Moving house is often listed as one of the most stressful activities in life. Don’t worry though, our local resident organiser Ashley Jordan is here with ten top tips on what NOT to forget when moving house, and to ensure that everything goes smoothly...

1. When checking shelves in empty cupboards always stand on a chair (safety, please!) as things can get stuck at the back and you won't see them. Umbrellas / sticks, etc, get left behind open doors, as do coats / hooks, etc.

2. Tip your removers. They'll appreciate it.
 

3. Make a list of who to tell you’ve moved – go through your home filing to make sure you don’t leave anyone out. Also tell your window cleaner and anyone that regularly comes to do a job at your home, especially if you are moving out of the area and you won’t be using their services in the future.

4. To stop mail you don’t want being redirected, and to stop receiving mail for previous occupiers at your new address, register with the Mail Preference Service. It’s also worth returning unopened marketing material, with a label saying ‘Return to sender. Addressee not known here. Please remove from database.’ This also helps stop unwanted mail arriving.

5. Pets get stressed. It’s worth boarding them at the vets or wherever you take them when you go away, so that they are not a safety hazard to themselves and others. Do this even for packing days as they will be stressed by lots of people in the house who they don’t know.
 

6. Lightbulbs – if you have several that are blown you might want to replace them for your buyers. Imagine it was you moving in and how you would feel! If you are renting, you’ll definitely have to do this or have replacing them taken out of your deposit.

7. Don’t forget the meters. It’s easy to remember to read the gas and electricity, but if you have a water meter that’s outside in the road, be ready with a torch, a plastic cup to scoop out any standing water, and a cloth to wipe the silt away!
 

8. Bedding – make sure you get the movers to label this clearly and to let you know where they put it. One of the first things you’ll want to do at the other end is make the bed up, so when you’ve had enough you can fall straight into bed.

9. Keep things you need immediately to hand. Make up a box containing soap, towel, toilet roll, scissors, tools, batteries, torch, anti-bacterial wipes, phone charger and snacks. And don’t forget an overnight bag.

10. And remember, no-one actually needs to know on the day that you moved that day. It’s totally fine to tell the utilities over the coming week, as long as you give the correct date of move and readings.

If you know someone who is in need of practical and admin help for their own house move, then get in touch with Ashley at One Stop Organisers. You can find out more about Ashley on her website – http://www.onestoporganisers.co.uk – and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Ashley Jordan is one of our community partners. Click here to find out more.