Moving into a new home can be an extremely exciting time, whether you’re renting your first house with your closest friends or you’ve just purchased a new apartment for you and your family. After all, home is where the heart is, so moving into a brand new house is a great opportunity to make memories and explore a new city.
However, there’s more to moving house than planning a housewarming party and deciding how to decorate your living room. Although you have all these fun and exciting things to come, there are some tasks you need to take care of first. While these tasks may not seem as appealing as browsing through sofas and comparing paint swatches, they’re each necessary to help you settle into your new home with ease.
As the whole process can seem overwhelming, we’ve put together our very own guide to moving into a new home, with everything you need to consider to help you settle in.
Complete an inventory
Before you begin to move your belongings inside, it’s a good idea to have a walk around the house and take photographs of any damage you see. If you’re moving into a house that you’ve already bought, you’ll likely have done this already. However, if you’re a tenant moving into a rental property, completing an inventory as accurately as possible is an important step.
At the end of your tenancy, the landlord will use this inventory to check if you caused any damage, and will likely try to charge you if they have reason to believe you did. By recording any wear and tear you see immediately, you’ll be able to protect yourself in the case that you’re charged for pre-existing damage.
Locate the fuse box and water valve
In the case of a power cut or problems with your water supply, you’ll need access to the fuse and main water valve. For this reason, it’s a good idea to source these within the first few days of moving in so that you can act quickly in the event of a problem. Trying to find the fuse box in the dark could cause injury, and not knowing where the water valve is could be problematic if you need to turn the water off during a leak.
When looking for your water valve, be aware that it may control the water supply for any garden flats or penthouse apartments, too. The valve often supplies the entire building, so make sure you double check this before you tamper with it.
Introduce yourself to the neighbours
Whether you’ve moved into a new home for just a few months or a few years, it’s always good to get acquainted with your local area and, more specifically, your neighbours. You’ll most likely bump into your neighbours from time to time, and it’ll be much easier to make conversation if you’ve introduced yourself beforehand. Additionally, there may be times where you need to borrow a splash of milk or you’ve been locked out and would like to use someone’s phone. Knowing your neighbours and developing a good relationship with them will serve you well in these situations, so once you’ve settled in make sure to knock and say hello!
Unpack the essentials
Before you start hanging paintings on the wall and organising your spice cupboard, spend some time unpacking the essentials. Things like toiletries, bedding, a clean set of clothes and phone chargers will be extremely helpful during the first few days of living in your new home, so it’s always best to unpack these first.
Once you have these essentials unpacked, you can start to settle in and adjust to life in your new abode. It’ll make even the emptiest of apartments or houses feel like your own, and can really help you feel at ease during a particularly stressful time, so keep this in mind when beginning to unpack.
Change the door locks
Feeling safe at home is imperative, but it can be difficult to feel quite settled when you move into a brand new building. There are many ways to increase your security measures and make sure you’re safe in your new home, but the most important thing is to change your door locks.
After all, you don’t know who may have a key to the door, as it’s likely the previous resident gave spares to neighbours and close friends. For your own peace of mind, it’s highly advisable that you change the locks and keep a record of anyone you give a spare key to.
Set up utilities
Nobody wants to think about bills, but paying them is simply an unfortunate truth. Unless you want your water to be cut off mid-shower or your television to cut out in the middle of your favourite show, it’s important to make sure that you set up your utilities as soon as possible. As soon as you open the door to your new home or flat, find your water and gas meters and take dated photographs – utility companies will want to know how much you actually owe, and these photographs can help you prove that any power usage before your move-in date is the previous tenants’ responsibility.
Before you call any utility companies, spend time researching the best possible prices on comparison sites to make sure you don’t end up paying an extortionate amount. In addition to water, gas and electricity, you’ll also need to set up Wi-Fi and make sure you have a TV licence.
Change your postal address
Bank statements, letters from the TV licencing company and utility bills are all incredibly important, so it’s important that they arrive at the right house from the moment you move in. You don’t want to waste time collecting post from your previous address, or worrying that your important financial information has fallen into the wrong hands, so make sure you change your postal address as soon as you’ve had a move-in date confirmed.Equally, if the previous resident of your home is still being sent post, it’s a good idea to simply write “please return to sender” – that way, the person or company who sent the letter knows the person they’re trying to contact is no longer reachable at that address.
Set up your furniture and main appliances
At the end of a long day of moving house, there’s nothing you’ll want more than to collapse into bed. For this reason, setting up your furniture as soon as possible is essential to making your house feel like a home. Your bed should be first, and following this it’s time to set up your chest of drawers, tables and wardrobes. It’s also a good idea to set up your kitchen appliances as soon as possible, as it’s likely you’ll have brought food along in the move which will need to be kept chilled.
When it comes to setting up your television, there are a few things you’ll need to be aware of, as we’ll discuss next.
Book a TV aerial installation
Once you’ve moved into your brand new house, you’ll likely want to celebrate by getting comfortable on the sofa and relaxing with some television. However, the chances are that you’ll need a TV aerial installed before you can start watching your favourite shows. This is something you certainly shouldn’t attempt to do yourself, so make sure you find a reputable and CAI-approved company near you to get the job done.
If the house you’ve moved into already has an outdoor TV aerial, yet you’re having problems setting up your television, you may still require assistance from the professionals. The last thing you want is to cause problems before you’ve even settled into your new abode, so make sure you hire a company like South Wales TV Aerials to take care of everything on your behalf.
In some cases, it may be that you need a TV satellite as opposed to an aerial, such as for households who would prefer Sky or Freesat. Like TV aerials, satellite dishes should also be installed by a professional, as there are a whole host of problems that can occur if they aren’t dealt with properly – and you may even end up damaging the property. To prevent such issues from occurring, make sure you hire a professional to take care of the installation for you.
South Wales TV Aerials: South Wales-based TV installation experts
If you’ve recently moved into a new house and are in need of a professional aerial or satellite dish installation, look no further than South Wales TV Aerials. Based in Pyle, we’re proud to service customers in the South Wales area with a whole range of television-related services. Whether you’re in need of aerial repairs or are hoping to build a whole home cinema, we’ve got the expertise and dedication to achieve great results every time.
We put customer satisfaction at the forefront of everything we do, which is why we never charge a call out fee and we’ll consider your individual needs when placing your aerial or satellite dish. No matter what, you can trust our team of professionals to offer only the highest standard of service. For more information about our range of services or for a free initial quote, get in touch with our team of local engineers today.