The Definitive Checklist for Moving Day

Here Are 16 Crucial Tips You Need to Know in Order to Ensure Your Moving Day Goes as Smoothly as Possible

After months of planning and worrying, moving day has finally arrived! We bet you’re super excited about finally receiving the keys to your home and starting your life someplace new. The only thing you still need to get through before you are free to unpack, design and settle in, is the actual move itself.

Follow the next 16 steps checklist for moving tips to make sure you’ve organized every single thing on your moving day checklist, including packing your belongings properly. Plan your move accurately and choose a moving company that will provide a detailed move plan with all of your items. That way you’ll know the movers have a record of all your items and will care for them. This will also help to make the move efficient and prevent any price changes.

Get a trusted recommendation

It’s important not to only rely on reviews, as there are many fake or paid reviews in the moving industry, both on the positive and negative side. Best is to trust word of mouth or recommendations from friends, family and just about anyone you can rely on. If whoever recommended the moving company had a great experience with a specific team or sales representative, you should request to use those specific service providers as well as let the company know you were referred. That personal connection may result in better service.

Seal the Deal From the Very Start

Along with a detailed inventory list, make sure to get a guaranteed price and read the fine print to make sure the price doesn’t change. This is the main reason Flatrate was founded – to protect customers when moving.

Packing

This is a fairly obvious point but it’s still important to include it on any checklist for moving day to ensure that everything is packed. Never assume the packers haven’t missed something. Designate someone to do the “idiot check,” to make sure that you haven’t left anything behind. And leave the heavy lifting and packing for professionals. Don’t attempt to pack your TV, stereo system, mirrors, pictures, fragile items, etc’.

Furthermore, if you move long distance, use professional boxes. Flatrate offers separate, especially durable boxes for the longer journey. It’s best if you empty all of your furniture into boxes to help prevent damages to both your items and your furniture and take pictures of your boxes so you remember what inside each one.  Also, take pictures of the back of your TV or stereo equipment.  That way you will know how to put them back together.

Parking

Have you organized parking for your removal van? If you have a driveway, this won’t be an issue. If not, then you might need to arrange a permit prior to the big day. Confirming times one last time with your moving service can also be good for your peace of mind.

Traffic

It’s a good idea to keep checking the traffic so you know what to expect on your moving day. While you might not have the flexibility to change your moving day, you can at least consider taking alternate routes if you’re likely to get stuck in a serious traffic jam.

Knowing where you are going is also important, even though it may seem obvious. Do you have the correct address and postcode for your new home as well as for any storage units you might be using? Don’t wait until the last minute to start Googling addresses!

Weather

Likewise, it’s a good idea to check the weather prior to your move. If it’s going to be snowing for instance, then there are several precautions you might need to put into place – such as laying down salt. Your checklist for moving needs to be adaptable depending on weather and driving conditions.

Provisions

Keep some other important provisions near the top of one of your boxes for easy access in case you don’t feel like unpacking on the first day. That way you’ll at least have things like your toothpaste, shower gel and a first aid kit at hand.

Turning Off the Lights and Locking Up

Treat this part of your checklist for moving like a checklist for going on vacation: make sure that everything is switched off, that all the windows and doors are locked and that faucets are fully sealed on your taps.

Cleaning and Sweeping

Once everything is out of your home, now might be a good time to quickly go around with a vacuum cleaner to get the place looking decent before the new owners arrive. You can also take some photos at this point so you have evidence of the state you left the property, especially if it’s a rental.

Sell or Donate Your Furniture

Moving can be very expensive depending on how many items you own, and there is a lot of money to be saved by deciding not to move everything. Look at it as an opportunity to declutter, sell your belongings, expose of certain items or donate others. Flatrate has actually partnered with the Salvation Army and allows clients to donate two boxes of their items free of charge and without having to take care of the actual donation process.

Invest in Insurance

If you have valuable items make sure you get insurance. Best is if you check with your home insurance policy first since you will always get a faster resolution that way. Speak to your agent if you have one and if they are unable to offer it to you then turn to your moving company for insurance. Any reputable moving company will provide it. Flatrate provides an option for full valuation based on the value of your items.

Keys

Make sure that you leave keys for the new owners and that you have keys for your new property so that you can actually get in. If it’s possible, test them before you arrive.

Bills and Post

This should be done a while before you move but you may want to double check on the day of the move that you have canceled all the bills for your old home and given service providers your new address. Have any post such as magazine subscriptions forwarded to your new address and update your details on any and all personal accounts.

Unloading

It’s a good idea to have at least a rough idea of where you will be storing your furniture and items when you arrive at your new home. This includes thinking about how you will fit large items through narrow doors  – will they have to go through the backyard, or will you need to remove a window? – as well as which boxes will be placed in which rooms.

Checking the New Home

Once you arrive at your new location, make sure you ensure that nothing crucial is missing. Take a few photos of the rooms while they’re empty so you have a better understanding of what’s been placed and where. Furthermore, ask for floor and corner protection both for the home you’re moving from and your new home. Damage to the floors or corners can be very costly so you want to make sure your new home is up to par as is the home you’re leaving.

Considerations for the New Owners

While it’s not a requirement, a nice touch can be to leave a note for the people moving into your old place. You may even decide to leave them a box of chocolates to celebrate their new home. It’s their moving day too after all, and wouldn’t it be nice if someone did the same for you?

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