Just Letting
THE MONTH BEFORE
• Banking: Check to see if there is a convenient bank
located nearby in your new neighbourhood. If not,
switch banks. Notify your bank or any creditors of your
new address. The last thing you want are credit cards
going to the wrong place or person.
• Services: Inform your local municipality, post office,
SARS, gym, magazine or newspaper subscriptions, TV
and motor vehicle licensing department, as well as your
legal and tax consultant of your new address.
• Removal company: Obtain quotes from various removal
companies. Choose a quote and company that best
suits your needs. Hire either a truck or a trailer for
transporting your belongings.
• House and garden services: Schedule a clean for your
new house or flat. If your new property has a garden,
hire a garden service. Your new home will be neat and
tidy; ready for you to move in.
• Insurance: Make sure your insurance covers your new
home from day one. Other forms of insurance such as
motor insurance is particularly important as the move
may affect your risk profile and negate a claim. For
example, if your car was parked in a locked garage
in your previous residence, but after the move, it will
be parked in the street, your premium will probably
increase because the risk of theft is higher.
• Food: Use up all your frozen food to avoid it from
spoiling. Eat or donate unopened food. These heavy
items are unnecessary to transport.
1
Week before moving day
• Electrical services: Schedule a date to install services
such as a telephone line, ADSL and a satellite dish.
• Floor plan: Design and draw up a floor plan showing
possible placement of your furniture.
• Finalise: Follow up with your removal company and
other services so everything is sorted for your moving
day. Finish up all your packing.
MOVING DAY
• Medical: Notify your pharmacy, dentist and family
doctor of your new address. Find service providers in
your new neighbourhood that your medical aid will
approve.
• Checklist: Double check your inventory and tick each
item off the list, as it is loaded onto the removal truck
or into your car.
3 Weeks before
• Arrival: When you arrive at your new home, open up all
the doors and windows to air the place.
• Packaging: Gather packing materials such as cardboard
boxes, plastic containers or wooden crates. Use old
newspapers, bubble wrap or Styrofoam chips for fragile
items.
• Supervise: Make sure there is an open parking bay for
your car or the removal truck. Supervise the unloading
of your furniture to ensure nothing gets damaged.
• De-clutter: For each item, decide what you want to keep,
donate or toss. Pack up the items you have decided to
‘keep’. Label each item and make a note of it on your
inventory list. Clean each room as you pack up your
belongings.
Just Property Magazine
Taking care of all the details of the move is especially
important if you are moving far away from your old
home. There is nothing worse than trying to solve
problems at a distance. Being thorough about your
move will give you peace of mind and it will be easier
to settle into your new home.
Issue 7 2015
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