Moving House: A Pre-Settlement Checklist

by | Jan 4, 2024 | Property, Signus Legal

Moving to a new home is a daunting task. While you will have experts to help you in its more complicated aspects such as finance and contracts, the maintenance is entirely in your hands. As such, I have prepared a checklist of everything that one needs to do before the big settlement day.

PHASE 1: CONTACT

You will need to contact several people to notify them of your move.

  • Inform your workplace that you are moving house, as you may have to have time off to prepare.
  • Any other important places, eg. School, gym, vet
  • Inform all family and friends, it may be worth having a list of absolutely everyone that you need to inform. You don’t want them to give the new tenants a surprise visit after settlement!

You will need to update your address for the following:

  • Council and water rates
  • Internet and telecommunications provider
  • Energy suppliers, eg. Electricity, gas, fire
  • Bank and credit card provider
  • Your superannuation provider
  • Driver’s license
  • Registration for any vehicles you may own
  • State and federal electoral rolls
  • Frequently used online shopping websites (it is easier to forget than you think!)
  • Online subscriptions, eg. Streaming services
  • Mail subscriptions, eg. Monthly newsletters
  • Online payment services, eg. PayPal, Afterpay
  • Australia Post to have your mail forwarded to your new address
  • Any memberships you may have
  • All healthcare providers
  • MyGov account
  • Medicare
  • The ATO

Ensure you research who you contact for each to ensure that your address is legally updated by the time settlement rolls around.

PHASE 2: INSURANCE

Cancel and transfer all insurance companies you use, since insurance companies factor where you live into the premiums they charge and will also need to send documents to your new address. Types of insurance you may have and need to update include:

  • Home and contents
  • Life
  • Health
  • Liability
  • Travel
  • Income protection
  • Trauma cover
  • Renters
  • Landlord
  • Building
  • Car
  • Pet
  • It may be worth seeking out portable contents insurance during the move, depending on how many valuables you have.

PHASE 3: ORGANISATIONAL TIPS AND TRICKS

Organisational tactics that will make the move much easier, but what many people don’t think of.

  • To have less items to move, consider buying less groceries pre-settlement and finish as much of the remaining food and drinks in the home as possible. You can save up for a large grocery restock when you move into your new home.
  • After exchange, create a pre-settlement calendar. Depending on where you live, there are around 4-6 weeks in between exchange and settlement. That time is there for a reason, so use it to your advantage.
  • Familiarise yourself with the new area you are moving in to. What are the public transport options available? How long will it take you by car, bus and on foot to get to important destinations? What is at your local shops, and what will you have to go further to get? Where are nearby essential services such as a petrol station? Are your utilities compatible with the new area, or do you have to find new providers? What are your neighbours and the wider local community like? It could be worth introducing yourself before you move in.
  • Make an inventory / checklist of all your personal items. That way, while you are moving, you can keep track of where everything is and will know if something is missing. Human memory is fickle, so it is always best to write / type it. Organise your inventory by room, eg. Things that go in the kitchen, living room, study will be together.
  • With your inventory in hand, estimate roughly how many moving boxes you will need.
  • When packing, ensure that all lids are on correctly. The last thing you need is for something to spill while in the packing box.
  • It is imperative that you have a floor plan of your new property during the entire process so that you know where to place furniture in advance.
  • In some cases, it will be impossible to get large items such as furniture and paintings out of the old house and into the new one without causing damage. Ensure that you know if this will happen by measuring out your large items and all the doorways in your new home to calculate whether it is possible. When it isn’t, you will need to take apart existing furniture to move it in separate parts, or you may have to hit IKEA and buy new furniture to build.

PHASE 4: PACKING

Now that all of the maintenance and organisation is done, it’s time to put your planning into action.

  • Source packing boxes, as well as other useful materials such as labels, bubble wrap, packing paper and box dividers. Look for spares at home, contact family and friends for spares and ask around the local community. Boxes are a hassle to have around, so most people will be more than happy to give them to you for free. Be resourceful; if you are running low on boxes, what other items in your house can be used to store your things?
  • Use the room in your house that you use the least to store packing boxes. This method is far less stressful than having boxes all over the floor and on surfaces around the house, making you feel claustrophobic and reminding you of all that you need to do.
  • Declutter! This is often the most daunting process. When sorting through each item, ask yourself, “do I really need this, and will it be missed if I don’t bring it with me?” If that question is difficult to answer for a particular item, it likely means that the answer is no. Often, having another person declutter with you helps you be ruthless with what stays and what goes.
  • How big is each room in your new property compared to your old one? The more you are downsizing, the more you will need to get rid of. For example, if your new bedroom is two thirds the size of your old one, then one third of your possessions will need to go.
  • Decide whether to throw out, donate or sell all the possessions that are not coming with you to your new home.
  • Compile important documents together into one folder or binder. These include ID, passports, birth certificates, bank statements, legal documents, and anything else that you cannot afford to lose. That way, all your crucial documents are together in the same place.
  • Keep all valuables together such as jewellery and artwork together in the same place and if possible, transport them all to the new property yourself so that you know where they are always.
  • For all fragile / breakable items, figure out how you are going to transport them safely and acquire any extra materials you need to do that before moving.

PHASE 5: CLEANING

It is important to make sure your old home is in order for the pre-settlement inspection, and then for settlement when the tenants move in. During the first inspection, the landlord and tenant would have discussed how perfect the property’s conditions should be, such as whether chips in the wall are acceptable or not. After exchange, it is the landlord’s job to ensure that all those conditions are met. Here are all the cleaning tasks you need to attend for:

General

  • Review any special conditions in the Contract for Sale and ensure that they are met, otherwise legal consequences can follow. Special conditions vary, but they include maintenance issues arising from earlier inspections such as replacing a broken light bulb, organising an asbestos check, etc.
  • Wipe down all surfaces including inside of cupboards and skirting boards
  • Vacuum and mop the floor
  • Steam clean carpet and remove any stains or blemishes
  • Check the paint jobs for any peeling or blemishes
  • Pest control by hand or with a service if necessary
  • Check that security systems are working
  • Check that all fire safety protocols are being enacted, such as removing any dangerous trees and ensuring there are adequate and functional smoke alarms
  • Plumbing should be in order
  • Electricity, gas and any other energy sources should be working correctly
  • Air conditioning and heating should be working correctly
  • Wash and windows
  • No cracked windows or broken fly screens
  • Dust air vents
  • Doors (sliding doors, locks) should be working correctly
  • Foundations of the house should be in order with no flimsy railings or stairs, particularly outside
  • Remove cobwebs, particularly on the ceiling and in corners
  • House should smell fresh
  • Remove furniture indentations on the carpet if necessary
  • Right before settlement, dust all surfaces because it builds up quickly.
  • Clean all light fixtures. This step often gets overlooked.
  • First impressions are important, so make sure there is a nice doormat out the front.

Outdoors and Garage

  • The garden should be in order with the water hose working and any pool or spa functioning as it should. If you own pets, double check all their mess has been picked up.
  • Mow the lawn
  • Remove weeds from garden
  • Water plants
  • If there are special appliances such as a water pump or compost bin, ensure you have properly talked through how to use and care for them with the tenant.
  • Sweep away any leaves or dirt
  • Trim any large hedges or trees obstructing walkways
  • If necessary, oil the deck
  • Having things buried in the yard, such as the beloved family goldfish who lasted a grand total of one week, should be okay but it is etiquette to let the tenants know.
  • It is unlikely that you will face a tenant neurotic enough to ask for a mop of the garage, but it is always important to sweep or blow dry any dust.
  • Ensure garage buzzer is working
  • Remove any oil residue in the garage
  • Clean garage door with soap and water
  • Check that the roof is in order, including straight tiles and no leakages.

Kitchen

  • Spray and disinfect kitchen bench and get rid of any stray morsels of food, particularly in the kitchen sink
  • Degrease appliances such as oven and microwave, ensuring you get to the small parts in between the grills as well
  • Check all kitchen appliances are working correctly. You would have liaised with the clients about which appliances stay, such as the dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator. Everything that is staying should be spotless.

Bathroom

  • Disinfect toilets, baths and showers
  • Remove dryer lint
  • Clean drain holes and make sure they aren’t clogged up
  • Clean tile grout in showers
  • Nobody likes it, but clean the toilet properly with a toilet brush
  • Remove all hair, dirt and gunk from drains

 

And finally at the end triple, even quadruple, check that all surfaces are clean, and no belongings are left behind.

PHASE 6: MOVING SERVICES

When moving furniture from your old home to your new home, you can opt to do it yourself or hire professional removal services. Which avenue to go down is an entirely different conversation, but here is what should be followed regardless of what you decide to do.

  • It is a good idea for each member of the family to have a small bag of essentials that stay with them during the whole process in case something goes wrong.
  • Plan far ahead how you will move furniture and get it into your new home. You may have a handyman in the family, but most large furniture will need a removal service and truck to transport.
  • Make sure everyone in the family is well-prepared, and that you have planned how any kids or pets are going to get to the new property.
  • Kids and pets should be well away from removal services when they are working for their own safety. If possible, it would be a good idea to have them out of the house when all the heavy lifting is happening.
  • Once everything is in the new home, pick up your inventory again and check that everything that you packed is with you.
  • And now for the best step, enjoy your new home! Don’t feel pressured to get everything in order on moving day; the first couple of days should be spent celebrating your accomplishment.
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