Shifting to a new house is indeed one of the biggest moments of your life. Whether you are moving to your dream home or a rented house, adequate preparation and planning are the two important aspects that you need to keep in mind. From decluttering and packing to ensuring basic amenities and updating your address, there are endless things to do before moving into a new house. Here’s a checklist with essential moving tips to help you plan effectively and make your journey comfortable and hassle-free:
Contents
Declutter your old home
One of the first important things to do before moving to a new house is decluttering your existing space. This is crucial to make your packing process easy and stress-free. Firstly, make an inventory checklist of all the essential things that you are planning to shift to your new home. Secondly, take a thorough inspection of your house and list down the unwanted things that you would like to sell, dispose or donate. This is not only helpful to ensure that you move only the necessary things to your new home, but it is also extremely useful to calculate your moving costs.
Pay off your dues
The next step is to check whether you have closed all your pending bills. These will include your home maintenance charges, utility bills and other service charges. Contact your residential association and check with them if there any outstanding dues in your name. Also, make sure you have paid off the salaries for people who have worked for you like domestic help, housekeepers, gardeners, plumbers and electrician. It is always a good idea to keep all your payment receipts handy for future reference.
Update your new address
Updating your address in all the official records is necessary if you are planning to shift to a new house, especially if it is going to be your permanent address. Make sure your address is updated in all the Government documents like Aadhar card, voter id, PAN card, driving license, income tax, insurance policies vehicle registration, utility bills like electricity, water and sewage etc. All you need to do is to login to the respective website and replace your old address with the new one.
Inspect the basic infrastructure of your new house
Before you completely move in, it is mandatory to take a thorough inspection of the basic infrastructure of your new house. For instance, look for leakages in your water pipelines, monitor your electric switch plates and double check if they are fabricated properly to ensure electrical safety. It is also a good idea to check the functioning of your kitchen chimneys, doors and windows before you take the possession of your property.
Invest in pest-control and air quality check
Infestation of pests and rodents is one of the major causes of infectious diseases. Before you are shifting to your new house, make sure you do a pest control check to keep your family members safe and healthy. It is also advisable to test the air quality of your home to check the levels of allergens, dust, chemical pollutants and the level of humidity in your home. Air quality is often an ignored aspect of home maintenance and renovation. This is extremely crucial to protect your babies and toddlers from air-borne diseases. You can take the help of professional agencies to get this done.
Purchase home décor and other essentials
It is always advisable to equip your new apartment with a few basic pieces of furniture before you move in. If you have a strict budget, focus on reusing your old furniture. Setting up your utilities is one of the primary things to do before moving into a new house. Make sure you install essential utilities such as gas, security systems, telephone connections and cable internet. It is important to call your service providers a few days prior so that you can get these installed before you move in.
Explore your neighbourhood
Look out for the social infrastructure of the area. Take a stroll around the locality and check out the basic amenities and facilities like hospitals, grocery stores, banks and shopping malls. If you have children, make a list of the leading schools in your area. You must also explore the common areas of your apartment like parking lots, lifts, gardens, community halls etc. Before shifting to a new house, talk to your residential association and establish a cordial relationship with your neighbours.
In case, you have caused any damage to a rented property; then it is always a good idea to repair them before you leave the house. Such small gestures are extremely crucial to maintain a good relationship between a seller and the buyer or a tenant and the owner.
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