Congratulations, it’s time for the big move into your new Green Home! We know that moving house can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be and we are here to help. To make this process as easy as possible for you and your family, we have put together a list of all the essential tasks and helpful checklist items so nothing gets forgotten. The sooner you can start and get organised, the easier it will be, and before you know it you’ll be enjoying your new home.
Moving House Checklist
A few months before moving day
- Choose a date to move. This should be after settlement date and the end of the week is ideal so you have the whole weekend to settle in.
- Book packers and movers if you are getting a helping hand. Otherwise make sure you have a truck or trailer hired and if you need help from family and friends let them know the date too.
- Start to organise your things to make packing and unpacking simple. Go through things and put them in three categories: Keep, donate/sell, throw away. This will ensure you only keep and move the things you really need or want, the rest can go.
- Turning things off and on. Sort your utilities for both houses, power/gas, water, internet, sky etc.
- Cleaning… this is always the last thing you want to do when you have packed up, have an empty house and are ready to go, so you may thank yourself if you just book in a cleaning crew. Think green and use companies who use environmentally friendly products. If you are buying your own we recommend, Ecostore products or similar brands.
- What things will you need to organise in your new neighbourhood? Maybe you need a new doctor, dentist, school/daycare, babysitter, gardener, start looking for new options.
One month before moving day
- Start collecting packing boxes. Look on Marketplace or local community FB groups too, when you’re done, pass any good ones on to someone else. Reuse, recycle, keep it green!
- Start packing a bit in each room leaving the boxes stacked and labelled with the room they are to be moved to. It is a good idea to write on each box a list of its general content on 2 sides.
- Just keep packing, bit by bit you’ll get there
Make arrangements to:
- Have someone look after your kids and pets for moving day, it’s much easier without lots of little feet running around
- See your solicitor to sign transfer documents/mortgage discharge documents.
- Enrol children in their new school
- Coordinate the forwarding of any files from the childrens’ previous school to their new one
- Notify your change of address:
- Set up mail redirection to your new address
- Bank, credit card
- Elections Registrar
- Registrar of motor vehicles and driver’s license
- IRD
- Insurance companies
- Hire purchase or finance companies
- Investment companies
- Workplace/s
- Clubs and organisations
- School/daycare
- Medical centres
- Friends and relatives
- Doctors, dentist, accountant, lawyers
- Subscriptions (eg food, magazines and newspapers)
A week before moving day
- By now you should only have essential day to day items that aren’t packed up
- Start cleaning the areas that are empty, cupboards and shelves etc
- Set aside items you will need on the day of the move
- Snacks/food and drinks, drink bottles for water
- Cleaning products, vacuum cleaner, mop, cloths, towels, rags, buckets
- Extra bags/boxes, there are always extra items that need to go in a box
- Set your pre-settlement inspection a day or two before settlement so if there is something wrong it can be remedied before move in day
Moving week
- Remind and confirm dates/times/locations for packers and furniture removal company
- Confirm moving in/moving out details and key exchange
- Say goodbye to neighbours
- Clean the oven, stove and rangehood
- Tidy the yard
- Return any borrowed items
- List valuable items for special care when moving
- Securely pack all jewellery, money, special documents and papers (ie legal, tax, insurance etc)
- Move all your outdoor items like furniture, BBQ, pot plants, dog house etc to one spot so movers easily know what to take
- Print some floor plans of your new home and label the rooms, this will really help the movers to know what boxes go where
Day before
- Unplug and defrost fridge/s and freezer/s
- Drain the washing machine pipe (and dishwasher if you are taking it)
- Make sure you have moving day meals, snacks and drinks sorted
- Empty the bins and keep one big bin handy for moving day
Moving day
- Have a big breakfast
- Get the kids and pets sorted
- Keep your chargers handy and your phone full of battery
- Explain your packing procedure to the removal people and be at your new home when they arrive
- Advise removal company of dangerous goods being moved (ie petrol, spirits, chemicals etc)
- Clearly show boxes containing breakables as “Fragile” and identify these items to the removal people
- Ensure that the chattels that have been sold with the property are not accidentally packed or chattels to be packed are not left with the house
- Disconnect all appliances
- Don’t forget to lock up when you leave
One last check
- Letterbox
- No clothes at the dry cleaners
- Check for things hidden in roof spaces, attics, sheds etc
- Electricity, gas and telephone disconnected
- Water turned off and no taps left running
- Windows and doors closed and locked
- Keys/remotes with solicitor (if appropriate)
Welcome home
- Yay, you did it!
- Check everything arrived
- Make an insurance claim if any damage has occurred during the move
- Have spare keys cut
- Teach your children how to get to their new school
If you’re not quite at the ‘moving in’ stage and you want to explore what it means to live warmer, drier and healthier with Green Homes, reach out to our design and build consultants today.