Don’t let forgotten items add to the cost of your house move

June 28, 2017

If you don’t plan your move well in advance, you could end up adding even more cost, as breakages and forgotten items add to the expense. And if sentimental items are broken or lost, these may be irreplaceable. The last thing you need on moving day is one of your children in floods of tears because their treasured teddy has been left behind.

According to research commissioned by online auction giant eBay one in four (26%) have left behind an item of sentimental value, costing on average of £138.13.

To make sure your house move goes smoothly and avoid extra expense, we’ve put together our top five tips to help you plan.

1. Keep a budget tracker

Setting up a spreadsheet may sound boring, but it could be an easy way to keep tabs on all the costs associated with moving home so you don’t get caught out by nasty surprises later on. Make sure you include your deposit, stamp duty, estate agent fees and removal company fees as well as any other costs you might incur such as any DIY or redecorating that is required.

2. Pack up early

Start packing up non-essential items that you don’t use every day well in advance of your move. The earlier you start, the easier and less stressful the job will be, and the less likelihood of items getting lost or broken.

3. Itemise it

Keep a list of what’s in each box, so you can account for all your possessions and know where to find them once you reach your new home.

4. Wrap it

If you are doing your own packing, stock up on bubble wrap and tissue paper to ensure delicate items such as glassware, ornaments and crockery are packed away safely and breakages are avoided. Mark ‘Fragile’ clearly on boxes that contain breakables so that removal services will take extra care with these.

5. Take cover

Don’t forget that from the moment you exchange contracts, you take legal responsibility for the new property you are moving into, so make sure your new home and all its contents are adequately protected from day one, by taking out a buildings and contents insurance policy starting from the exchange of contracts date. That way if anything does get damaged or left behind in the move at least you can make a claim.

Hopefully these tips will help your move go smoothly and reduce the chance of incurring additional expense. For more advice on moving home why not drop into your local branch for a chat?