Moving

Moving tips

Once you know that you are moving it is an ideal opportunity to sort through your belongings, have a ‘spring clean’ and remove and reduce the number of things you will have to move. You could have a garage sale, tip run or donate items to charity. It is important to think in advance if you are going to move yourself or whether you are going to employ a professional. If you are using a professional you should make reservations well in advance.

Make a file containing important papers such as:

  • Birth certificates
  • Immunisation records
  • Social security cards
  • Passports
  • Adoption papers
  • Naturalisation papers
  • School records
  • Copies of court orders
  • Marriage certificate
  • Insurance policies
  • Wills
  • Power(s) of attorneys
  • Bank books, cheque books
  • Tax records
  • Car registration papers
  • Divorce papers
  • Stocks and bonds papers
  • Pet identification papers

Things to do well in advance

  • Ensure that your move is insured (check if your own insurance policy covers the moving event).
  • If you have elected to use a professional removalist, ensure that they are fully insured. Get more than one quote. It is recommended that you ask for references and enquire as to what happens in the event that something is stolen or broken.
  • Start to gather packing supplies such as boxes, packing material, string, sticky tape, scissors and good marking pens. Consider reinforcing the base of boxes if you are putting heavy items in them.
  • When packing, mark boxes clearly so that you know what is in them and which room they are going to. Try not to over pack boxes as it increases the chance of back injury and the potential for things to get broken. It is best to pack heavy items into small boxes and lighter items into the larger boxes where possible.
  • Start packing items that are not regularly used such as Christmas decorations, off season clothes and items that are in storage.
  • Make back-ups of important computer files.
  • Organise children’s schooling if there is to be a change.
  • If you are moving a long distance organise travel arrangements and plan your movements. Don’t forget to plan for the travel and care of your pets.
  • If you are moving a long distance you should also get a copy of your medical, dental, optometrist and your pets’ veterinarian records.
  • Save all moving receipts because some moves may be tax deductible (ask your accountant).
  • Organise insurance cover for valuables to be moved.

In the last two weeks before moving

  • Organise disconnection of power at old house and connection at the new house.
  • Organise disconnection of phone at old house and connection at the new house.
  • Organise disconnection of satellite at old house and connection at the new house.
  • Call people who may be helping you with the move.
  • Confirm travel reservations.
  • Cancel or redirect newspapers and magazines.
  • Cancel post office box and organise to redirect mail as of a certain date.
  • Put together a survival kit of clothes and other essentials such as food, toothbrushes and medicine in case you are separated from your possessions longer than expected or so that you don’t have to panic to find something essential at the new house.
  • Pick up items on lay-by, at cleaners, or elsewhere that you may have forgotten.
  • Label cords for electrical items.

Day before the move

  • Check the car oil, tyres and fuel.
  • Protect high traffic areas with old sheets and pad corners in particular areas where furniture will be manoeuvred to ensure there is no damage done.

On the moving day

  • Lock up property and drop off keys.
  • Pick up keys to your new home.
  • Carry with you items such as the telephone number of the removalist, a local road map, documents related to the sale of your home, insurance policies, real estate agent’s number, address books and diary’s, comfort toys and kids bottles, medicines, a change of clothes, important records and documents, items of great personal value, back-up copies of important computer files and personal hygiene items (e.g. soap, toothpaste).
  • Show movers where to place furniture and boxes.
  • If you have employed professional movers, check the inventory to ensure that everything was delivered before signing the delivery papers and note any damages on the inventory sheet.

As soon as possible after the move change your address with:

  • Insurance companies
  • The tax office
  • The bank and credit card companies
  • Schools
  • Places of employment
  • The electoral office
  • Roads and transport or driver’s licence and vehicle registration
  • The doctor, Medicare, health insurer, important medical data bases
  • Important databases such as child clinic, playgroup, superannuation, your employer, Centrelink, sports groups, and video club memberships.

If you are keeping the old home as an investment don’t forget to advise the Land Titles Office since land tax is payable on investment properties. You also need to tell your insurance company to ensure that the correct type of insurance policy is in place.

A mother’s moving story

We moved home when my daughter was six months old and my son was two years old. My daughter settled without any issue since she was young enough not to be concerned about anything but a cuddle, her bottle and her bed. My two year old son was different. Although he really liked the new house because it was bigger and he had plenty of room for his toys, he missed the old house. For the first two months he would regularly get up in the middle of the night just to check that we were there and he would occasionally say that he wanted to go back to the old house. We had done everything that we could think of to make the transition easier on him. We had painted his room the same colour and his pooh bear curtains were the same. His room was identical in look, just a slightly different shape. We read him stories before bed as we had always done and we tucked him in and kissed him goodnight. What was missing or different? Everything!

The house smelt different, looked different and his friends from next door were not there anymore when he looked out his window. He, like the rest of us, loved the new house, although it took him a while to settle down because it was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to him. He occasionally says that he misses the old home but when we asked him if he wanted to move back there he said “no then I would miss this one!” I realised at that moment that although my son was only young he was learning to reminisce. Since most of his memories were made at the old house it was understandable that he would want to talk about it and recognising this, we then encouraged him to do so. Although we told him all about the move and explained how we were all going to live in the new house, until we actually did so, the whole concept was foreign to him.

Moving is difficult for children but exciting too. Remember that a move is done for positive reasons and if possible show them that how it has enhanced their lifestyle. We moved for the children so that they had more space to play and were closer to the school, local milk bar and two parks.