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Moving In Your New Home

Before moving anything in

Before moving any of your belongings into your new home, its important to make sure that everything is as it should be. You may have had a list of repairs you expected - or this may be the first time you've seen the house empty. Take some time to go around with a notepad and check all of the sockets for obvious signs of wear and tear and look for damage that you might be otherwise liable for.

Ensure that any cupboards are empty, free of damp, mold or bad smells, and keep a close note of what where the electricity, water and gas stopcocks are. While doing this, you'll also be getting a feel for where you can place any furniture, how to get it up any stairs or even just into the house. Note down any damage or concerns you have to be discussed with whomever you're dealing with - its important to have these notes before moving anything in so that you can get the problems remedied as soon as possible.

If you're letting from a landlord, he'll give you a list of any fittings, fixtures and furniture he's leaving - its very common nowadays for landlords to leave 'white goods' - kitchen appliances, such as the fridge, freezer, washing machine and cooker. If you're letting, your landlord should also give you contact details, emergency repair numbers and any paperwork pertaining to these emergency repairs that you may need. You may also want to get bank details or arrange a good time to come and collect rent. Any final paperwork can be signed now, and then you can start making your new place your own.

You should also ensure that the central heating and boiler are working correctly and collect any manuals for these from the previous occupant - these manuals will save you a lot of frustration in the long run.

Home Your Moving

It is also a good idea to make sure you have all the keys to any locks. It will save you from having to disable the door lock or calling in a lock smith just to get a door open. Once you have everything and all is in order the first thing you need to do is change all the locks on the exterior of the house. This will prevent any key that someone forgot about from being used to check what you have without you knowing. If your renting this may not be possible.

Moving In Your New Home History & Civil Business Politics

If you are purchasing a previously owned home it may be worth the cost and peace of mind to have all of the locks rekeyed. If you are renting this may not be an option, but you can check with the landlord and see what their policy is. Some landlords automatically rekey with each new tenant.