Moving house can be a stressful time, but having a home insurance policy could help ease your worries, covering any loss or damage to your belongings while being moved by professional contractors.
Read on to check our top tips for keeping you and your belongings safe during a move.
Using removal companies
Unless you fancy a serious workout, the best option when moving house is to hire a removal company. As well as taking the strain out of moving all those heavy boxes and furniture, it’ll mean your things are less likely to get damaged, and if they do, they’ll likely be covered by your home insurance.
Make sure you agree with your removal company how much of the packing you want them to do. This can be anything from packing every last item, to just packing glass and china.
DIY moving plans
If you’re doing the packing yourself, begin as early as possible. Make sure you use suitable boxes that are strong enough to hold your possessions, and are roughly the same size so they can be stacked together easily in a van. Just remember not to overfill your boxes, as you won’t be able to lift them safely.
Books are the worst offenders for this, so pack them in smaller boxes or use plastic totes where possible.
Decluttering and downsizing
Moving house is a good opportunity to de-clutter – get rid of all that old stuff you no longer want or need. After all, the less you have to pack, the easier your move will be. And you can have a fresh, clean start in your new home.
Plenty of your old belongings would make great donations for charity shops in your area. Or, if you’re looking to make a few pennies, you could have a car boot sale or sell some things on eBay.
For larger household items you don’t need, like cookers, fridges or furniture, your local council will usually take them away for free or for a small fee. Or, you can dispose of them safely at your local tip.
Staying safe during a move
When you move home, you should take care. It’s easy to forget about keeping things safe and secure when you have so much else to think about. But there are things you can do to help keep you safe. Plan ahead so that you can do all of these as you move in.
- In order to avoid becoming the victim of a crime while you're moving, think about changing the door locks in your new home, fitting locks to windows, and ideally fitting an alarm.
- If there's already an alarm, change the access code. Remember to register your details with the monitoring service if it’s connected to one.
- Also, check that you can trust your estate agent, movers and other tradespeople by checking that they’re members of a professional organisation or association. Use people recommended by friends or who advertise in magazines or directories, like Yellow Pages. Never deal with people who only list a phone number.
- On the day of the move, make sure that your movers secure their van to stop it from being stolen when it's left alone – remember, it’ll be full of everything you own. Make sure they’re able to secure the van doors and that it won’t be left unattended during any breaks or stops.
What to do if the worst should happen
It’s not a pleasant thought, but if something does go wrong during your move, there’s a few things you can do.
The first is to check your home insurance policy, to see if you’re covered while moving. If you are, get in touch with your insurer and they’ll help take things from there. With Churchill Home insurance you can start your claim online.
If your things are stolen or you’re the victim of a crime, make sure to report it right away by calling 101 or 999. You’ll need to keep note of your Crime Reference Number for insurance purposes.
