Moving to a new place tends to be a hectic operation that usually doesn’t take just one day. A moving checklist can be very helpful.
One of the most common hurdles that complicate moving to a new house or an apartment is that many people rush to complete the transition as soon as possible, which then leads to additional logistical problems.
In this post, we’re going to present a checklist which can help you move to a new place with minimal interruptions to your day-to-day life.
Write a To-Do List
… where you can keep track of what you need to pack and into what boxes.
To-do lists can be massively helpful when it comes to moving to a new place because the entire process is more complex than it is difficult.
If you don’t have a plan of action, you run the risk of forgetting something, which then would mean you have to make several extra trips back and forth from your original place of residence.
Check the State of the Moving Boxes
… and do so not just before you load them into the moving truck or van, but also when the vehicle arrives at the target location.
The thing is, no matter how careful moving companies are, some damage can occur to the items in the boxes during the trip, which is something that needs to be addressed right after you unload the boxes.
It’s much more difficult to prove that damage to an item has been caused by a moving company if a couple of days have elapsed since the boxes were delivered to your new home.
You don’t need to examine in detail, but a quick visual check to see what state the boxes are in will usually be enough for you to detect if something’s wrong with them.
Unpack Essentials First
A big trap to fall in when unpacking your boxes upon arriving at a new place is to start from box 1 and then unpack them all in order until all of them are empty.
What you need to do instead is unpack the essentials such as your hygiene kit, some clothes, food, and a couple of chairs and a table, so you have a semi-functional house to work with right off the bat.
Once you’ve unpacked these essential items first, you can proceed to unpack the rest of the stuff you have over the course of the next couple of days. (Or, however long it takes you to set everything up – depending on how much stuff you have.)
Inspect the Property Thoroughly
This goes for both your original property and the new one you’re moving into.
Once you settle in at your new place, you don’t want to have any loose ends and unpleasant phone calls about damages that have somehow occurred in the place you’ve come from.
At the same time, even though you’ve probably already done a meticulous check on the property you’re moving into, check it once more after you’re there, because you never know what problems could have occurred in the meantime.
Childproof the Entire Residence
If you have kids, childproofing the building you’re going to be staying at for a longer period is not something that can be postponed.
Checking for any protruding nails, cracks in the floor, and putting those plug-like thingies in the electrical outlets is a must and should be done as soon as possible when you enter your new place of residence.
Set up the Most Important Appliances
… such as your fridge, freezer, stove, and other food-making appliances and gadgets, so you can prepare meals for yourself and your family.
Also, you will need a functioning washing machine, as clothes will start piling fairly quickly once you moved into your new house.
Set up the Safety Systems
If you’d planned to set up advanced alarms and other electronic safety systems for your house, these actually can wait for a couple of days.
However, the rudimentary safety fixtures such as door locks should be set up immediately. Now, unless you’ve bought a run-down property you plan to flip or fix for yourself, chances are your new place already comes equipped with doors with locks, but changing the lock so that only you own the key to it is essential to ensure your safety.
In case you don’t have the time or expertise to do this yourself, you can always hire a locksmith for this task, or perhaps a local emergency locksmith, if it’s late in the day, for example, and you don’t have an appropriate lock for your house door.
All in all, as stressful and hectic as moving to a new place tends to be, it can easily be managed if you approach this task seriously and meticulously. A little bit of planning and a handy to-do list can truly do wonders for this complex task.
We hope you found this blog post The Safety Checklist You Need After Moving to a New Place useful. Be sure to check out our post Moving Guide Checklist – Step by Step for more great tips!
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