Ten top tips to be prepared before and after moving house

Researching the new area, hiring professional movers, and relying on friends and family for help are all good ways to deal with the stress of moving. Make sure you plan everything ahead of time so that things go smoothly.”

Award winning Edinburgh removals company Kingdom Removals recommend the following top ten tips to a stress free move.

1. Get packing early

First write down what you’d like to take with you and start prioritising. You might want to create a list of the answers to frequently asked questions about moving first so you can see in advance any potential issues.

Pack as many of the non-essentials as you can in advance – books, spare bedding and other items you are not going to need immediately– so you’re not piling everything into a bin liner the day before in a wild panic.

2. But keep the essentials out and ready at hand

Don’t leave yourself living in an empty house for weeks. It’s not much fun packing, but it’s even less fun unpacking your packing to find your toothpaste.

It’s also a good idea to create a survival kit with all the things you’ll want easy access to when you arrive at your new home. Obviously, that should include a kettle, mug and teabags.

3. Be organised

Apart from that survival kit, keep some discipline to your packing. When you’re tired it’s tempting to chuck everything together just to make things fit. But a box containing pants, spoons and your PlayStation 4 just increases your work load at the other end.

Keep related items together and label each box with what’s inside it and which room it’s going in.

If you’re dismantling and reassembling any furniture, number the parts in the order they go back together and use masking tape to attach nuts, bolts and screws where they’re needed.

4. Declutter like a pro

When you move for the first time you’ll be amazed that you can fit all you need into the back of a car. A couple of years later you’ll wonder how on earth you have enough stuff to fill a fleet of lorries.

To avoid that, every time you move question each item you’re packing: do you use it and, to borrow from tidying guru Marie Kondo, does it spark joy? If not, it’s time for a new home in a charity shop.

5. Call on friends and family

Book in some free help and give them as much notice as possible, so they have less excuse to back out. As mentioned above, if you’re moving out of the family home for the first time you may get away with packing your possessions into one or two cars.

If not, or you’re taking large furniture with you, simply contact Kingdom Removals to give you a free quote.

6. Get ahead on the admin

Investigate which energy suppliers and internet providers will give you the best deal and start the sign-up ball rolling before you move in. You’ll want to have those services up and running in the most cost-effective way as soon as possible.

Visit the council website and find out how to let them know you’re moving, so they can sort out your council tax and you can order all the bins and recycling boxes you need. It’s amazing how quickly a recycling mountain builds up when moving.

Also start changing your address with all the companies and institutions you use. You can buy yourself some time by using the Royal Mail’s redirection service, but if you have a car you’ll need to tell the DVLA immediately or risk a £1,000 fine. And don’t forget to register to vote.

7. Ensure there is somewhere to park

If parking is restricted outside your new home contact the local council well in advance and arrange for no parking cones to be placed outside your new address on the date of your moving in. You may have to apply for a special parking permit but liaising with your removal company will take the stress out of that for you. They have plenty of experience of dealing with parking and permits.

8. Come armed with questions

Your estate agent or old owner of the house should be there to hand over the keys when you arrive. Now’s the time to double check where some of the important things are such as the stopcock, fuse box, thermostat and aerial sockets.

When you’re shown the gas and electricity meters, take a picture so you have a record of the readings for the provider you’ve (hopefully) already signed up for.

9. Make the bed first

After a long, hard day lugging your possessions up the stairs, you’ll be glad you decided to put the sheets on hours before you needed to fall into them.

10. Don’t try and do it all in one day

There’s really no rush. Follow the sacred first-night tradition, passed down from generation to generation: eat a curry on an upturned box, then check out the local.

If all of this sounds stressful you might be thinking is it worth trying to move house on your own. This is something you will need to consider as hiring a professional removals company can make it a lot easier.