Top tips for a stress-free home move

First things first: the kettle and biscuits should go in last, so they’re first out when you arrive.

Here’s how to make your moving day as stress-free as possible.

1: Decide how you’re going to move

And do this at least six weeks in advance of your completion date.

Are you going to go for the full shebang packing-and-unpacking removal service? 

Or is this going to be a DIY job with mates?

The cheapest way to move home is to hire a van and do it yourself. 

This may be manageable if you’re a young professional living in a studio or one bedroom flat, less so if you have five kids and 30 years worth of stuff.

If you’re planning to use a firm, removal costs can vary from between £420 for a one-bedroom flat to £1800 for a four-bedroom house.

Let’s look at the options.

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The DIY move

Before your mates come in to shift those boxes, you’re going to need to:

• Have a major declutter, it seriously helps

• Get decent packaging, so those plates stay intact

• Measure up your new gaff to make sure everything will fit in

• Hire a big enough van. The fewer the trips between homes, the better

• Pack efficiently. Essentials in last, so they come out first

• Label your stuff. You don’t want to be tearing your hair out looking for your bedsheets at the end of a long and tiring day, believe us

Read more in our guide on stress busting tips for a DIY move

Hire a man with a van to help

Hiring a man with a van may be cheaper, but beware of false economies.

Will they have the professional experience needed to carefully manoeuvre your whole world from A to B? 

There’s a considerable amount of skill involved in moving an entire house load of stuff from one place to the next and keeping it all intact.

Removals companies have the knowledge, experience and importantly, insurance, for precisely this job. And that’s worth bearing in mind.

Pack your own stuff and ask a removals company to shift it

The next cheapest way is to pack everything yourself, right down to the teaspoons, and have a removals company come in to help to shift the load.

Otherwise known as 'the basic package'.

Basic package removal costs

Go for the whole shebang packing up, moving and unpacking service

This premium packing service involves a firm coming into your current home, professionally wrapping and packing everything up, moving it, then unpacking it all at the other end.

You can even add in a professional cleaning service for the house you’re leaving or moving into.

But expect to add several hundred pounds to your bill for the privilege.

Premium package removal costs

And remember, a long-distance move is likely to cost more than a local one. Find out if you're paying per mile or if it's a fixed fee.

Long distance removal costs

Whichever you choose, remember to organise parking for your removal van at your current and new addresses.

Some councils allow you to reserve a parking bay outside your property on moving day.

This will save you knocking on doors and asking your new neighbours to move their cars so you can get the dishwasher inside.

2. Declutter and sort

There’s no better opportunity to Marie Kondo your life than moving house. 

Spend the weeks in the run up to completion day sorting, decluttering and ditching anything you don’t want any more. 

Get into the attic, find out what’s in the cupboard under the stairs, leave no nook or cranny untouched. 

Share the love with your local charity shops.

The less stuff you have, the quicker, easier and cheaper it will be on moving day.

3. Sort those final bill payments

Before you leave the building, there’ll be a few final bill payments and redirects to sort. 

You'll need to arrange the final payments for the gas, electricity and water.

Then you'll need to think about transferring your TV licence, broadband and council tax.

And finally, there's the all-important home insurance and Royal Mail redirect to organise.

Here's everything you need to know about sorting that final paperwork

4. Do you need new furniture for your new home?

Now for the fun bit.

If you need a sofa to sit on, or a bed to sleep in, you’ll want to organise that well in advance.

As soon as exchange takes place and you know your new home is yours, it's time to start shopping.

New sofas and beds can have a waiting time of several weeks. That’s a long time to be lying on the carpet.

5. Moving with children 

It’s a good idea to make sure the little ones are going to be at nursery, school or staying with family on the date you move home. 

In the chaos of removals and strangers hulking furniture up and downstairs, it’s easier and safer to keep the children out of the way. 

Plus, you get the joy of welcoming them to their new home later, once you’ve had time to move the bulk of your stuff into vaguely the right places. 

And if you’re moving with pets, this is well worth a read

6. Take photographs of the meter readings

Do this when you arrive at your new place, just to make sure you don't end up paying for anyone else's gas, electricity or water use.

It's unlikely the utilities will have been disconnected from your new home, so you can set up your new suppliers over the next couple of days.

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7. Unpacking on the other side

Unpack vital items first in the rooms you use most, such as the kitchen and bathroom.

You can find space for the non-urgent items later.

The first pieces of furniture to assemble should be the beds. Be sure to have a box with clean linens and pillows clearly labelled.

You won’t finish everything in a day, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you collapse under your duvet surrounded by boxes.

But before you do that, it’s time to enjoy a really good take-out.