Moving house is extremely stressful and difficult, with so many different aspects to worry about and organise. Long chains make house buying and selling very challenging, because there are so many things that could go wrong. The timings can be a nightmare, and it can take many months for a house purchase to go through to completion which can become very frustrating. Solicitors often drag their feet and nitpick, while banks can take forever to make decisions also, having to discuss everything with their valuer. Surveys often don’t go your way either and this often leads to chains falling through.
So if you have finally been given a completion date, the next stage that you have to organise is the actual house move using the strongest cardboard boxes, and ensuring that you are moved out of your current home on the correct date, and moving into your new home straight afterwards. Getting the timings right is vital, because you are not legally allowed to stay in your current property for longer than the completion date, and at the same time you need to move straight into your new home because otherwise you will face additional costs.
How to correctly plan the packing process
Firstly, you have to confirm the completion date with all parties involved. The completion date can change depending on different people’s preferences, so wait until you know exactly when that is going to be. It could be any day of the week, but usually falls on a weekday because this is when the solicitors are open and working.
You might need to take that day off work, so make sure your employer knows this is likely to happen soon. A house move cannot take place without you there to help organise things on the day, so it is vital that you are able to get the day off work. If you can’t, then you’ll need to change the completion date.
Next you will need to plan whether you are going to use a removal company to help you move strong boxes for moving, or if you are going to do the job yourself with help from friends or family. It really depends on the size of your move. If you are only moving a small two bedroom property, then you can often do this yourself fairly easily by hiring a van and gathering a few friends. If you are moving a large four bedroom house however, this can be quite challenging, so it is best to use a professional removal company for this.
Next you will need to purchase the correct packing materials to assist with your move, which will include cardboard boxes, bubble wrap and strong tape. You can buy these online for home delivery. You need to buy these in advance of your move, so that you have plenty of time to pack up your things.
Finally, you will need to plan how long it will take to pack up your household possessions into packing boxes, so that you are fully ready for the completion date.
So how long does it take to pack a four bed house in the UK?
- It will depend if you are spending full days packing, or if you are working and then packing in the evenings and weekends. Many people choose to take a week off work prior to the removal date, so they have plenty of time to pack, however this is not always possible.
- On average, it takes four days to pack up everything into extra strong cardboard boxes before the removal day. This includes everything from the kitchen, living room, bedrooms, hallways and bathrooms, as well as every other room in the house plus garage / sheds. This is four full days of packing, for a four bedroom house.
- If you are only packing in the evenings and weekends, you ideally would want to start packing a week and a half before the removal day. It can be difficult doing things this way, because you will need to live out of boxes for a long period of time, and you are likely to live out of boxes for a while in the new home too while you unpack. This can certainly be a challenge.
- As we mentioned before, it is important that you have packed everything before the removal day, because you don’t want to spend time packing things into boxes at the last minute while you move. This will slow down the move, and might mean that you are not ready to leave your home before the new owners turn up to move in. This is a tricky situation to be in, because you will be in the home that they legally own.
- On the actual removal day you simply need to be putting boxes into the removal van, driving, and then taking them out at the other end. This will take many hours to do, but will ensure that the timings go perfectly.
- The removal day should take no more than 5 hours to complete, providing you have already packed your things up into strong boxes for shipping. If you haven’t, then it will take 12-14 hours.
- With a 4 bed house you will certainly need help from a removal company or lots of friends while you move, but you should be able to do the packing part yourself. It is a good idea to make sure you write on the outside of each box you pack up, so that you know what you have put into the boxes which will make unpacking much easier. There is nothing worse than arriving in a new home not knowing where anything is because everything is packed into boxes which are not labelled correctly. You will be tired and frustrated, so it is good to make your life as easy as possible in your new home.
