Tips for Moving House – Making the Move Stress-Free

Many people find the process of moving house stressful and time consuming. If you have rarely moved houses in the past, or if this is your first time, you may not know what to expect. The tips for moving house in this article should help make the process simpler and less stressful. 

Prepare in Advance
As soon as you know which dates you will be moving, start planning. If using a removalist book them as soon as practicable as many good removalists require a few weeks’ notice. Be aware though that if you are purchasing a property, the settlement date may be delayed for reasons out of your control, so you may need to make the removalist aware of this and have a backup plan in place. You can also choose to hire a van and complete the move yourself, a cheaper but often more stressful option.

Start packing away items that you don’t use on a day-to-day basis, and label all boxes. The better prepared you are before the move, the more you will thank yourself when you’ve arrived in your new home. 

Get Home and Contents Insurance in Place
You should organise your home and contents policy to begin the day of occupation, or the day that the property is transferred in to your name, whichever date is sooner. This way you will be insured in case a fire, theft or vandalism occurs within your new home. 

Change Locks and/or Cut Keys
Depending on how many keys and garage remotes you receive from the previous occupant of the home, you may need to have keys cut or more garage remotes made. Many people prefer the peace of mind of having the locks within their new home changed if it has been previously occupied, although the seller is required to provide you with all access devices at settlement when purchasing a home. 


Give the House a Good Clean
It is great if you have the time to clean the house before you move any furniture in. You may wish to pay $300-$700 to have the property professionally cleaned. Remember that if you are buying the property, the owners should leave it in the same condition as when you viewed it originally and submitted your offer. 

Change of Address/Mail Forwarding
It is important that you provide all friends and family of your new address, as well as having all accounts related to you changed to reflect your new address. Don’t forget the Department of Transport, electoral roll and your bank. Looking through the loyalty cards in your wallet/purse can help you find some of the other companies that you should notify of the change, or you can see this change of address checklist. Just to be certain, Australia Post can put a re-direction on your mail if you wish. 

Connect Utilities
The Department of Water will need to be notified of the change of name for the water usage within the property – if you are purchasing the home your settlement agent should do this for you or if you are renting the home your property manager should do this for you. 
Other utilities such as electricity, gas and telephone will need to be arranged by yourself. 

Gather First Night Supplies
With all the excitement (and sometimes stress) of moving sometimes small things can slip your mind such as supplies for the first night. If you have no food in the new house you can get a takeaway delivered but if you forget to consider toilet roll you may have a bigger issue on your hands! Try to factor in a small grocery shop for the day of the move. 

Use the above tips on moving house to make the process more organised and less stressful. Visit the Buying Property Perth website for more tips and tricks for home buyers and owners.