How To Make It Through Last Minute Moves

Redirecting Utilities

Electricity, gas, water, internet, home phone… these are all things you rely on daily to survive. Make a list of all the services you currently have, as well as speaking with the real estate agency of your new home to find out if there’s anything you’ll need at the new home (for instance, you won’t find gas at every home and apartments don’t bill for water). Plan ahead by letting all your utilities know in advance your moving date so that they can organise to switch off your old home and redirect services to your new one.

Redirecting Mail

In the lead up to the move, every time you get a letter from a business, make a note to inform them directly that you are moving house. This eliminates the number of letters you later need to have redirected. Where possible, ask companies who send you bills if they are able to begin emailing invoices to you. Not only does this save your mail getting lost, it’s also environmentally friendly. However, we still highly recommend popping down to the post office to organise redirection for at least a month, as this will allow you to pick up on any contacts that may have fallen through the cracks.

Booking A Cleaner

If you don’t plan on cleaning your old home yourself, you’ll need to book a cleaner. If you don’t have a regular cleaner who comes weekly or monthly, make sure you allow enough time to

Cancelling Private Services

Whether it is a pool servicer, gardener or a regular cleaner, let anyone who comes to service your home regularly that you’ll no longer be living at that address and whether or not you’ll want to redirect their services to your new home. You’ll also need to collect any keys you may have provided them with. This is for two reasons: to pay off any debt and to avoid startling the new occupants when a strange man or woman enters the home in the days or weeks after you’ve left.

Returning Borrowed Items

When you’re packing, keep an eye out for anything that belongs to a friend, the school your kids attend or even a library. When you’ve finished packing, make some time to return these items to their rightful owners, especially if you’re moving to the other side of town or interstate. Also make a note to clear any debts in the area you’re living in, as these can often be forgotten once you’re no longer walking past the reminders every day.

Garage Door Remote

One of the most commonly walked-off with items that should be left behind is the garage door remote. When you hand over the keys, it’s incredibly important you also remember to hand this remote over, as you wouldn’t want to be the one stuck having to pay for a costly replacement if the roles were reversed.

Hidden Objects

Got any valuables lurking under the floorboards or perhaps a spare set of keys tucked away in a fake rock in the front yard? It would be incredibly awkward to have to return to your old home years later to request the right to take something that was once forgotten about. Make sure you collate these items early in your packing, so they’re not accidentally left in the last minute rush.