Comprehensive Moving Checklist for the London Area

The time has finally come for you to move to London Area. Moving house is a great new beginning, often filled with joy, eagerness, excitement and… house removals.

You really can not have one without the other. When it’s time for you to pack, everything becomes one big moving-out checklist. Changing homes is hard as it is, but when you are switching to an entirely new area, it becomes that much more challenging.

From notifying family and friends about the move to contacting utility companies, agencies and whatnot, you have no room for mistakes, as those may cost you a lot of time.

Luckily, this comprehensive moving checklist will help you avoid the most common issues that may ruin the fun of your new home.

Choose the Best Moving Date

Choosing the right date for moving out can be as important as the process itself. You should allow yourself sufficient time to stay on top of everything that must be done before your move, like end-of-tenancy cleaning chores, arranging for packing supplies, etc.

Consider any local events or celebrations at your old or new property that may obstruct the removals truck or get in the way of you accessing your new home.

While we sometimes need to switch places on very short notice, if time allows you, give yourself at least a few months to prepare everything for the big move to avoid getting stressed out by anything that may go wrong.

Research Multiple Local Moving Companies

Allowing yourself enough time in advance will also be beneficial for moving costs.

Finding an excellent local moving company on short notice is rarely possible, as they are usually pretty booked out. This leads to you opting for a business that is available, despite online reviews and quality.

Do yourself a favour and take the time to read the online reviews, testimonies and even collect information from friends and family. When choosing house removals services, you should never compromise the quality, as the wrong company may ruin your experience.

With enough time on your hands, you will also be able to browse around for quotes from different businesses, and you can compare prices. In addition, booking an appointment with plenty of time to spare results in a pretty good discount that you can get from the company you choose to work with.

Start Decluttering Early

Now that you have set the date and made the necessary appointments with the local moving company of your choice, it is time to start preparing for the move.

You still have plenty of time, so starting with something you have postponed for a while is a great idea. Decluttering your home and getting rid of all the items you never use but haven’t gotten around to removing yet.

This will reduce the amount of stuff you must pack and unpack and free up a lot of space you never knew you had. To make decluttering easy, you can divide it into a few piles:

• Items that you would like to sell, either in a garage sale or online.
• Items for donation – mainly clothes and toys.
• Items for storing – either seasonal or ones that you rarely use.
• Items for recycling – worn and torn or overused items you have wished to replace but haven’t had the time to do so.

When preparing your moving-out checklist, remember to include each pile and plan for when you wish to take care of it.

Notify About Your Change of Address

Moving cities comes with a lot of additional responsibilities. Making sure to notify third parties of your address change is just one of them. 

Before your move, you should give heads up to:

• Employer. Your current employer (and company pension fund) must know your new address and when you have planned your move.
  
• Financial Institutions. You should notify the bank of your address change. Nowadays, you can do this online, but if they require you to go in person to change the address of your credit/debit card, that is one extra trip.
  
• Insurance providers. If you have Health, Life, Home, Car, or Pet insurance, you will need to contact them individually to advise of your address change.
  
• Utility providers. When moving out, you will want to notify your utility providers of your new home’s move-out date and the move-in date.
  
• Health Services. You may need to find new healthcare providers depending on how far you will be moving. Registering for your new local GP is a priority, as the process may take longer.

If you are currently renting, you must notify your landlord about the move as well.

Gather Moving Materials

Getting your boxes and moving materials well in advance will save you time and effort. You can start slowly packing some of your less-used belongings to make things easier on the day of the move.

On average, a single room will require ten small, eight medium, and five large boxes, but that greatly depends on each household.

Make sure to gather a sufficient amount of boxes. You can try your local supermarket or online marketplace for some free boxes. You can rent them from a local moving company or find removals offering packing services.

Set Aside A Bag Or Box With Essential Items

The meaning of essential items differs from person to person. To determine what you would need, consider this. At the end of the day of the move, the last thing you will want to do is start immediately unpacking. Think of the items that you will need before you go to bed. Some examples are:

• Toilet roll;
• Bathroom supplies – soap, toothpaste and brush;
• Lightbulbs;
• Kitchenware – fork, spoon, knife and a plate;
• Phone and laptop chargers;
• Clean linen and towels.

Make sure you place all those items in a carry-on bag that you can quickly unpack on your first day so that you can go to bed early and start the new day fresh and ready to unload.

Consider Pet Care Or Daycare

Unpacking is no easy task, and kids or pets certainly do not help. Not only can they get lost in all the chaos around the new property, but they may get in the way or even get hurt in the process.

It is a good idea to consider pet care or daycare to allow yourself to have the freedom to unpack and get everything ready to welcome home the rest of your family. 

Remember that pets and children do not react well to a new environment, so saving them the extra stress of going to an empty house is well worth the extra money you will spend.

The Most Important Items You’ll Need When Moving to London

When moving to London, it is essential to remember some of the city’s specifics. With its extensive public transportation system, it can be relatively easy to move around, so get yourself an Oyster card to travel conveniently.

Another vital aspect is life in London. If you haven’t lived there, it is a good idea to bring a guidebook, map or at least download a mobile app to help you navigate the city and discover places of interest.

Give yourself time to get used to the capital’s culture, customs, and etiquette.

Conclusion

Moving is always challenging, especially when changing to a bigger city like London. Ensure you have a comprehensive moving-out checklist, and give yourself enough time to take care of everything before moving out.

Choose a reliable removal company that can relieve some of the stress and help you plan and move.