What to do when moving into your new home.

You’ve done the trawling through Rightmove. You’ve visited the houses you like, trying to come up with some good questions to ask. You’ve made the offer, had it accepted and are ready to move in. But what now? Well whilst there’s the packing and unpacking to do, there are actually a number of other things you can do to make moving into your home a little easier. So grab a cuppa and let’s go through them.

Have a walk through your home.

Before you start filling the place with furniture, do a walkthrough of your new home. You can use this time to make sure that everything you requested to be done has been done, check that all the switches/outlets are working as well as plan out where everything is going. It can also be useful to plan out any improvements or repairs you want to make to really get the most from your new place.

Find where your utilities go.

As part of your stroll through your home, it’s important to locate your:

• Fuse box

• Water stop tap

• Electricity meter

• Gas meter

These are normally located under stairs, near the boiler or in the garage. By knowing where they are it means you can react quicker if your power goes out or a pipe springs a leak. Plus knowing where your meters are means you can give your first meter readings.

Get cleaning.

Now I know cleaning isn’t everyone’s favourite activity to do, especially if you’ve just moved into a four bedroom house, however deep cleaning your new home from top to bottom can really be worth it. Plus it’s a lot easier to clean when you don’t have sofas and beds in the way.

Let the mailman know where you are.

Whilst more and more of what we used to get posted out to us is going online, we do still get some mail from time to time. So you don’t miss out on anything important, like a new bank card, you can let the Post Office know your new address and set up a mail redirect for a certain amount of time. You’ll then want to update your address everywhere, for example your driver’s licence and your bank. This can take a bit of time, so make sure you set up your mail redirect for long enough to cover you as the addresses change.

Change the locks.

If you’ve bought your new home, then it’s a good idea to change the locks as you don’t know who the previous owner may have given them to. It’s also an opportunity to check how secure your property is, and whether any improvements can be made to keep your and your family safe.

Explore the neighbourhood.

Go for a stroll. Track down the nearest supermarket. Check out the local restaurants. Find the local sports clubs. If you’re new to the area then seeing what’s available in your neighbourhood and meeting people can be a great way to make it feel like home. You could even throw a housewarming party if you really want to get to know everyone. For a full run down of everything you need to prepare for moving day, check out our moving home checklist. If you're moving into a home supplied by us, or you want to see what we can offer, come check out our tariffs.