School’s out – time to move

Half term is over and parents can now look forward to a short respite before the long summer holidays are upon us.

School days are popularly supposed to be the best days of your life and schools tend to try and provide a final flourish in this half term with challenges, fun days and expeditions interspersed with the odd exam. In fact, by the time they’ve fitted in sports day, family day, expedition days, upper school or GCSE taster days and all the rest it is a wonder if anything is learnt in this half term at all.

For many parents, this time of year brings an added challenge. Summer school holidays are an ideal time for moving house to allow children to start new schools in the autumn term. By now, most deals have been struck and solicitors are beavering away trying to complete the legal paperwork to meet July and August moves.

With the solicitor working hard and the finance in place it is tempting to sit back and take a rest. Before you do, there are a few things that you should do now which will smooth your move considerably.

The most important is to start thinking about the actual move. Decide how much help you are going to need, talk to the removal companies and book your move now. Basic removal services consist of a man and a van. You would need to pack all your belongings and be on hand to help with loading and unloading the van. If you decide to opt for this service then it is never too soon to start packing. Start laying in supplies of boxes, bubble wrap and newspaper. Ornaments, pictures and seldom used crockery can be wrapped now and winter clothes can also be packed. A small regular amount of packing now will make a huge difference on the day.

Of course, if you don’t want to pack yourself, then home removals companies offer a variety of packing services. These range from basic packing and box moving to deluxe services where the removal company will not only pack and move but will unpack, put your belongings away, make beds and hang curtains. All you need to do is step out of one house and in to your new home. Book your moving company as early as possible as the best moving companies tend to get booked up fast.

Never underestimate the number of people that you need to tell when you are moving. Most estate agents and conveyancing solicitors will be able to give you a check list. Obviously you don’t want to send out notification in advance in case something goes wrong at the last minute. However, you can prepare moving notices and have them ready to send on the day.

Apart from all your friends, you will need to tell your bank, credit card companies and every firm that you have dealings with including insurance companies, doctors, dentists etc. You will also need to contact certain firms in advance to arrange for a change of service. These include telephone, power, house insurance and internet providers. It also pays to arrange with the post office for your mail to be forwarded for at least six months.

Finally, with a new home and environment to explore, your children should keep fairly occupied this summer. It is worth checking to see if their new school is running any holiday courses. That way, your children can start to make friends before the start of term and give you some free time to enjoy your new home.