5 Things You Need to Do Before Moving Into Your New Home
Everything you need to do before moving into your new home
What do you need to do before moving into your new home?
It’s a great question. What do you need to do before moving into a new home?
Moving into a new home is an exciting time 🎉
And there is a lot to do.
That’s why we have pulled together the 5 things you should do before moving into your new home.
From updating your address to setting-up your utilities, we’ll help you make sure that your home move goes smoothly.
In this article 🧐
At the end of this article you will know everything you need to get sorted.
Let’s jump in.
Update your address
One of the most important tasks you need to do before moving home is updating your address. The average person has to update their address with over 20 individual companies or institutions when moving home.
From the NHS & DVLA, to your Boots Advantage card and charities there are a lot of organisations & institutions you need to inform.
You can contact them individually and work down a list; you can also use our free online home setup service.
With this setup service you select which companies & institutions you’d like to update before you move home.
SlothMove will then update your addresses automatically or provide any next steps you need to complete by email.
Easy peasy 😊
The whole journey will take around 3 – 5 minutes to complete. That’s more time to kick-back, relax and enjoy your move
Who do I need to update my address with?
When it comes to moving home you will need to update your address with:
- Loyalty cards
- Student Loan
- Micro-chipping
- NHS/GP
- DVLA
- Banks
- Electoral Roll
- HMRC
- Charities
- Premium Bonds
- TV Licence
- Postcode Lottery
- Energy Company
- Friends & family
It’s best to update your address a couple of weeks before you move in. This will help with processing your address change and minimise the risk of having your mail sent to the wrong address.
Even if most organisations now prefer a paperless operation, some companies haven’t shifted to this program yet. So, if you’re still receiving paper utility bills and notices, it’s best to update your address.
Now we’ve got the addresses updated, the next thing you need to do before you move home is setup your utilities.
Setup your utilities
Now we’ve tackled your addresses the next thing you need to do before you move home is setup and close down your utilities.
We would characterise your utilities as:
- – Gas & Electricity
- – Water & Sewerage
- – Council Tax
- – TV licence
We have a full guide on how to setup your utilities here. As with above, you can actually tackle all of this on our home setup platform.
Council Tax & Water
You start by entering the postcode of your new address and our technology will show you who the previous & new water & council providers are.
Simply click who you’d like to know who’s moving and we’ll take care of the rest.
Setup Your Energy ⚡️
Not many people are aware, but when you move into a new home you automatically enter a relationship with the incumbent supplier. These contracts are known as ‘deemed’ or ‘standard Variable tariffs’.
These are notoriously expensive and in over 95% cases you will be overpaying 💷
Therefore it’s great practice to get your energy sorted with a supplier (ideally before you move in).
If you use SlothMove you can actually get this sorted before you’ve even got your keys.
Setup Your Broadband 😎
You’ll want to get your broadband sorted about 2-3 weeks before you move into your new place. This is because it will take at least 1 week to get everything organised and sorted for your new home.
If you feel that it will take a while longer, you can also get a wireless reloadable broadband to use while you wait.
The great news is that because you’re moving home you can expect to get excellent offers on your broadband.
Understand where everything is
In every new home there are a few items/pieces of equipment that you should know the location of. Here’s everything you need to ask the seller/landlord before moving in:
Does the home have smoke alarms? 🔥
You should ask the seller where the fire alarms are in the property and when they were last checked. Fire alarms should be checked every year. If the property doesn’t have them then you will want to buy them in advance of moving into the property.
Does the property have a carbon monoxide alarm? 🚨
Carbon Monoxide is an odourless gas that can have devastating effects when there is a leak. Unlike gas, you would never know you’ve had a leak unless you had an alarm.
Find the Stopcock💧
Before moving home ask to know where the Stopcock is. The Stopcock is an external valve that enables you to turn off the water supply to the property. Clearly, if you have a leak that’s a great piece of information to have.
Where is the Circuit Breaker Box? 🧐
Ask the landlord or seller where the circuit breaker box (or trip switch) is located. This box throttles the electricity supply across all of the circuits in your home to prevent electrical fires. If one of the circuits has too much energy demand the circuit breaker will the cut the supply. You’ll then be able to get it back up and running by flipping the trip switch.
Organise your home move
Before moving into your new home you’ll need to organise your home move. Based on where you are moving and how far in the future you’ve moving this will mean different things. Here are some items to think about.
Moving abroad?
If you’re leaving the UK and moving internationally, start by reading our moving abroad checklist for more specific help. You may also find our blog a helpful starting point for moving home and home life advice.
Knowing what others went through can be valuable so you can apply their key learnings to make your move as stress-free and swift as possible.
If you have plenty of stuff to haul, a shipping container is what you’ll need. You need to know the cost for moving with shipping container and other details so you can factor this into your budget.
Book removals before moving 🚚
What do I need to do before moving home, you ask. Well, that will probably involve sorting your removals. You can get that sorted within our home setup platform. We work with AnyVan and price comparison sites so you can have more choice and get everything sorted easily.
The moving company you’ll choose will depend on your situation. If this is a company-sponsored move, they’ll be responsible for all the arrangements and you only need to set a few things. Oftentimes, the movers they’ll get have the most stellar reputation and gives the best customer experience for the satisfaction of their clients.
Storage for moving home 📦
You may need to place your items into storage and you can usually expect to get cheaper rates the longer you are using them. Traditionally people purchase boxes for transport but it can be expensive and isn’t very environmentally friendly. You can actually now hire crates for your move; they will work out lower cost and you’re not left with tens of boxes after you’re done. Crate Hire UK are leading the charge on this and are also best reviewed on the space. If you are astute with your packing you can save even more money.
There are many options for storage, especially in London. Henfield Storage is a storage company in London that offers storage units at cheaper rates, which might be worth checking out if you’re in the part of the UK. You choose the area that suits the size and amount of stuff you need to store and move them to this place. One of the best things about this option is that you can rest assured that your belongings are kept safe, without you having to worry about them; especially if you’re selling your old home and want to make it look attractive for potential buyers.
Enjoy the experience
We’ve covered who to notify when moving, how to setup your utilities before moving home and generally what you need to do before moving. The last item on your moving to-do list is to remember to enjoy the experience. Moving can be a stressful experience but it doesn’t have to be – relax and settle into your new home. The first few stages of moving might be chaotic, but it will be all worth it once you’re done. Remember and go back to the reason why you’re doing this and it will make you feel centred again. .
Phil Spencer from Channel 4’s Location Location Location has some great tips on how to reduce the stress of moving home.