Help with moving house
« Moving advice & guides
- Choose a moving date
- Stagger your move
- Move your belongings
- Get utilities connected
- Inform companies & friends
Choose a moving date
The date of your move is dictated by the contract completion date. Plan well in advance for this date, as removal firms and cleaners can be hard to come by at short notice.
Before exchanging contracts, check the agreed date is suitable for you. Common choices include:
- Friday - this gives you the whole weekend to unpack, but ensure all your services will be switched on as a weekend without power and heating is a poor way to start life in your new property
- School holidays - allows the kids to get used to an area before starting a new school
- End of the month - which means there is usually a bit of spare cash around for those extra expenses
- Bank holiday - the extra day can be invaluable
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Not sure when to move with kids? Check out our in-depth guide.
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Stagger your move
Coinciding the purchase and sale of a house move - or ending a lease on the purchase date - is popular, but you may want to think about staggering this by completing your purchase a few days before you make your sale. This offers significant help when moving house:
- Clean the new house - it's not always easy to know whether the old occupants will clean the house appropriately
- Get urgent deliveries - you may wish to get new items, such as washing machines, installed before you bring the rest of your belongings
- Get connected - a few extra days can ensure your phone, electricity and gas are connected
- Home improvements - if you leave it longer before you move into your new house you can arrange for home improvements to be completed in the interim
If you do need to stagger the dates, you may need to get a bridging loan - you should talk to your mortgage provider about this.
Move your belongings
Once you have bought your new home, you need to get all of your belongings moved from where you currently live.
- Purge possessions - work out what you'll take with you and what you'll dispose of - auction sites such as eBay or Freecycle are great ways to get rid of what you don't need
- List what you'll need - make a list of items you'll need to buy for your new house
- Employer contributions - check to see whether your employer can cover removals costs
- Book removals - approach a removals firm well in advance. You can get removals quotes to and from anywhere in the UK with our quote engine
You may also wish to consider storage if you have a lot to move or if you have to vacate your current property before you can move into your new one.
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Not sure what items to get rid of? Check out five easy ways to purge your possessions.
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Get utilities connected
When you move home, you obviously have to contact the main services provided to your home, such as phone, gas, electricity and TV (cable or satellite) to get them disconnected and reconnected at your new property
- Contact providers - contact utilities providers at least 4 weeks before you move
- Better deal - check comparison sites such as USwitch.com to see if you can get a cheaper deal elsewhere
- Meter readings - ensure you take meter readings before you leave your property
Inform companies and friends
There are so many people you may need to tell about your change of address, people often wonder whether it is worth moving at all.
- Banks and building societies
- Post Office
- Local Education Authority
- DVLA
- TV Licensing
- Doctors and Vets
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Not sure who you should be contacting? Read our guide to who to tell when you move house for a full breakdown of who you need to tell your new address to.
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« Moving advice & guides