Moving In – Tips for Taking Control of Your Move

You did it! The key has been given, the contract has been signed and the first payment has been provided. Maybe you’ll be staying in your new home for the rest of your life or maybe you’ll be moving out in a few months – either way, it’s an exciting time of life! Moving in can either be a great experience or a tough one, depending on how organized you are and the amount of enthusiasm your happy helpers have.

Unpacking and preparing your new home may seem daunting right now, but once everything is said and done, you’ll breathe such a sigh of relief. Take advantage of this moving in checklist to keep the process as smooth and enjoyable as possible!

Inspect delivered boxes.

Since you’ve already (hopefully) made your handy dandy household inventory sheet before moving everything out of your old residence, it should be easy to check each moving box against the detailed list as it’s brought into your new home. If a box seems to be missing, inform the moving crew and see if it was accidentally left in the moving truck or was misplaced elsewhere.

Once the movers are gone, inspect each of the moving boxes/personal items for damages obtained while in the hands of the moving company. If you find any items that have been broken or seemingly mistreated, write down the specific damage on your inventory sheet and contact the moving company to work through the issue together. Hopefully, if you’ve done your research and found reliable movers, the company will resolve the issue quickly. However, if they are not as trustworthy as they should be, you have the right to file a complaint against the moving company.

Take pictures.

Many rental properties charge a security deposit to new tenants in case damages are made throughout their stay. If you’re moving into an apartment or rental home, snap a few pictures of the place right when you move in to document any damages made before your occupancy.

Unfortunately, security deposit scams are fairly common, so be sure to protect yourself from the unnecessary charges later on. Check for cracked windows, nail holes in the wall, or anything of that sort which might condemn you later on. Your landlord is not able to withhold your security deposit for normal “wear and tear” like worn carpet, faded paint, or worn hardwood.

Get utilities up and running.

Hopefully you arranged the connection of the main house utilities before you moved, but if you didn’t, do it as quickly as you can! Call your power and water providers to get things running smoothly before attempting everything else.

Once the fundamentals are taken care of, contact your internet provider, trash/recycling remover and other important services to finish the job.

Clean before unpacking.

Before you start tackling all those boxes lying around, give your new home a good cleaning to get rid of any dirt or dust left from the builder or previous tenant. Someone has probably already come around with a duster and a rag, but it wouldn’t hurt to wipe everything down one… 

Continue reading this Foremost post for more information.

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