Trying to remember to do everything seems impossible when you are tasked with moving out of your N5 property and into a new house. Here, therefore, is a checklist to help to remind you of the things that you need to do:

De-cluttering and Sorting:

• How big is your new home, is it likely that you will fit all of your belongings from your old home into your new one? Consider whether there is any furniture that needs replacing or does not fit in with the tone of the new house. Make sure all of the furniture will fit through the entry points of the new and old homes. Get an idea as to how much of your stuff you can take with you before starting to throw stuff out.
• De-clutter your home and get rid of anything that you don’t want or need. By keeping things you are only going to throw out away you end up giving yourself more to pack and to move, and if you are using a removals company who will charge by how much they have to move, this increases the costs involved for you. When you de-clutter donate, sell or recycle as much as you possibly can, and make sure you dispose of things properly. Now that you have de-cluttered you can make sure everything will fit inside your home and will have a permanent place to be stored.

Make decisions on the move:

• Decide when it is that you want to move house, and set the date. Remember that it may cost you more to move home during the festive or peak seasons.
• Call around some removal companies, man-with-a-van, or van hire companies for quotes and to check availability for your date. Book whichever service you intend to use as soon as you can, but always ensure the company you use is reputable and well-established. Avoid choosing the more appealing, cheaper option as could end up costing you more in time and money in the long run if the removals company turns out to be inexperienced and disinterested in helping you move home.
• Consider whether you need any further services, for example you may want help packing, you might need a storage company or a cleaning company. If you think you will need one or more of these then you need to start calling around for quotes.

Inform people of your change of address:

You need to tell people that you are moving so that you can be sure you receive all of your mail. If someone else were to receive information, particularly sensitive information about you, this potentially lead to identity fraud .

• Change the address with your bank and/or building society, credit card companies, insurance companies, medical professionals such as doctors, dentists, opticians, vets, and with people like your children’s school and the relevant authorities. If you are moving far from your old home you may be out of your current medical professionals working area, which might mean you need to find and register with new professionals.
• Remember to tell your family and friends about your change of address.
• Your utilities providers.
A couple of other things to remember:
• Before you leave your home make a note of the metre reading for the electricity etc. and then turn them all off.
• Pack a box containing all the essential things you will need for the first night in your new home.