Removals and Storage

Moving house is a stressful time for the whole family, and often it is our pets who suffer the most. Cats are especially susceptible to the stress of moving house, as they are normally family animals and like to be involved; the confusion of moving house can be very traumatic for them.

There are many things you can do to make moving less stressful for yourself, such as organising your removal company and storage company beforehand, there are also a few things you can do to make moving home a little less disturbing for your cat.

1. Before Moving Home

When you start to empty and box up the contents of the house, start with one room first and completely empty it. When you have done this, put the cats’ bed, toys, food, litter tray and a lockable carrier in the room. Having the lockable carrier in the room, will make it less intimidating for the cat when it needs to use it for the journey. Introduce your cat to this room, as it will be its home for the next few weeks. Although the room will be empty, your cat should be quite happy as it contains the things your cat is used to seeing such as its bed. The good thing about using this empty room is that should you need to keep the cat away from something (when you are moving house a curious cat might jump in to a box being packed), you cat should not be upset as it is used to going in to the room.

2. On the Day you Move House

When you have moved house, your cat should be your first priority. Find an empty room and place all the same items in it as you had in the empty room before. This will be your cats room for the unpacking time. Only let your cat out once the entire house is unpacked and sorted out. Your cat will want to explore the house, however it may be nervous of the new surroundings, so talk soothingly to it, and try to calm it. Also make sure you show the cat where its food bowl and litter tray are. Your cat will then begin to explore the house by itself.

3. After Moving House

If you let your cat outside, try not to let it out too soon. Make sure your cat is used to the new house first, otherwise it may run away. Let the cat in to the garden in short, supervised intervals, and when your cat seems happy with the garden and how to get back in to the house, you can happily let your cat go and explore its new territory. Once you move, you need to remember to update the contact details on your cats collar, should your cat get lost in your new neighbourhood, people will need to be able to contact you.

A recent survey has shown that elder children are more likely to receive financial help from parents when moving home.

Parents are more likely to donate towards a deposit for their eldest children and figures show that around 17% of parents have given them money to help them onto the property ladder. However, figures drop to around 12% for second children wanting to move home and 9% for third children.

It has also been revealed that parents invest more time helping their oldest children find a suitable change of address. Some parents have spent over 22 hours visiting properties and estate agents with their children. However, the hours dropped to around fifteen hours of help for their second child and just thirteen hours of help for their third child.

When it comes to the actual day of moving home, older children receive around 31 hours of toil and sweat from their parents but these hours diminish to just 19 hours for a second child and plummet to fourteen hours for a third. Probably time to call a removal company.

Although the second and third child do not receive as much time and effort from their parents, figures showed that they did receive the highest amount when it came to help with a deposit. Older children only received around £3,346 whilst the second child received £7,899 and the third child was lucky enough to receive around £10,000.

Although parents may think that they have been fair with all of their children when it comes to help with moving home costs, what may seem fair may not always fit in with the changing price growth of properties. Therefore, younger children may have to receive a bigger deposit than their brothers or sisters as property prices are likely to have increased with inflation.

Parents with just one child were surprisingly economical with their money and only offered an average of £3,621 to help an only child to move home. They also spent just fifteen hours helping their loved one to find a home and twelve hours helping them to move home.

Moving home is becoming more and more difficult as finances are stretched to their capacity but in order to compete with others, sellers have to be prepared to finance some vital home improvements to attract the attention of those elusive buyers seeking a change of address.

When you decide that you would like to move house, it is time to start turning your attention to making your home as desirable as possible. Therefore, it is worth bearing in mind the following moving house tips:

First impressions are everything to potential buyers so if your house is looking a little run down on the outside, it may be time to give it a much needed face lift.

Give the garden a good old tidy up and remove any ostentatious garden ornaments such as garden gnomes. Children’s play furniture can also detract the eye from the length of a garden, so pack them up and keep the garden neat and clutter free. Spring time is the season when people are most likely to want to move house, so make sure that gardens are neatly trimmed and that the grass is fresh and green without any bald patches. Add a fresh lick of paint to door and window frames and take a trip to the garden centre to pick up some shrubs and plants to add plenty of colour.

Moving home involves a lot of work. There are also a lot of financial considerations that people generally are not used to. Engaging a solicitor, arranging the mortgage, paying for bridging finance if it is necessary, seeking the best selling price for your home, and the best buying price for the home you are moving into as well as costs for removal companies, all of these are very large and important transactions that cost a lot of money and may also cause you a lot of stress.

Add to this the stress of actually moving house. There may be some emotional attachment to the home you are leaving and you may find this very difficult. Then you have all the practicalities of dealing with utility companies, changing address to have mail redirected, cancelling your services and informing friends and business of the move.

Moving Home can be Traumatic

And this has not even begun to consider the hassle of packing up your belongings, arranging for a removal company, and transit insurance if you think you need it, and unpacking everything at the other end. It is really no wonder that so many people consider moving house such a major and traumatic experience.

However, if you take a step back, the situation is really not that bleak. Most people end up moving home for very positive reasons. These will include getting a new job, or moving to a bigger property. Therefore, as well as all the stress there is also a lot of joy and excitement involved.

Get Sorted when you Move House

You can also use the move as a chance to clear out your possessions. Look through everything before you start packing and decide what things you do not want to take with you to your new address. If there are a lot of clothes you can pack them up and give them to a charity shop. You should think about getting boxes and old newspapers gathered up. Boxes will be available from local shops and you can save your newspapers for wrapping breakables.

If you are moving everything yourself, you can rent a van to help you out. Make sure it is a suitable size. If the van is too small you’ll find yourself doing multiple trips, and if it is too large you may not be able to park, or even drive it. You should be comfortable with driving the van so give it a try before loading it up to make sure. The alternative is always to hire a professional removal company.