Packing up a family home can go wrong in a number of ways. The tape runs out halfway through packing. Someone packs the kettle on day one. The kids’ favourite toy disappears into a box marked “misc”, and on the morning of the move, nobody can find the passports.
The good news? Most of that is avoidable, and you don’t need a colour-coded binder to do it. Give yourself six weeks if you can. Four will work at a push, but any less and you’ll be taping boxes at midnight and hanging on to things you’d have happily binned with a bit more time.
Get the Dates and Quotes Sorted First
Before you touch a single box, nail down three dates: when the van turns up, when your gas, electric and water switch over, and when you hand back or pick up the keys. Everything else hangs off those.
Get at least three written quotes, and make sure one of them is from a removal company that works across North London. That way you can compare someone who knows the local streets with firms driving in from further out. Ask whether insurance is included, whether they’ll dismantle beds and wardrobes, and what happens if the van can’t park outside.
That last question matters more than people think. Round here, terraced streets are narrow, and permit bays often run the whole length of the road. Most councils will suspend a bay for you, but they tend to want a couple of weeks’ notice, so check now rather than the week before.
Clear Out Before You Box Up
Everything you pack is something you’re paying to move, so it pays to be a little ruthless. Work through the house room by room and sort things into keep, donate, sell and bin. Start with the loft, the garage and the cupboard under the stairs, because that’s where years of “I’ll deal with that later” quietly pile up.
Book a charity collection early, as slots go quickly. If you’re selling bits online, set yourself a deadline. Anything that hasn’t sold by then goes to charity, no second chances.
Let the kids pick what goes in their own box of favourites. It means you can clear out broken toys and clothes they’ve grown out of without a negotiation, and having a say makes the rest of moving day challenges and changes much easier for them.
Packing Order and Labels
Start with the things you won’t miss: spare bedding, ornaments, books. Leave the kitchen, bathroom and everyday clothes until the end. Try to finish one room before moving on to the next. Otherwise you’ll end up with six half-packed rooms and no real sense of how far you’ve got.
Books only ever go in small boxes. A big box of books is too heavy to lift, and the bottom has a habit of giving way, which is the last thing you want on three flights of stairs in a Victorian conversion.
Write on the sides of boxes, not the lids, because lids disappear once the boxes are stacked. Add the room it’s going to and a few words about what’s inside. Trust us, “Kitchen, mugs and tea towels” is far more useful than “Kitchen” when you’re standing in a new house at 9pm. Number every box and keep a matching list on your phone. It feels fussy right up until a box goes missing or you need to make an insurance claim.
The First-Night Box
Pack one box that gets opened before anything else. Fill it with the kettle, mugs, tea or coffee, toilet roll, towels, phone chargers, any medication, a few basic tools, snacks, a change of clothes for everyone and bedding for the first night.
This box travels in your car, not the van. So do the passports, birth certificates, tenancy or property paperwork and school records. No matter how much more convenient, those first-day essentials shouldn’t be on the lorry.
Kids and Pets
Tell the children early, and give them actual dates rather than a vague “soon”. Photos of the new house help. A visit helps even more. Pack their bedrooms last so they’ve still got somewhere familiar to escape to while everything else is in boxes.
On moving day, see if a relative or friend can take the kids and pets for a few hours. Loading goes faster, nobody gets stepped on, and the cat can’t make a run for it through the door you’ve propped open for the couch. If that’s not an option, set them up in one room with toys, food and water, and inform the crew to proceed with the other rooms instead.
Admin
Two or three weeks out, update your address with the bank, your employer, the GP, the dentist, your insurers and the DVLA. Moving to a different borough? You’ll also need to sort out council tax and reapply for a residents’ parking permit.
While you’re at it, set up Royal Mail redirection and book your broadband, because installation slots can be booked up for weeks. On the day you leave, snap photos of the meter readings and send them to your suppliers.
Fragile Things and Furniture
Wrap plates individually and stand them on their edges. Fill any gaps with paper or towels, and keep the heaviest things at the bottom.
Before you unplug the TV, take a photo of the back. You won’t remember where the cables go, however sure you are that you will. Pop the screws from any dismantled furniture into a bag and tape it to the piece they came from. And measure any big sofas or wardrobes against the doorways and stairwells at both ends. Older North London homes often have tighter turns than you’d expect.
Moving Day and Unpacking
Defrost the fridge and freezer the day before, and keep a few plates and some cutlery back. Before the movers arrive, check the loft, the shed and every single drawer. If you’re renting, photograph the empty rooms to protect your deposit.
Let the crew know which boxes are fragile. Then, before you lock up, do one last walk round. Everyone finds something, and it’s usually in the bathroom.
At the new place, make the beds first, then sort the kitchen, then tackle one room at a time. Tick boxes off your list as they come off the van, and point out any damage before the movers leave, as claims get trickier once they’ve gone.
A few boxes will probably sit in the hallway for a week or so. That’s completely normal. Get as much done as you can each day before tea time, so everyone can still wind down as they acclimate to the new space.
Monica Costa founded London Mums in September 2006 after her son Diego’s birth together with a group of mothers who felt the need of meeting up regularly to share the challenges and joys of motherhood in metropolitan and multicultural London. London Mums is the FREE and independent peer support group for mums and mumpreneurs based in London https://www.londonmumsmagazine.com and you can connect on Twitter @londonmums
