How to Avoid Conveyancing Nightmares: A Moving Day Cheat Sheet

This is a guest post is by Drew Davies.

There are certain things which we can’t avoid: death and taxes for instance.

But, a traumatic house move on completion day, that can certainly, be avoided.

Simple Rules and Organisation in a House Move

Learning how to best pack and move your possessions into your new home can make the transition far less gruelling, but the simple fact is that most of us don’t put in the planning to make things go smoothly.

As creatures of procrastination we often wait until the last minute to pack, or try to cut corners with packing materials.

The removal process can also be left to chance, resulting in breakages and more stress. But fear not – peruse our cheat sheet to help bring some calm to the move day.

Packing 101

• Start your packing much earlier than your instinct tells you to – it’s amazing how much time it takes to box things up and you want to ensure the    removal team is not waiting around for you to finish putting things into boxes.
• Don’t skimp on packing tape – the cheap stuff doesn’t stick as well, you’ll need to use much more of it, and you don’t want the bottoms of heavy boxes falling apart.
• For crockery, arm yourself with plenty of paper and strong boxes – preferably the type with built-in supports. Individually wrap glasses, but nest bowls and cups. Plates can stand on their edge.
• Wrap electronic equipment as if you were wrapping glass or crystal (with extra layers of foam and then placed into a larger box).
• When you disassemble electronics, such as computers, stereos or anything that has numerous cords, place small coloured stickers on the cable and the same coloured sticker on the socket it plugs into on the device.
• If you have a leather or micro-fibre sofa, it will be fine transported vertically. If you’re moving the sofa yourself, double fold several blankets on the floor to give the sofa’s weight-bearing arm a soft surface.
• Mattresses can be placed in special bags available at supermarkets and DIY stores. These bags keep mattresses dry and help them retain their shape.
• If you do disassemble furniture, make sure to keep the screws and bolts handy. A good tip is to put the bits in an envelope and tape it to one of the drawers/sides. 

Moving Must-Knows

•  Keep your removal company up to date of any likely changes to your completion date. The more in the loop you keep them, the more likely they will be to work around any issues that arise – and if you end up having to cancel them on the day, you could incur a full days costs to cover their wages.
• Talk to the removal company or the “man and van” about how you should prepare your belongings. For example, do they want to put furniture, like wardrobes, in the vehicle first? If so, making sure the wardrobes are closer to the entrance and not blocked in by boxes can save considerable time and energy.
• Check with your household policy before you buy extra insurance –some will already cover you for moving.
• Think about parking well in advance (if you don’t have a car, you might have to organise parking permits). Don’t forget this could apply to the home you’re moving from as well as the new one you’re moving to.
• Don’t overfill boxes making them too heavy to carry (also, they might break). Books are a major culprit when it comes to weight – pack them in smaller sized boxes instead.
• Even the best laid plans can go wrong, and a removal company with the best intentions can have issues, so it’s always a good idea to have a contingency plan up your sleeve (another removal company’s number loaded in your phone, for example).
• Ask if your removal or “man and van” company has blankets to protect furniture from scratching during transportation.
• Factor in travel time – and traffic – if you’re paying for your removal company by the hour.
• One Final Conveyancing Point – Avoid an exchange and completion of your house on the same day!

Drew Davies writes for Big Yellow Self Storage. For more information on moving home, see their comprehensive removal and packing guides.