Common moving mistakes and how to avoid them

Starting to pack too late

It’s all too easy to procrastinate, but the best way to keep your move smooth and seamless is to make an inroad on your packing as soon as possible.

Go through your house methodically, room by room, aiming for one room a day and leaving an extra day just in case before Moving Day. This will prevent you feeling rushed as the big day approaches. Alternatively, packing too late could result in mislabelled boxes, damaged items from poor packing, or running out of packing materials – all stresses that you don’t need. When it comes to setting up your new home, you’ll thank your past self for the help!

Packing everything rather than decluttering

Don’t move your junk into your new home. As you pack, sort through your possessions and put them into four piles: keep, sell, donate, and discard. Only pack up your ‘keep’ pile – not only will this prevent useless clutter from entering your new home, but it’ll also decrease the amount you need to move and therefore your moving costs.

Before you move, drop off your ‘donate’ pile to your local charity shop and host a garage sale to make some cash off your ‘sell’ pile (or list items online for sale). Look ahead in the calendar to see when the next hard rubbish collection day is for your ‘discard’ pile, if you have anything large.

Not connecting your utilities before you move

Imagine unlocking your new front door and ushering the movers into your home...only to flick on a light switch with no result. Not having your utilities connected by the time you move in can be a major issue – and a very stressful one.

“The process of buying or renting and then moving into a new home is stressful enough without having to worry whether your electricity, gas, water and broadband will be working when you move in,” says RACV Home and Energy’s Head of Growth & Strategic Partnerships, Jeremy Matthews. “That’s where services like Arcline Move can help you compare the costs from the key providers and organise to have your services connected on the right day.

“It’s important to review the pricing details for your chosen provider for each service type as it can vary across different utilities, plans and locations. Some providers also charge a disconnection fee so it’s important to check this as well. The good thing is that Arcline Move doesn’t charge you anything more to compare and organise all your utilities in the one place.”

Check out other common things people forget to do when moving house – such as updating your address, changing your locks, and meeting your new neighbours.

Forgetting to pack an ‘overnight bag’ for your first night

The last thing you want to do after moving is scrounge around packing boxes for your toothbrush and phone charger. Packing an ‘overnight bag’ or even leveraging your home emergency kit will have you thanking your past self after the movers are gone and you just want to relax after starting to set up your new home.

Here is a list for your moving essentials bag:

• Toiletries
• Towel
• Change of clothes
• Toilet paper
• Phone charger
• Medications
• Pet food (if applicable)

Thinking you can do it all solo...then booking the first mover you find

Moving is hard work. While it’s possible to hire a van and move house yourself, it can quickly become stressful. It’s all too easy to get injured when moving heavy furniture, run out of time because of how much there is to move, or discover that your bedframe doesn’t fit in your hired vehicle. Professional movers take a lot of the stress out of moving home – after all, they’re professionals for a reason.

But don’t leave booking your mover too late. Doing some research on the best removalist company for your needs can save you money down the track. Compare quotes from movers in your area, or look for a website where you can submit your move details and receive multiple quotes to compare. Read customer reviews online and look for certifications and awards - it’s very possible to still hire movers while moving house on a budget.

Not letting your owners corporation know you’re moving in or out

When moving into or out of an apartment complex, in most cases you need to let the owners corporation or building manager know. If you try to move without informing them, you may annoy or inconvenience your neighbours or damage common areas, which you may be liable for.

On the other hand, booking a move with the building manager means that they can organise space for your mover's van to park, plus put up protection in elevators and common areas during your move to minimise the risk of damage.