When you’re moving to a new home, it’s not always obvious where to start.
We’ve prepared this guide to help you make sure you’ve got everything covered!
Contact your Insurer
Whether you’re a tenant, homeowner or condo owner, it’s important to contact your insurer to inform them of your new address. At iA Auto and Home Insurance, you can notify us by completing our online form. An agent will then contact you to update your policy and ensure that your coverage still meets your needs.
Make sure your home insurance policy covers your belongings and your residence for the entire time that you are responsible for the premises. If you’ll be moving gradually, make sure you remain covered for both your old and your new residence.
Don’t forget to notify your insurer of any changes and consider covering your belongings if you use a storage service. And if you don’t already have insurance, you can get an online quote to save time.
If you’re renting an apartment, it’s important to inform your landlord so that your rent payments are up to date before the end of your lease. You should also know that if you terminate your lease early, there are certain obligations you will have to meet.
Looking for Boxes
Have you already decided to move out of your home or apartment? Ideally, you should get some boxes early on and start packing up things you don’t use that often. Consider reusing boxes as well. Instead of buying moving boxes, try calling grocery stores or pharmacies to find out when they put their boxes out for recycling and go pick some up. This will save money… and a few trees as well. You could then recycle the boxes afterwards or give them to someone who needs them.
Give Things Away!
Start by getting your things sorted. Sell or give away things that you no longer use but that could be useful to others, and recycle what you can. It’s much better to do this before rather than after your move and you’ll end up having less things to pack in your boxes.
Pack Everything Up
If you can, use colour-coded cards to mark each box with its contents, the name of the room it belongs in and exactly where it should go. Write everything on at least two sides of the box. Keep packing tape handy and seal the top and bottom of each box well. (When I recently moved, I used these amazing labels from Amazon, they were great!)
Use old newspapers to wrap fragile objects. For glasses, use dish towels, tissue paper or bubble wrap. That way you won’t have to wash everything when you unpack. Think about distributing the weight in your boxes. Use plastic totes for heavy or fragile objects if you can.
For clothing, if you don’t have cardboard wardrobe moving boxes, pack them in large, well-marked clear plastic bags. They won’t take up much space and they’ll be easy to transport. You could even keep your clothes on their hangers and hold them together with a large rubber band.
What to Keep Handy
It’s always a good idea to have a first aid kit handy. Think about having a measuring tape, screwdriver, hammer, tape, pliers, garbage bags, facial tissues, toilet paper, adhesive bandages, but also cleaning products and supplies.
Pack a small suitcase with the essentials: toothbrush, toiletries, important medications, a few changes of clothes, pajamas, etc., just as if you were going away for two or three days.
Also make sure you keep other important items in a clearly marked box: computers, phone chargers, sheets, towels, utensils, glasses, dishes, etc. That way, you won’t have to go through all your boxes to find them, and you’ll find things efficiently.
Prepare some snacks and drinks—to be productive, you’ll need to eat! Before you move everything out, put the first aid kit, important boxes and your suitcase in your car so they don’t get lost.
Organize Your Move-In
Before you leave your old home, be considerate to the incoming residents and leave them a nice clean space. Once you get to your new home, get out your cleaning products and clean the cabinets and closets, if it hasn’t been done already, before you put things into them.
Indicate what should go into which closet. This will make it much easier to put boxes in the right place.
Think About Your Pets
Moving day can be pretty stressful for pets. A lot of people and things are moving around the house. It can be a good idea to book a spot in a kennel or have someone you trust take care of your pet for the day. If that’s not possible, you can set up a room in the house with water, food and toys to make your pet feel safe.
Make Sure Your Belongings will be Covered During the Move
If you decide to use a residential moving company, make sure they have insurance that will cover your belongings during transport.
If you choose to rent a moving truck, you must have “Borrowed or rented vehicle coverage” (Q.E.F. 27) on your insurance policy to be protected in case of an accident since it is a rented vehicle.
Use Proper Equipment
Do you prefer to move on your own? Make sure you are properly equipped. For example, use straps or a hand truck when moving heavy objects. This will prevent you from getting hurt or damaging your belongings.
Properly Install your Appliances
Every year, water damage occurs as a result of improper installation of washers, dishwashers or water dispenser refrigerators. It is therefore important to make sure valves are tightly closed when disconnecting hoses and pipes from your appliances.
Once in your new residence, make sure your appliance connections are watertight or ask a professional if necessary.
When moving your refrigerator or freezer involves laying them down horizontally, it is recommended to wait five hours before plugging them back in to allow their fluids to settle.
Do your Change of Address as Soon as Possible
To make things easier for you, here is a checklist to help you make all necessary address changes. The Quebec address change service is also available to allow you to notify a number of ministries and organizations of your new address all at the same time.
To make sure you don’t forget anything, you can request mail forwarding from Canada Post.
All Finished?
You’re all moved into your new place and all you have to do is set up and decorate your cozy new space. Take it one room at a time. It’s better to take your time and get things set up right the first time, rather than doing things quickly and having to start all over again.
We wish you a good move and many happy moments in your new residence!
This post was originally posted on the Investia Financial Services Inc. blog, the original post can be found here.
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