How to Prepare for Moving Day

Most delays on moving day come from decisions that were left until the van was outside. The list below is what changes the work, not a motivational poster.

Keep these with you

• Passports, driving licences and any documents you would struggle to replace
• Medication and anything that needs a fridge for medical reasons
• Keys, fobs and alarm codes for both properties
• Payment cards, phone chargers and a power bank
• A change of clothes and children’s or pets’ essentials

These should not be packed into a box that looks like every other box.

Label for the destination, not the past

“Kitchen — mugs” is useful. “Box 14” is not, unless you also have a list in your hand. If you are moving from a four-bedroom house to a two-bedroom bungalow, label for the new rooms. Some boxes will have no home; those belong in the clearance conversation, not on the tail lift.

Mark what is not moving

A strip of tape or a written “STAYS” on items that belong to a landlord, a neighbour or the clearance pile prevents the wrong sofa leaving the building. If a whole room is out of scope, close the door and say so at the start.

Parking and access

On streets around Great Malvern and the hillside neighbourhoods, a reserved or at least thought-about parking space can save more time than extra pairs of hands. Measure the walk from the nearest legal parking to the door. Mention gravel, steep drives and steps.

Fridges, washing machines and lofts

Give appliances time to empty and, where needed, defrost. Washing machines travel better when the drum is dry and the door is taped as advised by the maker. Lofts should be boxed before the morning of the move unless you have agreed they are part of a clearance.

Pets and children

Someone needs a plan that is not “they can sit in the hallway”. A neighbour, a relative, or a booked few hours elsewhere is kinder than a busy doorway.