As London experts in home removals and storage, at Anthony Ward Thomas we often see where problems arise with time management and efficiency around moving home. It’s understandable, you may have been living in one home for several decades and then suddenly it’s time to relocate. This alone can be disorientating, let alone all the processes involved. It’s enough to make you want to stay put! We assist our customers with our moving strategies which are designed around their schedules and consider all kinds of issues that could crop up along the way. Here is our guide to getting organized in advance and the different stages of the process to contemplate as your approach moving into your new home.
Moving House administration tasks
Start with some administrative tasks to get the ball rolling. Informing companies of your change of address will be important to keep everything flowing. Researching relevant services and amenities in your new location in advance will be a good investment of time. The Royal Mail re-direction service can make sure you will catch any correspondence and keep things moving smoothly. It is a £36 investment, and you can apply 6 months in advance or 6 months after your change of residence. If you are changing districts you may need to register with the local doctors and dentists in order to access services. By looking online at local forums, you can get recommendations and advice from residents in advance. Notify any of the following of your change of address:
- Banks and building societies
- Car insurance providers
- House insurance providers
- Medical insurance providers
- Pet insurance providers
- Roadside assistance
- Councils for council tax and waste collection services
Moving house practical tasks
This phase is very important. If you want to be involved in the packing process, then this is the stage that will lead you there. Our services include providing packaging materials and packing and unpacking services, depending on your degree of involvement. Plus, our skilled team often works with interior designers setting up installations in homes prior to the actual move, or similarly in order to stage a property for a sale. Depending on your situation we can assist you from the sidelines or come on board to help you to pack. Decision making around what you will take with you and what you will leave behind is crucial.
For this we advise a deep decluttering of your existing place, recycling and repurposing items where possible. In order to donate furniture to local charities and schedule a pick up you can find out if the Salvation Army or British Heart Foundation are operating in your postcode. As soon as you are clear on what is coming with you, you can prepare your packing plan. Make sure to have all your packing materials to hand if you are doing it yourself. For this, you can use our packing supplies shop which keeps things simple.
Packing for a home move
Our approach to packing is on a room-by-room basis and we use inventories for both removals and in case of using storage. We suggest our customers adopt a similar strategy. Having packing materials on hand is advised. We also advise our customers to check to see if the furniture intended for each room on the new floor plan will fit in the space and through the doorways. Labelling boxes by room and keeping an inventory, or at least labelling the boxes with their contents will be very helpful on the other side. Use bubble wrap and paper cones to shield your houseplants from damage during transit. Finally, you will need to pack a survival box for setting up without a hitch at your new place.
Moving house survival box
A moving house survival box may sound a little extreme, but it contains everything you will need on the other side to get going. The survival box will travel with you, so if you arrive way before your other possessions, you can initiate Operation New Home and be prepared for the first couple of nights. Common examples of items in the Survival Box are as follows.
- Phone chargers, battery packs
- Medications
- Tea/Coffee/Milk/Biscuits
- Kettle and a toaster
- Toilet paper
- Cleaning products
- Basic DIY kit
- Speaker/radio
- Bedding and towels for each family member
- Cutlery for each family member
- Cups and plates for each family member
- Washbags for everyone
- Essential toys
- Pet food and bowls
- Moving folder with pen and paper
- Champagne
Final phases moving administration
Get in touch with your energy providers. If you intend to stay with them in the next location, you will have to send them meter readings from when you leave the original property and when you arrive in the new one. If you set up with new providers, you will need both meter readings, so don’t forget to take them when you leave. Plan to have all your utilities functioning in advance at your new location, including the internet. If you have hired a good removals and storage team they will take care of parking restrictions on the day, if not, you may need to get ahead of the game yourself with the parking restrictions in your new area. In addition, save some time by arranging a professional cleaner or handyman to handle any end-of-tenancy cleaning, or repairs you may need to make. Our property services cover cleaning to redecorating, locksmiths to plumbing and are readily available in addition to our removals and storage services. Finally, scan through the takeaways and restaurants in your new location to get an idea of the first meals you may enjoy in your new place.
Finding a reputable removals and storage firm
When researching for a good removals and storage company in London, check to see if each company is transparent and displaying their reviews. By reading the reviews of each company you will get a sense of their overall delivery from customer service to transportation. Check to see if they are members of the British Association of Removers and the Master Removers Group. These affiliations demonstrate they will have met stringent standards for safety, competence, and customer service. All members of the Master Removers Group have access to state-of-the-art equipment and vehicles for removals. At Anthony Ward Thomas we specialize in working with fine art, artisan furniture, and precious items and have built a reputation in London for handling goods with an expert touch. Safe in the knowledge you have an expert team to hand, you can focus on the other details of your relocation.
Anthony Ward Thomas – Premier Removals and Storage in London
Depending on your needs, we have a range of vehicles to suit all sizes of relocations. Our swift Small Moves team may be the faster choice for relocation within the city, but our team will bring to the task all the skills they would use for our interior design clients. If you are moving internationally, our red carpet extends across Europe, and we can also take on the red tape on your behalf. In addition, if it is swift office relocation you require, we can easily and effectively help you, your team and all your IT setup migrate without losing momentum. Get in touch with us today to discuss your move and we can make a quote for safe passage for you into your new home.
