Moving Home Checklist
Everything you need to do when moving home
Your Checklist For Moving House
Moving home is exciting.
There are hundreds of guides for moving home online so we wanted to make something simple, easy to use and comprehensive.
This guide will look at everything you need to do when moving home. We’ll cover what you need to do to your previous place, your new home, getting there and the key questions you should ask.
We’ll also look at our free-to-use online home setup service than can shave off 7 hours of admin time by telling everyone you’ve moved home.
And of course, we’ll take a look at ways to to reduce the cost of your move.
Let’s get started.
Complete everything at your old home
First thing is first.
We need to get your previous home sorted and managed. When we move out of our home there’s lots of items to cross off our list.
Preparing your previous home means getting it to a good enough condition to hand over, closing/updating the key account associated with your home and severing your ties with that property.
This covers everything from getting the house ready to submitting meter reads.
Peruse at your leisure.
Prepare Your Home
This one sounds really obvious but if you can get your apartment/home in advance of the moving date you will save your self hours of time.
Complete your spring clean 3 months before moving out. Once that’s done, keep on top of the cleaning every week.
This is also the best time to get the packing sorted. Pack your items in boxes per room (bedroom, kitchen, garage etc…). This will save you hours of time for when you move into your new home. If you’re struggling for boxes you can usually get free ones from you local supermarket or technology shop.
If you have extra stuff in the garden or the loft (we all do!) Look to get this organised to be removed as soon as possible; you may save money by going to the tip when you move home by using the same van.
Submit Meter Readings
When moving out you will need to provide meter readings for your gas, electricity & water (if applicable). These are best provided on the day that you move home. The only exception to this is if you have a SMART meter or no water meter. Even in this case you need to inform your suppliers that you’re moving home
You should always provide meter readings as it allows your energy/water company to close down your account and bill you accurately. This of course means you get a refund if you’re due one and an accurate bill if you owe more.
You can use our free Home Setup Service to update your address across all of your accounts and provide meter readings too. You can actually text SlothMove on your move-out day and we’ll pass those onto your supplier for you. Simple.
Cross-off the small items
If you’re selling your home there are a few things you can do to make the buyers’ life a lot easier. For instance, collecting all of the available manuals for any of the appliances can be very helpful. You may also wish to let your window cleaner know that you’re moving home also.
Ultimately, getting your previous home ready is all about getting the home ready for the next person. Now, let’s turn to updating your address.
When moving home it’s always best practice to give companies fair notice that you’re moving home. This isn’t so much a courtesy as it is helpful in avoiding fines and unwarranted costs.
Typically, with things like your internet and sky package you can actually port them over to your new place, assuming it’s technically possible.
If you are cancelling, or can’t take it over, the timings of the contract could be such that it might be worth finishing the contract a few days or weeks before you leave the home. This is instead of paying for it weeks after you’ve already left.
Update Your Address
Updating your address and letting everyone know that you’ve moved home has always been the bane of moving.
However, we have good news.
SlothMove is a free home setup service that enables you to update your address across all of your accounts simultaneously and setup your new home – all in one place.
You can setup and close down your electricity, gas, council, water & sewerage, broadband & energy for both your new and previous property. On top of this you can also let all of your companies/institutions know you’re moving (such as Boots, Tesco, HMRC, NHS, DVLA etc…).
To use our home setup tech, simply click the button below to get started
If you’re looking for a comprehensive list of all of the institutions & companies you’ll need to update, you can also go through our change of address checklist.
Organise Your Move
Now we’ve covered sorting your old place and updating your addresses we must now get our home move organised.
Everybody’s move will be different but the most popular to-do’s are: storage, removals, organising childcare, organising pet care, and preparing the essentials
Storage
Storage is a great resource to utilise for lots of reasons. As we become increasingly cost-savy we’re motivated to find the best deals we can for items in our home. Of course, you don’t have to wait until you’ve moved in to buy everything for your house. If you’re utilising storage you can buy items when they’re on sale and save in the long term. There are lots of options for storage. The two priorities to look for are price and convenience.
A company like Safestore might be a good place to start. They tend to have stores in more cities in the UK and a lowest price guarantee. Other popular options may be BigYellow though they can be a little more expensive.
Removals
The removals industry is very competitive. Which is great for you a home mover because you can get a great deal. You should book your removals a few weeks in advance so you can be sure that there is availability.
You can use a removal comparison tool such as ReallyMoving who will get you quotes from the four cheapest in that area. Alternatively, you can use a company such as AnyVan. You’ll get £10 off your booking if you come through SlothMove
Childcare & Petcare
As with removals, try your best to get your childcare & pet care booked and organised earlier. The last thing you want is two rambunctious animals running around on moving day – or whatever that may be for you. Don’t be afraid to ask family or friends. It’s just a day and most people are usually happy to help.
Prepare the essentials
When you’re at the day of moving put a side a box of ‘essentials’. This box should include items you will need to use within the first 2-3 days of your home move – before you have everything unpacked. For instance, you may pack a kettle, sugar, coffee, hand towels etc… Whatever your essential box is, be sure to you prepare one to help your home move go smoothly.
Questions to ask the seller
Here are some quick-fire questions to ask the seller in advance of moving into a new home
1) When is collection day for the bins, do you have a schedule to share?
2) Do you have any extra furnishings/tins of paint in the colour/style of the house?
3) Where is the stopcock? (the instrument that shuts the water off)
4) Where are the gas & electricity meters?
5) Could you share any instruction manuals or warranties?
6) Is there anything that would be helpful for me to know?
7) What is your forwarding address?
8) Where is the fusebox?
Setup your New Home
Excellent.
So now this moving home checklist will look to setting-up your new home.
When moving home you will need to setup:
- Gas & Electricity
- Broadband
- Council Tax
- Water & Sewerage
SlothMove’s home setup service actually enables you to do all of this simulatenously online with one form. We will:
- – Tell your previous Council you’ve moved and your new council you’re moving in
- – Inform your previous and new water & sewerage suppliers
- – Help you find an excellent deal on your energy & broadband
- – Update your address automatically across your other accounts
It’s free to use and if you like, you can get started here.
Your Home Setup Service
STEP 1
About you
Enter your previous address, new address and the date you moved home
STEP 2
Update your address
Select who needs to know you're moving, DVLA, Tesco, Boots, etc...
STEP 3
Submit
Click submit and we'll take care of the rest, sharing any next steps by email
We’ll take care of everything there for you. So, is there anything else to know when it comes to home setup? The short answer is yes.
Energy
Some people actually don’t setup energy when they move into a new place. Strictly speaking, you don’t have to. However, you should. When there is a change of tenancy (or occupier), the person moving in is placed onto a Standard Variable Tariff (SVT). These are notoriously expensive and some energy companies actually bank on you not switching over. This is one of the reasons we created The SlothMove Utility Club to help people stay on low-cost high quality tarrifs.
Council Tax
When moving you will need to inform both your previous and new council that you’re moving. This will enable them to close down/create an account and issue any refunds/final bills. Even if you’re moving within the same area you must inform your local council. For more information on Council Tax bandings and changing address you can see our council tax moving home guide here.
Water & Sewerage
It’s unknown to many but it’s possible (in fact common) to have a different company responsible for your water & sewerage. Our online service will pull-up who yours is automatically by postcode and inform them for you. You can also visit Water.Org and use their onine tool to see who supplies the water/sewerage at your postcode
Broadband
Broadband companies offer their best deals for customers who are moving home. This of course means that it’s the best time to get an incredible deal. Typically speaking, you will want to organise your broadband services 3 weeks before moving. It’s always good to compare the market but beware of being too price-orientated. It’s important to get a good deal, but a cheaper price with bad connectivity is a false economy.
Now let’s turn to ways you can reduce your costs when moving home.
Buckle-up and get ready to save
Claim free insulation
If you’re wondering how to get free insulation you’re at the right section. Dependant upon your circumstances, you could be entitled for up to £300. When you buy your new home you should receive an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). If it is low, based on your energy supplier and location you might be entitled to some funding. So, why would an energy supplier give you free insulation? The answer is simple. Energy suppliers actually have high environmental protection targets, as outlined by the UK Government. Using schemes like this are really central to how to save money when moving home.
Even if you aren’t eligible for free insulation, you should consider whether or not it would be worth investing. a £300 investment can pay itself off within only a couple of years, saving you much more money on your heating bills in the coming years.
Take a lodger
If you have a spare bedroom, you could rent it out to a lodger and get some serious cash. For instance, if your house is worth £120,000 and have three bedrooms and your mortgage is £400 pcm. You could comfortably achieve £400 a month in rent for a lodger. As outline on Gov.UK’s rent a room scheme, you can have up to £7,500 income completely rent-free from having a lodger.
To understand what you could rent your spare room for, check out the market on a website like Spareroom. It’s also really important to get permission from your mortgage provider if you want to take a lodger in, as you require their permission.
Get free furniture
Did you know that the average sofa lasts 8 years?
Probably not.
But we all know that furnishing our home can be the most expensive part. We all know that. Despite the fact that it’s how to save money when moving home, most people don’t know how to get free furniture. What if I told you that you could actually get free furniture. You’re wondering, ‘How do I get free furniture?’. The first place to check is a website like Gumtree. People give away sofas, tables, armchairs, mirrors – you name it! And if you don’t like the free stuff, you can pick up a steal at around £20.
It isn’t just Gumtree. For instance, FreeCycle is a website dedicated to giving away free stuff. You might not find award-winning furniture or lawnmowers on there, but it’s an amazing place to get started and will help you kit-out your home on a budget.
Reduce the cost of buying/selling your home
When you’re spending hundreds of thousands of pounds on a new home it can be very easy to lose perspective of money. If you’re spending £20,000 on a deposit and £8,000 on Stamp tax etc… an extra £495 for mortgage advise is nothing, right? It’s actually a bias we have as humans; essentially when you present a smaller number after a larger one that number will appear to be less.
The bottom line is, whether you’re buying or selling you can save hundreds if not thousands. So, let’s briefly take a look at how to save money when buying and make money when selling
Use a free mortgage broker
For specialist circumstances it can be helpful to pay for a mortgage broker. Some are amazing and can have refined skills in getting mortgages to fit your particular circumstances. Truthfully though, it isn’t always the case. This is important to know when thinking about how to save money when buying a home. Popular mortgage brokers such as London & Country and online mortgage broker Habito are 100% free. Whatever you do, at least check if you could get the same rate for free.
Reduce your Stamp Tax
As we all know, stamp duty is calculated automatically by your solicitors at point of completion. If you want to know what you can expect to pay you can calculate your stamp tax here. That said, there are some really creative ways to get back your money on stamp tax. If you want to know how to save money when buying a home, this is one of the biggest ways. For instance, if you’re buying a new build you can see if you could negotiate the cost of the stamp tax into the deal. You can check-out all of the new info around the stamp duty freeze here.
New build providers can offer you a cash incentive of up to 5% of the property purchase price. Essentially, your deposit minus cash incentive has to equal 5% or more. New build providers will be more inclined to be flexible the closer to completion date that are as they need to sell the property.
If your property is a second residence you can actually claim the stamp tax back if you sell your other property within three years. The Money Advice Service have lots of helpful information in this regard.
Shop around for legal
Mortgage brokers and developers are notorious for recommending their own law firms to manage the mortgage process. The majority of the time they will be commissioned and benefit from their recommendation.
And there’s nothing wrong with that per se but it might not be the cheapest deal on the market. So, with that in mind make sure you do your research and always get at least three quotes.
Think about it, that extra 20 minutes of legwork could literally save you hundreds of pounds.
Negotiate on price
It’s said that 80% of negotiation is just asking the question. With property most of the profit is made when you purchase. This could be the biggest way to help you save money when buying a home. We’ve pulled together a full guide on how to buy a house below market value if you want to delve further into this topic.
Get the right estate agent
When it comes to estate agents cheaper isn’t always better. This is an important concept to understand if you want to know how to make money when selling a home. Naturally, you might pay £2,000 in fees but sell it for £5,000 more. There are excellent estate agents at all costs.
Ultimately, look at all the options but the two most important factors are: highest reviews and best local knowledge.
Sell at the right time
When should I sell my house? It’s an age-old question. Check out this helpful graphic pulled together by HomeBuyers. They have a really useful article on the best time to sell your home, but below is the high-level view to get you started.
Apply the stuff that is easy to forget
A lot of the principles we covered in how to save money when buying a home also apply here. Common sense is a large part of knowing how to make money selling home, but it’s easily forgotten. And to add onto that, naturally make sure that your house is presentable. It’s not just about sight, smell is very important so candles and fragrances will become your best friend. Some of the best advice you can get is being able to walk away from the deal if it’s not the price you think is right for the property.
Your UK Moving Home Checklist
Now we have covered your moving home checklist for anyone moving within the UK. We’ve covered everything from organising your previous home, setting-up your new home, organising your home move and how to reduce the cost of moving. Above all else, make sure you enjoy your home move. It’s an exciting time and when you add a bit of planning you can remove most of the stress out of the experience.