Although moving home is stressful, and everyone who has ever gone through it will attest to that right away, it will also always be worth it. Your new home is exciting, and it’s different, and you can explore it and take the time to make it all yours. 

However, before you can start to properly settle in and make a new life for yourself, whether you’ve moved to the end of the street or to an entirely new country, there are some things to take care of first. The sooner you can get these chores done, the sooner you can start getting to know your new house and neighborhood. Read this list to get an idea of what you should be doing as a matter of urgency. 

Make Sure You Have Everything

One of the reasons that people find moving stressful is that they have to pack up absolutely everything they own and take it somewhere else. This might seem obvious, but most of the time, people do leave their packing quite late, underestimating how much ‘stuff’ they have to take with them to their new property. 

Because of this, by the time moving day comes around the last few items of packing can be done in a rush, and it’s entirely possible that you might leave something behind. This is why, even when you think everything is on the moving van and in your car, you should do one more sweep of your old house just to make sure you’ve got it all.

Once you start unpacking at the other end, you must also check that everything comes off the van. If anything is missing or anything has been damaged, you’ll need to ensure the removals company knows about it. The longer you leave it to tell them, the harder it will be to find the missing items or claim any compensation.  

Organize Your Energy Suppliers 

Your mortgage or rent payments are not the only thing you have to spend money on when you move home or live anywhere. There will also be costs for streaming subscriptions, for cable, for gas, electric, and water, for broadband, and there will be costs attached to local residents’ taxes. When you move, you’re going to need to register for some of these utilities and update some others depending on whether you were using them before you moved or not. For example, your electricity supplier is going to need to know you moved so you can pay the bill relating to the correct property. 

The sooner you can do this, the sooner you’ll be paying the right amount of money, and you won’t be liable for your old property anymore. Make sure that, before you lock up your old house for the last time, you check your meters for readings so you can get an accurate final bill. 

Start With The Essentials 

At some point, you’ll need to unpack, but this doesn’t have to happen as soon as the removals company have unloaded the last box and driven away. It can, for the most part, start tomorrow after you’ve had a good night’s sleep and given yourself a bit of a break from the stress and confusion. 

Of course, in order to do this, you’re going to need to have a bed to sleep in, clothes to change into, and something to make your dinner in. So although you might be tempted not to do anything at all, or you might want to start with the box closest to you when you survey the mess around you, what you really need to do is unpack the essentials first. You’ll need to put your bed together and make it with fresh bedding. You’ll need to have enough toiletries to make you comfortable. You’ll need to find at least one change of clothes. You’ll need to have food, drinks, and all the tools to eat and drink them with. 

When you’re packing, it’s a good idea to make a box labeled ‘essentials’ where all of these items can go. That way, you’ll know exactly where to start, and if this the only box that you get unpacked that first night, that’s enough. 

Change The Locks 

Although this isn’t a job that you are going to get done the minute you move into a new house, it’s a good idea to change the locks within the first week. You never know who else might have a set of keys, since you don’t know how many sets were created to give to tradespeople, family members, friends, realtors, and so on. There could be a large number of keys available to open your doors that you don’t have control of. Changing the locks will keep you safer and ensure the property is protected. 

You can also check your windows at this time. If you’re protecting the property by changing the locks, you should also ensure the windows are safe. If not, you need to get them changed by going to Renewal by Andersen. You can speak to the experts about what kind of windows to replace the old ones with, and how to ensure you keep your property protected at all times. 

Inspect The House 

After moving in, before you unpack too much and put together too many items of furniture, you need to inspect the house. Whether you have bought it or you’re renting, you’ll want to know about any potential problems. If you are renting, those problems can be reported to your landlord or the landlord’s agent. If you own the house, it will depend on the problem, and whether you know about it already – if it was something that was meant to have been fixed before you moved in and it hasn’t been dealt with, you will need to let the realtor know so it can be followed up. 

While you’re checking that the house is in good condition after moving, you should also find the fuses and the water main shut off valve. You might need them in the future, and knowing where they are in advance will be useful.