What To Do Before You Move

Moving into a new house means a new beginning; although it is exciting, it could also be a little stressful as it requires considering multiple matters at once and having a detailed plan. 

However, if you consider all details of the process and make a good plan before you move, you can step into a peaceful life in your new house without any problems. 

Read our blog for all the details to make your move easier.

Points to Consider Before You Move into a New House

Making a good plan and considering some important points before you move is quite important for you not to encounter any issues during and after the move.

• Choosing a Transport Company

 Identifying your expectations and setting a budget before choosing a transport company can be important as it prevents unexpected costs. Then, you can talk about the services that the company will offer you and make a detailed plan. 

You can interview several companies in the process. Also, it would be better for you to hear the experiences of people who have worked with that company. To do so, you can check reviews online or take the experiences of your social circle into account.

After deciding on the transport company, you can set a date and clarify points like the time and the total duration of move. At this point, the duration of move will significantly shorten if you share all details with the company, such as the number of rooms, the floors from/to the stuff will be moved, the presence of absence of an elevator and details about your furniture. If you are moving to a different city, you can also clarify the arrival time and arrange the people who will be waiting for the transporters.

• Electricity Service Subscription Before You Move

It is important that a new electricity subscription application is made before you move so that you can act freely in the house in the process. To do so, you can apply to the relevant electricity supply company in that province.

If there is no active electricity subscription in the house you want to move your subscription to, you can complete your application with an installation number or an old bill for that house, a valid identity card, property details, a valid DASK (Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool) policy number and a deposit amount. 

If there is an active subscription for the house you wish to move your subscription to, you must also take your rental contract or property deeds with you to document your right of use to complete your application.

Then, you can visit a service point of the relevant electricity supply company to complete your application. You can also complete this procedure on e-government. 

• Moving Other Subscriptions

In addition to electricity, you can also move other subscriptions like natural gas, water, internet and if necessary, telephone to the house you are moving into. In order to ensure that each of these utilities is ready to use when your furniture and other belongings are about to be moved, please make sure to get this information from the authorized persons in detail.

It would also be beneficial to get information about the internet infrastructure in the area you are moving to. Because your current internet subscription might not be valid in the area you are moving to or you might have to switch to a different service provider. Your internet service provider will guide you to clarify this process.

• Changing Locks

Hiring a locksmith to change all locks in the new house before you move will be better for your safety and that of your stuff. This way, you can live in your new house without any doubt and having assurance about the safety of your stuff. This method will also ensure that your stuff is safer when moved into the new house even if you are not living there yet.

• Checking Installations

In order to start living in your new house without any problems, it is recommended to have the installations checked beforehand. You should hire a plumber to make sure that the taps, washing machine connections and drains in the house are problem-free. 

Similarly, you can hire a natural gas plumber to check if the hobs and the combi boiler are functional and if the combi boiler needs maintenance. You can also have the radiators cleaned if necessary. 

Potential problems in the electrical installation may lead to serious problems. For this reason, it is quite important that you hire a professional to have your electrical installation checked. 

Home owners are recommended to have this checked performed every 10 years while this interval is five years for rental houses. This check includes a review of the adequacy of grounding and connections; compatibility of switches and control units; functionality of switches, sockets and lighting fixtures; status of the cabling system; the scope of wear and tear, damages and other deteriorations. 

It is very important that you start living in the house resting assured that all electrical systems are problem-free thanks to these checks. 

In this process, if you need a new electrical system such as an extra socket, wall lamp or LED lighting, you can have them installed/check too. You must also ensure that the areas where your electrical appliances, white goods or television will be connected are problem-free, too.

• Grounding and Fuse Checks

 Absence of a grounding system in a house may both lead to financial loss and the accidents that may happen poses serious risks for human life. Similarly, a weak grounding system may cause serious loss and damage. Therefore, grounding and fuse checks are of great importance. A correctly installed grounding system transfers leak currents to the ground safely. 

This is why you must hire an electrician before you move so that they can check if there is grounding in the house. Usually a voltage tester is used to check all sockets in the house and see if there is a problem or not. However, before this process, the electrician will switch off the power on the fuse box, wear insulating gloves and test the holes of all sockets with a voltage tester. It is also important to check if there is any problem with the fuse.

Related Article

What is Electrical Grounding?

Points to Consider During the Move to a New House

In order to have a problem-free moving process, you must consider everything, pay attention to small details and act in coordination with everyone in the moving process.

• Tracking the Transport Company

When the day of move has arrived, you can call the company 1 to 2 hours beforehand to check if there is any problem and to ask them if they are going to arrive at the house at the time defined. 

Once your stuff is loaded onto the transport truck, it is recommended that you keep in touch with the transport company, especially if you are moving to a different city.

• Speaking with the Building/Apartment Complex Management for the Move

It is important that you speak with the management of the building/apartment complex you are moving from and to in the moving process. Informing the management of the process will prevent any problems and any obstacles from arising on the day of moving.

This way, it is ensured that the vehicles in front of the house are arranged, installation for lift-moving is carried out smoothly and other people living in the building are informed so that no issues are encountered. 

• Preparing Your Pets

There are some points to take into account to ensure that your pet gets over the chaos of the move with the lowest level of stress possible. 

On the moving day, you can put your pet and everything it will need in a room with no moving traffic and ensure that your pet is the last to leave the house. 

After your furniture and stuff are loaded onto the transport truck, you can get the stuff of your pet, place your pet in its box and leave the house. If you are using a different vehicle to move, it is recommended that you provide an environment in your car where your pet can easily meet all of its needs.

Points to Consider After Moving into a New House

Even if your furniture and stuff have been moved, you should pay attention to some details such as proof that you are living in your new house and that the old contracts in the new house are terminated.

• Notification for Change of Address

After you have moved into your new house, you must get an appointment from your new civil registry and notify a change of address so that legal documents, voter registration, etc. can be delivered to you. To do this, you will need a valid identity card, bills and rental contract documents. 

If you are en employee, you must also inform your company of this address change. You can talk to the human resources department at your company for this. Similarly, it is quite important that you report your new address to the banks you regularly work with so that documents, credit cards, etc. can be delivered to you.

• Change of Delivery Address

If you are a regular online shopper, please remember to change your delivery address on the websites you visit for online shopping. Similarly, if you have a subscription for a regular product, magazine, etc., you need to inform these companies of your address change and ask them to send new shipments to your new address.

• Cancelling the Old Electricity Subscription

After you have moved into your new house, you must terminate the electricity subscription for your previous home as you no longer have a relation to that place.

Once you have sent your cancellation request to the electricity supply company, a termination bill will be issued. 

The amount of the termination bill will be deducted from the deposit amount you paid when applying for electricity subscription, and the remaining amount will be transferred to you through your preferred method of return.

As your subscription will be terminated shortly after you have applied, it is recommended that you apply for cancellation after you have moved.

• Cancelling Other Subscriptions

As is the case with your electricity subscription, you must also cancel the natural gas and water subscriptions for your previous home. Once you have applied for cancellation of subscription, the amount of bill will be deducted from the deposit amount and the remaining balance will be transferred to your account.

However, if you have moved your internet service subscription and you are going to continue using the same service provider, you do not need to cancel your subscription. For this, you can speak to your internet service provider and ask them to terminate your subscription at your previous address and make a connection again at your new address. 

Save Energy at Your New House

There are some methods to follow for energy efficiency after you have moved into your new place. To save energy in your house, you can prefer bulbs with high energy efficiency. This way, you will consume less energy and pay a smaller amount for your electricity bill. Producing less heat, these bulbs provide more light indoors. You can also choose bulbs with different properties depending on the size and needs of the rooms. When needed, you can add different lighting instruments such as floor lights or wall lamps. 

You can also install a room thermostat in your house. A thermostat is a device that run the combi heater as long as the ambient needs it in order to maintain the ambient temperature at the level set by the residents of the house. This way, it provides comfort and saves energy. Living rooms are the most preferred areas for this device as they are the rooms used the most in a house. Preferably, you can install the room thermostat in a place that is not close to the windows or doors.  

Insulation is another way for savings. You can check the windows, doors and frames/ledges in your house and seal them with insulating materials like insulating tape. A well-insulated house will increase energy efficiency and reduce heating/cooling costs.

Although moving into a new house looks like a complicated and exhaustive process, a detailed plan for all phases of the move will allow you to easily complete the moving process and quickly start your new life at your new place.

Related Article

How to Save Electricity at Home? Energy Saving Tips

You can share this blog with your loved ones who are planning on moving or preparing to move in order to make the process easier for them.