A lot of people find moving house daunting, but if you plan the move in advance it will cut back the stress. In this blog post we will look to give you some tips on moving house. We will divide this into different sections leading up to your move.

Once your offer is accepted:

• As soon as your offer on a property is accepted you need to get a solicitor to complete the conveyancing. The likelihood is you will have 2 – 3 months before you actually move in and the legal searches usually take a while: the money has to be forwarded by the mortgage lenders involved, and everyone in the chain has to be ready to complete on the same day.

• Once contracts have been exchanged the completion may take place within a few days or possibly within a couple of weeks.

• The next step is to contact the estate agent so you can visit your new home in order to measure up and decide where you are going to put your existing furniture. Or which new furniture needs to be purchased.

• At this point it is always worth making a list of what has been left by the previous owners such as curtains, appliances etc.

Three week before moving house:

• Book your removal company – make sure you choose Alexanders! If you’re doing your own removal make you arrange a van and get packing the materials.

• You need to start transferring your phone, broadband and utilities to your new home. If you are not moving to a similar or close area you might want to research new suppliers who will provide the best price. Next step is you need to contact your current council to let them know you’re moving, and then contact your new one.

Two weeks before moving house:

• At this point contracts should have been exchanged – confirming your new move, and you should have now booked us as the removal firm.

• The next step is to arrange mail redirection so all your post starts arriving at the new home. You need to make sure you tell all your banks, HM revenue & customs, TV license, DVLA & other relevant companies applicable to you.

• You need to also register your change of address which will ensure that you can then vote.

• Insurance is something that you need to start looking into for your new home. Make sure you look around for the best deals so you aim to save some money. The final point here is to make sure you know the final moving in date – this is something that can change easily.

One week before moving house:

• Have you told everyone about the new move that is applicable?

• Check with your estate agents about collecting the keys for your new home & handing over the keys on your old home.

The day before you move house

• Defrost the freezer if you’re taking it with you. Also make sure you pack a box of essential items that will be needed when you move, for example clothes, important documents. A kettle at this point is important, as everyone needs their tea or coffee in the morning!

The day of the move:

• Once our guys have cleared the house, make sure nothing has been forgotten. At this point you should take note of your gas, electricity and water readings – you need to then give these to your suppliers.

• You need to lock the house up and deliver the keys to the arranged location. You now need to wait for your solicitor to confirm that your has sale has gone through, and that the money for your purchase has been forwarded to your vendor’s solicitors – this is called Completion. The final step – once in your new house make sure you ring through the meter readings for the water, gas & electricity to your new suppliers.

At Alexanders we aim to make your move a smooth a possible, if you any other questions don’t hesitate to call us on 0333 800 2323 or fill in our online contact form.

Moving Home Can Age Home-Owners By Two Years

17th December 2011

A recent study from In-Deed, Online Conveyancing Company, found that moving house or home can cause the average home owner to age by two years.

This is said to be due to the stress of buying and selling a homes in the current UK economy. The study found that the majority of homeowners suffered from hair loss and memory failure when taking part in the selling, buying, packing and moving process.

Alexanders Are Here To Help

To help our customers to look younger for longer, Alexanders Removals are running an exclusive offer where our customers can choose from one of our three complementary service* when moving home with us.

• FREE unpacking service

• FREE 'welcome to your home' pack

• £50 Removal Discount

For more information on the home removals offer from Alexanders Removals, please visit Alexanders Offers and complete the Quick Quote form to receive a free, no obligation quote or to make a home removals booking and receive one of the three complementary services.

* Terms and Conditions Do Apply.

Alexanders 'Employer of the Year'

Alexanders has been selected as the 2010 winner of 'Employer of Year' by the HSBC Park Royal Partnership business excellence panel. 2010 has been a year of remarkable growth for Alexanders with more than doubling of our team. Growth has many challenges and we have faced our challenges with the primary focus that our employees are the key to our future - we believe that has made all of the difference!

Alexanders on the BBC

Caught on camera – David Cameron moves house with Alexanders

When David Cameron moved house recently he appointed Alexanders Removals. Among the many journalists there documenting the occasion was the BBC and they recently used a photograph in their documentary, "History of Now, the Story of the Noughties". Aired on BBC2 the population of England had the opportunity to see a glimpse Alexanders Removals (and David Cameron) at work.

David Cameron is one of many high profile customers at Alexanders. However, as customer privacy is our priority we usually wouldn't get the opportunity to reveal who they are so many thanks to the BBC from all of us here!

Alexanders achieve another Excellence Award

January 2011 2010

Presented by the National Guild of Removers and Storers for the period January to December 2010, Alexanders has received an Excellence Award.

Thank you to all of our customers who took the time to complete the short questionnaires provided by the Guild. We are very proud to say that over 98% rated our service as either 'excellent' or 'good'.

Alexanders are committed to achieving high levels of customer service and it is a commitment that both our office and removals staff will continue!

More crates = more Eco-Awareness

October 2009

Back in 2005 Alexanders set up an Eco-Aware policy and we consider ourselves the first removals company to have done so. This policy is committed to as much re-use of packaging materials as possible, therefore we are very proud to announce that we have recently doubled our stock of packing crates. Crates are not only more practical for a customer to pack into and out of during their removal, but they also avoid issues of recycling and waste in comparison to the use of cardboard boxes. Increasing our stock of packing crates means more re-use of materials which falls in line with our Eco-Aware policy.

To find out more about our Eco-Aware policy and Eco-Aware mission statement please go to www.alexandersremovals.co.uk/eco/