5 tips for moving house smoothly

5 tips for moving house smoothly

Use our expert tips to make moving day go as smoothly as possible

However well you plan moving day, it will be busy and possibly emotional, too. 

It's common that you'll need to be out of your house by 12pm, so it's important to be swift and organised. 

The more last-minute jobs you leave yourself to do on the day, the more likely you are to find it stressful. Here are our top five tips on how to get organised and reduce the stress of moving day.

1. Send kids and pets away for the day

Moving may be stressful for you, but it can also be upsetting for kids and pets. Also, accidents can easily happen with so much activity and you don’t want to have to do an emergency hospital visit in the middle of moving day. It's therefore worth speaking to a friend or relative to ask if they could look after them. 

2. Pack yourself a survival box 

Pack a clearly labelled box of essentials to help you survive the day. These could include:

• Snacks and soft drinks 
• Toiletries, headache pills and other medication 
• Spare light bulbs in case they're needed in the new property
• Gloves if you're going to be loading and unloading 
• Paper and pens to label rooms in the news property
• A map of where you are going  

3. Get last-minute things ready early on the morning

Strip the beds first thing and pack them in a box you've set aside. Put down sheets to protect the floor as people traipse dirt in and out. The removals men are likely to turn up early and they work very fast, so if you are dismantling furniture or disconnecting appliances, do it the day before they arrive.

Set aside the vacuum cleaner and cleaning equipment for your last-minute clear up or, better still, ask a friend or cleaner to do the work for you.

4. Keep everyone informed

When the removals team arrives, check the foreman knows the brief and get his mobile phone number in case of emergencies.  

Also, keep a list of key phone numbers with you, including your bank, solicitor, estate agent, mortgage lender and friends and family - just in case you need urgent help.

When you get in, label or colour code each room so the removals men know what will go where. Be clear about where you want any heavy furniture put.

5. Don't expect to unpack too much

On moving day, don't expect to unpack anything but the bare essentials: bedding and a meal (and you might prefer a takeaway). 

It will help your whole family to settle in if the new place feels like home. One way to help with this is to set aside a small stock of pictures, so take some picture hooks and a hammer, other familiar objects, and, if possible, curtains. 

Take these in your car as you are likely to arrive before the removals lorry. When you get into the new property, put them in place as soon as you can. 

The surroundings will feel more like your home, which can lift everyone's spirits at a time when you are most likely feeling tired and drained.