Relocating is a complicated process, so this list will help you to keep everything organised.
When you are moving home, there are a lot of things to remember. Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of this process, it’s easy to forget important steps. There are many things you need to do when you are leaving an old house and moving into a new one.
So, we have put together a moving checklist that you can use to make sure that you have covered everything necessary when relocating.
Things To Do Before You Move
- Notify everyone who needs to know that you have changed your address. This includes the Post Office (so they can redirect your mail), your bank, the voter registrar, the department of taxation, your insurance company, your magazine subscriptions, your friends and family and any others.
- Stop any services to your old address, including magazine or newspaper subscriptions, telephone, electricity, water, gas and internet.
- Disconnect the washing machine and drain the water.
- Defrost the fridge and drain the water.
- Call your gas and electricity companies and ask them to disconnect the fittings from the supply.
- Remove your fittings and fixtures from the walls.
- When packing, make a small bag to take with you. Use this bag to carry your ID, your tickets, your passports and other important documentation so that they are not accidently packed.
- In this bag that you take with you, also pack important and irreplaceable items such as legal documents, insurance papers, taxation papers, birth certificates, etc.
- Make sure that you aren’t packing any dangerous items that should not be transported, including bleach products, kerosene, cleaning fluid, nail polish, aerosols, ammunition, partially used cans of paint and vegetable oils. You can either throw these items away, recycle them safely or give them to friends.
- If you are transporting valuable items such as jewellery, collectibles, paintings, antiques or furs you should get some transit protection for them.
- Avoid packing liquids such as perfumes and sauces, as they could break in transit and make a mess.
- Avoid packing perishable foods. If you can’t use up all of your perishable food before the move, consider donating it to a food shelter or giving it to friends.
- Make sure that the water heater, gas connections and main power are turned off before you leave the house for good.
- Think about whether you have any shoes at the repair shop, sporting goods at a club or school or clothes at the dry cleaner.
- Lock all of your windows and doors.
- Look over the house one more time in order to check for any belongings that the packing crew may have forgotten. Don’t forget to check in the basement, garage and attic.
- Give over the old house keys to the new owner or the agent.
Print off this list and check it off as you go through your move – so that you can make sure that every detail is taken care of when relocating to your new home.