June 16, 2023

What should be on your moving house checklist?

Before completion

It’s an exciting time when you finally find that perfect house and put in an offer. You’ve probably engaged a solicitor already. So, you might think it’s time to relax now someone’s handling the legal stuff for you. But don’t get too complacent. There are a few things you should tick off your moving checklist before you complete your purchase.

The first thing on your to-do list is to get a survey carried out. The typical house survey cost averages at around £440 for a buyer’s report or new-build survey. As this is an extra moving cost, many people are tempted to skip this stage.

But, even when you’re planning to move into a brand-new house, you should get one done. New builds are notorious for having snagging issues. This can include anything from slow leaks to missing insulation. Getting a new-build or snagging survey done gives you a complete list of things the developer needs to resolve, so there’s no dispute. That’s why a survey should be on your list, no matter what type of house you’re buying.

The survey may throw up some other questions. In which case, add these to your checklist and tick them off when you have the issues resolved. Thankfully, you should be able to query most things through your solicitor. What things might need adding to your checklist? Well, any recent work done to the house should come with the right certifications and guarantees. So, make sure you have these as they could prove important.

Next, you’ll need to check what deposit needs paying for the sale to progress and where the money should be transferred. Check with your bank or building society for the safest way to do this. Hold-ups are not only frustrating but can put your purchase in jeopardy.

After completion

As soon as you’ve signed the contracts, you’ll have a moving date. Which usually means you’ve got a small window of time to get things arranged. Firstly, you need to take out home insurance. And it needs to start on the day of completion. This is important as anything that happens to the house from the moment you take the keys is your problem.

Next, you should make a list of all the people you need to notify about your house move. This includes water and energy companies, the council and your bank. There are other things that are easy to forget, including notifying your GP surgery, the DVLA, and car insurance and pension providers. Are there services and regular deliveries that need notifying too? Think about things like Sky, Netflix and broadband services, magazine subscriptions and milk and food deliveries.

As moving is such a stressful event, hiring a removals company is also a good idea. So, your checklist should include contacting and booking in the movers. And do check what their service includes. It’s best to start packing early, because it always takes more time than you think, so add boxes, tape and marker pens to your list.

After completion, but before you move, there may be some additional questions you need to ask the sellers to help you get settled in. So, it’s worth noting these down on your checklist as you think of them. For example, it’s wise to know where any important controls are. This includes the stopcock, utility meters, fuses and thermostats. Find out if appliances such as the boiler, cooker and shower are still in warranty and whether they have instruction manuals.

Hopefully by now, you’ve got a few things jotted down on your to-do lists. So, all that’s left to say is good luck with your move and keep ticking off those tasks.

Thanks for reading xxx