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25
July 2002
Moving To Rental Accommodation
The key to a
smooth move is to think about all the aspects well in advance of having
to actually do them. There
may well be the odd on-the-day disaster, but a well-managed countdown
will help keep your sanity in check and help you keep your perspective
when things do go wrong.
Arrange your
move date as far ahead as possible.
The more time you have, the easier it will be to ensure that you
actually get everything done in time.
Plan what you need to do, schedule it and then stick to it.
If you end up having to postpone your move, it can be costly and
rescheduling everything at the last minute will not be easy.
Moving home
is a good time to re-examine your lifestyle.
You will be contacting dozens of service companies, financial
product providers, subscription companies, clubs and other groups
throughout the duration of your move.
You are upsetting the status quo anyway, so why not rock the boat
properly?
There are a
number of things you should get started as soon as you get a final entry
date for your property:
- Start getting some quotes
for removals companies if you
are going to use one. Don't
forget to find out what other services they offer, such as packing,
packaging, cleaning, insurance and storage.
- If you are renting notify
your landlord if you are moving out of rented accommodation.
- Let your employer know as
early as possible.
- Arrange to visit schools in the new
area and inform existing schools of the leaving date.
- Check what your moving in
costs is going to be.
40 days before M-day
There are
quite a few things that it is worth sorting out well in advance of your
move, to make sure you don't get caught out at the last minute:
- If you are doing the move
yourself confirm your hire van.
- The parking arrangements
at your new home. Do you
require residents' permits or special permission from the council
for the removals van to park outside your house?
- Find a babysitter and a
pet minder for the duration of the move.
- Start collecting packing materials.
30 days before M-day
Start the
following:
- Empty the loft, cellar or
basement - be brutal when deciding what to throw out!
- Shed and garage – same
again.
- Garden – dismantle
garden equipment, cut the grass.
- Home – Throw out
anything you are not taking, again be brutal.
20 days before M-day
Check bills,
papers, documents and phone book so you can notify all those people you
need to tell before you move. Make
a list and work through it, it should include the following:
- Banks and building
society
- Life insurance, pensions
etc
- Post office –
forwarding address, pension books, child benefit books, premium
bonds.
- Car – DVLC, insurance,
breakdown cover.
- Utilities – gas,
electric, telephone, water, television
- Agencies – Doctor,
solicitor, optician, vet, dentist, Inland revenue, local
authorities, TV licence.
- General – papers,
window cleaner
- Friends and relatives
15 days before M-day
Start
packing and label each box with the contents.
Colour code boxes for each room in the new home.
- Start running down the
contents of your freezer.
- Go through all your
kitchen cupboards and start to box up any equipment, food, crockery
and cutlery you will not be needing before you go.
- Arrange for any gas
appliances you are taking with you to be professionally
disconnected.
5 days to M-day
The
start of this week is when you should get the majority of the packing
completed. Start collecting
things for a bare essentials pack. This can contain anything you think
you might need on the move day or a couple of days later.
You could put all of this in the boot of your car.
- Get up to date with all
your local service and utility accounts.
- Cancel the milk and
newspapers, return any outstanding videos, library books or rental
games, and settle any outstanding bills with them.
- Pay or prepay any final
utility bills that arrive and confirm that meters will be read and
services connected in time for your arrival at your new home.
3 days to M-day
- Finish off in the
kitchen. Defrost the
fridge and freezer and give them a thorough clean.
- Taking down fitted items
such as bathroom wall cabinets, shelving, mirrors and pictures.
- If you are going to do it
yourself, now is the time to dismantle any furniture that will not
be moveable when assembled.
- Prepare any plants that
are going with you.
- Do any other odd jobs
such as finding and labelling all your keys, or clearing your
medicine cabinet of any unwanted medication, remedies and lotions.
- Sort out bed linen and
clothes. This will go in
your bare essentials bag, along with regularly used toiletries and
underwear. Pack your
suits into a suit bag and hang the bag up.
- Finish packing and label
the boxes. Check that
all boxes are correctly labelled.
You should have finished 95% of this by the day prior to your
move.
1 day to M-day
- Make sure you have
everything for your essentials pack.
- Pack any remaining items
that you have wanted to keep until the last minute.
- Take down curtains and
blinds.
- Check you have the keys
for your new home.
- Disconnect the power and
water from your washing machine.
- Take down your TV aerial
or satellite dish if they are going with you.
- Get some cash out of the
bank to cover you for tips and emergencies.
M day
Today is
going to be a long and tiring day whatever you do, so make sure you have
a good hearty breakfast. When
you've finished, turn off the fridge, disconnect any appliances that are
staying behind and turn off the boiler.
- Strip the beds and put
the bedding into bin bags to be kept handy.
- Check that all rooms are
empty and all lights turned off.
- Ensure that the water,
gas and electricity supplies are turned off and take a note of the
final reading.
- Empty any rubbish bins
and leave all your rubbish bags for collection.
- Close and lock all the
windows and doors.
When you
arrive at your new home have these essentials with you:
- A kettle, tea bags,
coffee, sugar, a carton of milk, teaspoon and mugs.
All life may cease without a good brew.
- A range of snacks is a
good idea.
- If you are involved in
the physical side of moving, then it is important to keep
well-hydrated, otherwise fatigue may set in.
Take some soft drinks and bottled water.
- Bacon and bread make a
quick and tasty breakfast, which will also give your new home a
friendly lived-in smell on the first morning.
An alternative is beans on toast, but this means you will
have to have the toaster handy, as well as a tin opener.
- You should also have a
box with some other basic foods - some tins, fruit and sandwich
fillings.
- A bottle or six-pack of
your favourite tipple is a must for all drinkers.
- Don't forget to have
enough knives, forks, spoons, plates, cups and mugs available, as
well as a saucepan if you are planning to cook some tinned food.
- Bed linen and bedding
should be easily accessible, especially if you do not anticipate
arriving until quite late in the day.
- Additionally, you need to
take the standard overnight bag items, which really require no
further comment:
- Underwear, towels,
toothpaste and toothbrush, toilet and tissue paper, make up bag,
deodorant and other toiletries, a change of clothes
Finally,
pack these which you may find useful:
- Screwdriver
- Penknife
- Pen and paper
- Matches or lighter
- Light bulbs
- Candles
- First aid kit (should
include headache tablets)
- CDs
- Cash
- Copies of important
documents
1396
words
Further media information:
John Benn at Elan Public Relations 01436 672600 or
johnbenn@elanpr.co.uk
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