A Beechcroft sales representative opening a door.

Moving House Checklist

Moving to a new Beechcroft house or apartment has so many benefits: it will be energy-efficient, warm and well-insulated, easy to maintain and full of new fixtures and fittings. There’s a community of like-minded people on hand, many of whom will become friends and give you a whole new social life. You can put away your lawnmower and your gardening tools because the Estate Manager will look after the communal grounds as well as private gardens – leaving you to enjoy a relaxed retirement.  

Even if you appreciate all these benefits, moving house is still one of life’s most stressful events but please remember that the Beechcroft Developments’ team is on hand to offer help and advice – and we even have a ‘Moving Made Easy’ service to make the whole process of selling your home and moving to a Beechcroft retirement community so much easier.    

We can help

With 40 years’ experience in the retirement property market, we understand the challenges of moving home – and how best to overcome them. With this in mind we have put together some moving house tips, a moving house checklist and a guide to moving house costs. We hope that this helps you make a smooth move from your former house to your brand new Beechcroft home.

Moving House Checklist

Four weeks before your move:

  • Declutter – getting rid of things you don’t want or need anymore will make moving easier.
  • Decide what furniture you’re going to take with you. You will need to let the removals company know so they can provide you with a quote.
  • If you intend to donate furniture to charity, let the charity know and ask them to pick the items up in advance of the removal date.
  • Are you intending to pack all your belongings yourself or get professionals to pack as well as transport your belongings for you? If you choose professionals they will bring the moving boxes and packing supplies and take them away for you once you have moved in.

Three weeks before your move:

  • Contact removal companies for quotes – and choose the one that you prefer. Do ask your sales consultant for advice – our team will be able to recommend a company and even contact them on your behalf. 
  • When you compare quotes, make sure you’re comparing ‘apples with apples’ not ‘apples with pears.’ 
  • Always make sure you have the correct removals insurance in place – there is an element of risk when moving belongings.
  • Once you have chosen them, keep in touch with your removal company.

Two weeks before your move:

  • This is the best time to arrange for meter readings to be taken – contact your service providers – gas, electricity and water companies and notify them of your move.
  • Redirect your mail to your new address through the Post Office’s mail direction service and don’t forget to leave your new address with your buyers in case anything ‘slips through the net.’ The Post Office service takes about 10 days to come into force and you can choose to pay for three, six or 12 months.  
  • You will need to speak to telephone and internet providers to notify them of the move but also to ask about whether you can use the same services in your new area. If you don’t have the internet in your old home, you might want to consider it in your new place and there are quite a few deals around so it can take a couple of weeks to organise this.
  • Take a look at our checklist of Moving House: Who to Inform which we hope will serve as a useful reminder of companies and organisations you may need to contact

The week before your move:

  • Use the food in your fridge and freezer and defrost the freezer. Your new Beechcroft home will have a brand new fridge/freezer – so you won’t need to take your old one with you. If you are donating your old fridge/freezer to someone, make sure it is defrosted at least 24 hours before you move it.
  • If you’re doing the packing yourself, make sure you pack the non-essentials this week and label the boxes well so you can find what you’re looking for once you arrive in your new home.
  • Let your doctor, dentist, banks and building societies know about your move.
  • Ask the council for a statement on your council tax – you may get a refund.
  • Change the address for your driving licence, car tax, car insurance, household insurance, and any other insurance policies.
  • Send out change of address cards to a friend.
  • Speak to a family member, friend or neighbour about looking after your pet on the day of your move.

Two days before the move

  • Prepare a box of moving day essentials – toilet roll, tea, coffee, cups, longlife milk, snacks, screwdrivers in case you have to put furniture together.
  • Set aside things you want to take with you.
  • Label items and keys for the new owners – check the window keys are in place.
  • Label where boxes and furniture should go in your new home.

On moving day:

  • Take all the meter readings – leave a note of these at your old home and keep a note of the readings yourself and phone the utility companies with the readings.
  • If the buyers of your old home aren’t moving in straight away, make sure the power and water are turned off and all doors and windows are locked.
  • Drop your keys at the estate agent’s office if you need to.
  • Make sure your removals team has your contact numbers and arrange an appropriate time to meet them at your new home

Who should I inform when I am moving house?

  • Contact the DVLA after you have moved to change your driving licence and vehicle registration details.
  • You’ll need to register to vote from your new address.
  • You’ll need to contact the TV Licensing organisation to change the address on your television licence.
  • If you’re a tax payer or in receipt of a pension, you’ll need to inform the HMRC and any pension provider of your new details.
  • Your local authority will need to be contacted for a final council tax statement and you may get a refund.
  • Bank, building society or post office.
  • Credit card company.
  • Investment funds.
  • Store loyalty card providers.
  • Insurance providers – car, home, mobile phone, pet insurance, life insurance, health and dental insurance.
  • Medical professionals – dentist, doctor and any other specialist. Make sure you register with a new doctor as soon as possible.
  • Utilities – water, electricity, gas – with meter readings when you leave and at your new home.
  • Telephone/internet providers.
  • Mobile phone providers.
  • Sky or similar.
  • Clubs and societies that you belong to.
  • Newspaper, magazine or journal subscriptions.
  • Your newsagent.
  • Your milkman.
  • Pet microchip database.
  • Any charities you support.

Moving House Tips

  • One of the most stressful aspects of moving is choosing what you’re going to do with the years of accumulated belongings – so many of us have attics and garages full of things we no longer want or need – and some of them we may not have seen for years. Choosing to throw away, donate or recycle items is really difficult – but give yourself plenty of time to clear out, ready for a fresh start.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask family or friends to help with your move. Moving is physically and mentally exhausting and its helpful to have people to fetch and carry, make you a cup of tea when you need it and just to support you during the move.
  • Moving house with a cat or other pet means thinking carefully about the arrangements on moving day. Pets, particularly cats, can be very upset by the move and it is worth asking your vet for advice. It may be best to leave pets with a neighbour whilst the move is taking place. Once you’ve moved, if your pet isn’t already ‘chipped’ it could be worthwhile doing so and if it is already ‘chipped’ then make sure that you have confirmed your change of address – if your pet gets lost, you don’t want it returning to your former home!
  • Create a documents folder – keep all your important documents together along with digital copies – passports, insurance papers, housing and financial documents, medical records and any documents associated with your move.
  • Try not to move on a Friday – it’s a busy time and often more expensive in terms of removal firms

Cotswold Gate

Burford, Oxfordshire, OX18 4PA

4 homes currently available from £350,000

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