Australians experience the same moving issues when relocating a distance, whether across town from your apartment in Sydney to a suburb in Perth, or just a couple of streets.
Moving day is often filled with chaos and confusion for many people in Australia, and even though you’re moving to another part of the country, you often have the same problems.
Along with sorting out and boxing your belongings, setting up new utility services, and trying to remember the location of your phone charger, many of the smaller things about your move get overlooked. Overall, it seems a lot of the problems that occur on your moving day seem to be more related to mistakes rather than bad luck.
The truth is however that almost every move in Australia has been the result of one or two mistakes that people have made time and time again. These mistakes include leaving your move to the last second, making decisions on where to book your removalists based solely on cost, etc. Here is a brief overview of some common moving day mistakes made in Australia and how to avoid them.
1. Leaving Packing Until the Last Minute
This can be described as a classic example of people getting busy in their lives and then forgetting about unpacking their homes until they actually get moved into their new home. When you pack in a hurry, you will end up breaking a lot of the things you own, losing things, and causing yourself unnecessary anxiety and frustration. If you plan on keeping yourself ahead of the curve by starting your packing process two to three weeks prior to your move – even if it means just doing a room at a time each day – it will really help you out.
2. Not Decluttering Before the Move
Before starting to pack, it’s a good idea to sort through your possessions first. This will help you save time, reduce how many boxes you will need to use, and may even reduce your moving costs if the total volume of things you are moving is less than if you hadn’t sorted through them.
3. Underestimating the Total Cost
Some individuals think simply budgeting the removalist truck and completing their last box completes the entire move but may not account for packing supplies, cleaning costs, and utility connection fees, or may even need storage if houses settle on different dates from when movers show up. Receiving a clear, written quote at the beginning and leaving extra funds for additional costs will provide the removalist with a much lower chance of having any surprises on the moving day.
4. Failing to Label Boxes Properly
Ten separate boxes with the word “Misc” might seem great at the time, but they can be a major hassle when you have to search through those ten boxes on the morning of your first day in your new home for your kettle! You will have much less of a headache trying to find things if you organize your boxes by which room they belong in and what is contained in each box, and keep an inventory of your boxes.
5. Choosing a Removalist Based on Price Alone
Finding low quotes can have severe drawbacks such as potential for hidden costs, no insurance and untrustworthy service. Compare multiple removalists, read reviews and verify what is included in their quotes before booking; this way if problems arise after the fact you aren’t running into a surprise.
6. Forgetting to Redirect Mail and Update Addresses
If you forget to change your details, bills, bank statements and other important documents could be sent to your former address and stuck there for a few weeks. Avoiding this issue means setting up a mail redirection service through Australia Post and ensuring you keep all relevant organizations (e.g. your bank, Medicare, the electoral roll) updated early so that there’s less hassle in following up later.
7. Not Insuring Valuable or Fragile Items
No matter how careful you are as a mover, you can still incur accidental damage. If you’ve made the decision to skip the amount of insurance necessary for covering valuable items, such as electronics, fine art, and antiques, you are taking a risk that may not be worth it. An inexpensive insurance premium might save you a great deal of money if something is damaged during transit.
Final Thoughts
Moving can be a very stress-free and organized transition if you plan ahead. Definitely do not try to rush the process where it matters most and you can avoid a lot of the mistakes caused by lack of planning. Plan to start your move well in advance to declutter, to budget accordingly and find professional movers you can trust, all of these aspects will help you greatly in having a more organized move. If you would prefer to leave the moving and heavy lifting of items to the professionals and help take out the guesswork, you can rely on Robin Removalists to assist with your move so that you can focus on settling into your new home and not be concerned with any mistakes that could happen or be experienced during your moving day.
FAQs
I always feel rushed on moving day — how early should I actually start packing?
As a good rule of thumb, begin packing at least 2 – 3 weeks ahead of your moving date. This doesn’t mean that you have to pack everything all at once; by packing only one room (or cupboard) per day, you will find that you will make great progress toward packing and will not be scrambling to pack everything into boxes on the night before your move.
How do I avoid getting hit with extra costs I didn’t see coming?
A quote should always be requested to ensure that you are provided with complete details such as how far away your destination is/if there are stairs, items needed for packing such as boxes, tape, etc., and whether you’re covered by insurance. Include an extra amount to cover other unforeseen expenses (ex. cleaning after move or having to store your possessions due to schedule conflicts).
Is insurance really necessary, or am I just paying for something that probably won’t happen?
Wanting to avoid this due to your budget is completely reasonable. But keep in mind that the overall expense for the items, whether it’s a picture frame or television, or sentimental items, you may sustain damage from even the smallest of bumps or drops while in transit and that damage could cost several times over what it would be for the actual cost of the insurance. It’s one of those things that is better to have on you than to be without.
How do I know if I’m choosing a good removalist and not just the cheapest one?
It’s important to do your research and not just pick the lowest price. Read some reviews and find out what is included in the quote, and how well they communicate prior to booking. Generally speaking, a removalist that discloses the timing, costs, and restrictions of items they can and cannot move before you book with them, will be a safer choice than the cheapest quote.
