We all know moving house is stressful — in fact, it’s regularly rated in the top five most stressful things you can do in your life. But it doesn't have to be.
Moving day is always going to be stressful in one way or another. And even though research from Savills the estate agency showed only around 7 in a 100 people in the UK actually move further than 50 miles, unexpected surprises always tend to come up. But don’t worry — we’ve got you covered with tips on how to avoid some of the biggest moving mistakes.
The 10 biggest moving mistakes and how to avoid them
So what are the biggest moving mistakes to watch out for?
1. Messing up with movers
Planning is vital when you’re moving house, especially if you’re moving at a busy time of year. The first of the moving mistakes to avoid on our list is messing up with your removals firm. If you choose the wrong one, you could end up with a more stressful and costly move. So how can you avoid this moving mistake?
- Firstly, if you’re using a removals firm, start shopping around and get quotes from a number of removals firms 4-6 weeks before you move and compare them, it can make a huge difference to your costs. Remember that the cost of removals will vary according to your brief, so getting a house visit and a detailed quote from your removals firm will ensure there are no last minute surprises, for them or for you. Size of property, number of rooms (don’t forget the loft, garage and shed), volume of items being moved and the distance of your move will all impact the brief and the quote.
- Make sure the removals company know the vehicular access to your current property and the one you are moving to. That’s because another of the moving mistakes you’ll want to avoid is having a very large vehicle arriving only to find it can’t get within 500 metres of the property.
- Crucially, as soon as you exchange contracts, contact your chosen removals firm to confirm.
If you need to make the money stretch a bit further, there are ways to save on your moving costs depending how much work you are willing to take on yourself. You can either hire a van and do all of the packing, moving, and driving yourself — or hire movers with the van, so you don’t have to worry about the heavy lifting.
Read more in our guide on How to find the right removals company.
2. Starting to pack too late
Next on our moving mistakes list you won’t want to get caught out by is packing too late. Packing up a house can take a long time, especially if you have a loft and a garage to clear out. So start early, particularly with items you know you won’t need every day. And bear in mind, many people consider the hardest room to pack when moving house is the kitchen because of the number of breakables.
And you should also plan how you’re going to pack too. Can you do it yourself? Do you have some friends who will help you? Or are you prepared to pay for the removal firm’s packing service?
Also, make sure you’re up to speed with how to pack boxes for moving. You’ll don’t want to make boxes too heavy to move, especially if you’re moving yourself. So pack heavy items in small boxes and light items in bigger ones. If you’re packing a box containing different weights, put the heavier ones at the bottom.
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3. Keeping your clutter
Let’s be honest — lots of us are often short on space. So don’t make the moving mistake of taking your clutter to your new home. The clothes that are waiting to go to the charity shop, the unrepairable bike — this is the time to clear out. This means you’ll only move what you really need.
Alternatively, if you need to dispose of items before or after your move, take a look at our partner LoveJunk, which is a marketplace for household rubbish removal and reuse. It finds your cheapest available licensed waste collector or reuser in seconds. Over 98% of waste materials is reused or recycled and prices are up to 50% cheaper than if you contact collectors direct.
4. Forgetting to keep your moving essentials in one place
One of the moving out tips you might be most grateful for on moving day is to pack an emergency box with all of the moving essentials you’ll need when you first arrive at your new home (we’d recommend the kettle, tea bags, toilet roll, toiletries, biscuits, and more biscuits). And keep a couple of pairs of scissors in your moving essentials kit to open boxes too.
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5. Underestimating how many packing boxes you need
Buying packing boxes is expensive, plus they’re probably heading to the recycling bin after you’ve moved. So instead, try your local supermarket and ask for any used boxes or look online to see if anyone locally is giving any away or selling them cheaply.
But don’t underestimate how many you need. This is another benefit of starting to pack early – you’ll have time to buy more boxes if you need to. Also, stock up on masking tape, marker pens and bubble wrap. And when we say this, we really mean it: you can never never, ever, ever have too much bubble wrap.
6. Leaving boxes unlabelled
We know, we know — you think you’ll remember. You’re sure you’ll remember. But when all you want is a cup of tea and a fresh change of clothes, you’ll be cursing yourself for not labelling them. And when it comes to moving day tips, make sure to leave each box with the room it’s going into and a couple of items listed that are inside the box to help navigate where everything is going in your new home.
7. Not measuring doorways
Before moving day, it’s essential that you take measurements inside your new property – and of your larger pieces of furniture – to make sure you’ll be able to get them through doorways and into the rooms. If pieces of furniture need legs or arms taking off to get through, it’s best to know this in advance.
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8. Forgetting to give people your new address
Don’t make the moving mistake of forgetting to tell people about your new address. There is a long list of people you need to inform of your new address, including:
For more information, read our Moving house checklist.
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Compare home removal quotes today with our removal costs calculator.
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9. Not checking your insurance
This is one of the major moving mistakes you will want to avoid. Before you move house it’s important to make sure your belongings will be covered in transit. Check with the removals company that they are fully insured. Also, check your home insurance as you may be covered for accidental damage or loss, although it may stipulate that certain items like glasswear and china will only be covered if they are professionally packed so always check the terms and conditions.
10. Getting hit with unexpected charges
A Zoopla study showed that a whopping 39% of Brits were stung by hidden costs when they moved house. Of those, 44% said they were hit by unexpected charges of more than £500 while 30% overspent by more than £1,000 — ouch!
A further 15% of home movers said they forked out more than £1,500 over what they expected to.
For nearly a third of movers, these extra costs were linked to standard sales-related services such as surveyors and conveyancers.
It pays to set aside an extra sum to cover any unforeseen moving costs.
April 25, 2024 
