereo and TV setup you can save yourself a lot of hassle by photographing what plug goes where before you leave. The last thing you need after a big moving weekend is to spend hours fiddling with cords just to get the TV working.
Fix Minor Issues With Your Old Place
Do you have a draw that jams or a lock that might not work? Fix this up ahead of time and pay it forward to your old house’s next inhabitants. For renters, this tip might just earn you your bond back!
Pack A Little Bit Every Day Leading Up To The Move
If you know about the move ahead of time you can save yourself the slog of packing everything over a day or two by starting a couple of weeks early. Things like books, spare linen and “the fancy silverware” are not likely to be used at this time anyway.
Backup Your Computer
If there’s one thing you don’t want damaged during your move, it’s the computer. With the amount of time we spend in the digital world these days, it can be a real inconvenience if you lose your computer. You can back it up by using another physical hard drive or a cloud storage service.
Research Your New Local Area
This is doubly important if you’re moving a large distance. Things like local gyms, schools and shops will all be new to you, and it’s not a bad idea to get your bearings before moving in.
Figure Out What To Do With Your Pets And Kids
With all the coming and going involved in moving house it might be easier to not have to worry about where your pets and children are, especially if they’re young. Organising a play date or a trip to grandma’s house can be a cheaper solution. There’s also the option of doggy/regular daycare.
Fill Your Prescriptions
Don’t get caught out. Time is precious during a move and this is something that can easily be prepared beforehand.
Prepare Your Fridge/Freezer
After you’ve unpacked the contents of the fridge, let it defrost ahead of time. You may want to lay down some towels to soak up any leakage.
Get To Know The Neighbours
You’re going to be seeing these people fairly regularly so being on good terms with them is important. Once you’ve moved in it might not be a bad idea to pop over and say hi. A plate of cookies or a case of beer are a couple of ways to make friends fast in these cases.
Photograph Your New Home
If you’re renting, it’s not a bad idea to photograph everything in the house before you move your stuff in. That way you can preempt any disagreements and possibly save your bond when it comes time to move out!
Print Out a Copy of our Helpful Moving Checklist
Reading lists online might seem all well and good, however human memory is a faulty thing and liable to making mistakes. Make sure you grab our incredibly helpful moving checklist so you can physically tick things off as you go. Or use ours as a base and make your own, everyone’s need will be different!