The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Moving to London

The British capital is a wonderful place to start your new life. But there are a lot of things you need to be aware of before moving here. Every house relocation is different, and a lot has to do with the specifics of the new city. London can be a dream come true or your worst nightmare depending on how prepared you are for the moving process.

House Removals Need to be Planned

This is a step that is being often overlooked. Preparing to relocate to a different city or even in a different neighbourhood is not something that can be executed spontaneously. There are so many aspects of that task that need to be carefully planned. You can’t just put everything in your car and go. Here is why you need to plan:

• How are you going to transport your belongings?
• Do you have pets? They need time and care to adapt properly to their new surroundings.
• Are you a plant lover? Even if you have one cactus, you need to think how best to transport it without causing too much stress.
• Do you know your new neighbourhood? Where are your children going to school? Is there a dog park close by?
• How long is the moving process going to last?
• Do you have any clue how to properly pack your belongings and how to make sure they won’t shatter in the moving truck?

Bear in mind that packing may take anywhere from a day to up to a week depending on what you own.

Every House Mover’s Nightmare – Rush Hour

London is one of the biggest cities in Europe and on top of being one of the most densely populated capitals, it is also the one with the worst road traffic. An average you can spend close to five hours every day stuck in your car or a public bus. If you are not familiar with the city dynamics, this could play you a nasty trick. People tend to forget that they need to plan their route very carefully especially if your new place is on the other side of the city. Unfortunately, you cannot transport all your belonging using the tube so need to have a solid plan. Think about the following questions:

• What sort of transportation are you going to use?
• Do you know where the biggest traffic jams happen and are there any alternative routes?
• Do the traffic jams happen in a specific time or day of the week?
• Have you seen traffic sins informing about roadblocks or road constructions?

Calculating the Cost for a Home Relocation

It is not cheap to transport your belongings and usually, people concentrate only on them. How much will the loading and unloading is going to cost or the price per kilometre are the common concerns on everybody’s mind when it comes to house moving. However, there is a lot more that needs to be calculated. Before actually starting to pack, you need to have a good idea how much you are going to spend on the whole process. Expenses that are often overlooked and can easily break the bank are:

• Toll taxes;
• Packing materials – bubble wrap, wrapping paper, cardboard boxes, wardrobe boxes, plastic containers, tape, “Fragile” stickers and bands;
• Over time – if your movers work on weekends or after their daily work hours are over;
• Cleaning expenses – you may need to hire a company to prepare your new home for your arrival or clean your old place. If you are doing this by yourself, you need to calculate the cost for all the cleaning supplies you need to use;
• Babysitters and/or pet sitters;

The Importance of Hand Luggage

Something that is easily overlooked is the contents of your hand luggage. These are all the belongings that are going to travel with you. Everything happens, so you need to be prepared at all times. Pack a “survival suitcase” for each member of the family. The things you need to include:

• Clean underwear for a couple of days;
• Two pairs of clothes according to the season and the weather outside;
• Toiletries;
• Bandages and medicine;
• Wet wipes and hand sanitizer;
• Chargers for your phone and laptop;

What to Do Before Moving

House removals are tuff and there are a lot of things that need to be done. Here is a brief checklist aff all the things that people tend to forget to do:

• Make a backup to your computer or laptop. Everything can happen you need to ensure the safety of your information;
• Inform the postal services of the change of your address;
• Make an insurance. Most big London moving companies have a big variety of insurance options.
• You need to ask and find the right one depending on what you want.
• And the final and most important mistake people often do – the final check. Before closing the door and moving to your new home go around the house and check every room for things that you may have forgotten. It will take no more than ten minutes but this will save you a ton of stress letter.