How to Move to a New City

If you could move to any city in the UK, where would you move to?

There are 69 Cities in the UK: 51 in England, 7 in Scotland, 6 in Wales and 5 in Northern Ireland, so you have plenty to choose from.

And they are all so diverse: From St David’s in Wales with a population of less than 2,000 to the city of Birmingham with over 1.1m residents.

At first glance, that kind of information may seem insignificant, but it could be important when considering where to move to. In fact, any information could be decision changing when researching your new home city, so let’s look at some of the factors that could affect your choice of city:

Questions to ask when moving to a new city

• Can I afford to move to a new city?
• What is the cost of living in the city?
• What is the job market like?
• Do I have friends or family in the new city?
• What are the good and bad areas of the city?
• Would I like to live in a city with a community feel?
• What are the schools like?
• What will I lose if I move to another city?
• What will I gain if I move to another city?
• Why do I want to move?
• Do I have a plan B if I do not like the new city?
• Is this the right home move for me?

But at the end of the day, surely it is the quality of life that you aspire to that matters. Will your new city tick that box? This in-depth survey of residents, compiled by Provident, on the most welcoming, friendliest, politest, safest, best kept, most trustworthy and happiest cities in the UK may just answer that question for you.

Specifically for those of you planning to move out of London, we have compiled a special guide just for you, which can be found here.

Where do I find the Best City to City Removal Companies?

Out of all the questions you can ask when moving to a new city, this one we can answer easily for you! Just click on this link to find reputable removal companies in your area.

Having clicked on the above link you will be presented with a list of cities, select the city you are moving to, or from, by clicking on the City name. A list of reputable removal companies will now appear, complete with all the latest reviews for that company.

To find out how to make the best use of those removal company reviews just click here.

Be sure to read this guide on how to compare removal companies, it has many useful tips and a downloadable removal company comparison chart to help you make an informed decision.

How do I Prepare to Move to Another City?

Having decided on your new city, buy a map. Just looking at the geography of your new area will help you to become familiar with it. Research as much as you can on the Internet so that you hit the ground running from day one. If you regularly drink coffee from a national chain of coffee stores, locate one in your new area, anything which is familiar to you in your new city will help stave off relocation depression.

So now you are mentally prepared for your impending move, let’s get onto the aspect of the physical move and how you prepare to move from one home to another.

• The first job to tackle is the creation of a moving calendar. This will allow you to plan out every step of your home move, ensuring that you do not miss any vital element of the home moving process. Luckily for you, we have already created a downloadable, printable and adaptable, moving checklist for you. Just click on this link.
• Next, you should declutter your current home. Not only will this filter out all the items you no longer have a use for, but will reduce your home removal costs. This guide here will give you top tips on how to clear out the stuff you no longer need.
• Get a removal company to estimate how much your removal costs will be. This is easy to do, just click on this link to receive a home removal estimate from a reputable removal company.
• Arrange an in-home moving survey. This is a free service offered by the removal company. They will visit the home you are moving out of and assess the amount of items you have to move and issues that will affect the smooth execution of your moving day. Use this opportunity to get to evaluate the suitability of the removal company for your home move. This link here will take you to a guide that lists the questions you may want to ask your removal company.
• Compare the removal companies. Use this guide to help you choose the best removal company for your home move. Once you have made your decision, book the removal company, as the best ones tend to get booked up fast.
• Start the change of address process. We have created a change of address checklist that is downloadable, printable and customizable.
• Collate important documents: Things will inevitably be misplaced during the home move. Important paperwork is something that you cannot afford to lose track of, so follow the advice here to ensure that your documents are well organized and safely packed.
• Get insured: With the best will in the world, accidents and the unforeseen happen. Having adequate insurance in place, whilst not preventing the worse from happening, will at least ensure you are compensated for life’s mishaps. Here we will steer you through the minefield of insuring your home contents when moving home.

If you want to learn how you can perhaps reduce the cost of hiring a professional removal company we have compiled a guide to negotiating a discount with a removal company.

Have you hired the removal company to pack your goods for you? Yes? Great, that is very sensible. If not read the next section.

How do I Pack for a Move to a New City?

Packing your own goods to be transported by the removal company is no small task. But as you now know good planning and execution will make the process trouble-free. And of course, you have now got rid of all your items that you no longer need or use, so the packing process will be less time-consuming. But there are still plenty of errors you can make when packing your own moving boxes, so read this guide to avoid common packing mistakes.

In a hurry to move? Here are some top tips on how to move home quickly.

Here is your step by step packing guide:

• Source your packing materials: You will need copious amounts of packing tape, bubble wrap, packing paper and of course boxes. This guide here will tell you all you need to know about packing materials. Obtaining packing boxes for free will save you money and here you will find suggestions on where to find ideal packing boxes. You can save even more money by using towels, blankets, and clothing to protect items before boxing them. Many more suggestions for moving home cheaply can be found in this guide.
• Label every box: Labelling the moving boxes correctly will ensure that the removal team place the boxes in the correct rooms in your new home and that you will be able to easily identify what is in each carton. Here is an essential guide to labelling moving boxes correctly.
• Pack an Open First Box: This box will provide everything you need on moving day and the first night in your new home. How to prepare your open first box and suggestions on what to pack in it can be found in this article here.
• Fragile items: These will require particular attention and the added time and expense needed to protect your valuables is money well invested. By following the tips in this guide to packing fragile items you can be sure your fragile items will arrive at your new home intact.
• Electronics: These too will require special attention to prevent any damage whilst in transit. This guide here will take you step by step through the packing process.
• Clothing: Use any suitcases or holdalls you may have to pack your clothes into and save boxes. Roll clothes rather than fold them as this will prevent creasing. Items that are usually stored in drawers do not need to be packed in boxes, leave them in the drawers to save space in the removal van. Items that hang in your wardrobe can be left on hangers and bin liners can be slipped over the hangers, in the style of a suit cover, to save packing costs. Further top tips on how to pack your clothing for moving can be read here.
• Books: Save your smaller boxes for packing books into as you do not want to have excessively heavy boxes to lift on moving day. Are you wondering what is the correct way to pack books, spines up or down? Wonder no more, this guide on how to pack books will tell you all you need to know.

Looking to move home cheaply? We have more money saving tips for home movers in this guide.

What will happen on Moving Day?

• Set your alarm: Be up and ready in plenty of time for the removal company. You don’t want to still be in your PJ’s when they arrive!
• Keep children and pets safe: Have the kids or pets looked after whilst the removal team are loading and unloading. It will be safer for them and less stressful too.
• Have your mobile phone handy: Remember to fully charge your phone and keep it with you.
• Open First Box: Don’t let it out of your sight! As you already know this is today’s survival kit so stay with it and keep it safe.
• Put the kettle on: Your removal team will appreciate a cup of tea to start moving day off properly. It is a great opportunity to get to know them which will make the whole day so much more enjoyable for all of you.
• Be safe: Remember this is just one day out of your life. There is no point doing anything dangerous or foolhardy on moving day, so follow these safety tips to ensure you all end the day in your new home, not the hospital.
• Stay Calm and Move Home: People feed off of others emotions, so stay calm and those around you will too. Let the removal team do their job but be there in the background in case they need to ask you anything.

Essential Reading: How to distress after the stress of moving day.

If all goes according to plan you will be up bright and early on moving day. Everything will be packed and ready to be loaded. The removal company will arrive on time and will load, transport and unload your belongings in record time with no damage. By early evening you will be sat in your new home, toasting your new life with a well-earned beverage or two.

But life is not always that good to us. There are many things that could go wrong on moving day but the key is to be prepared for anything that does not go the way you hoped. To help you to fend off any potential mishaps on moving day we have compiled this guide for you.

The removal company are trained to deal with most eventualities and you should trust in their ability to resolve any issues as they arise.

How you react to the day’s events is crucial and here we will advise you on how to keep your sanity on moving day.

Things to Do after Moving Home

You still have plenty of work to do now to organize your new home and get your life back to normal. This will require just as much planning as moving out of your old home.

• Unpack: Obvious maybe, but by following this simple guide you will unpack your moving boxes in a logical sequence which will make the whole process of settling into your new home so much easier. For great ideas on how to get rid of your used packaging materials click here.
• Locate key places: Here we help you to identify the key places that you will want to find in your new city.
• Go for a walk: There is no better way to get to know your new city than going for a walk.
• Make new friends: A big city can be a lonely place if you have no support network. Also, finding all the secret gems, that coffee bar tucked behind the local market, the best place to grab a pizza and where to buy that hard to find item within the city, will be so much easier, and more fun, with a bunch of local friends to show you around. Here we offer advice on how to make new friends in your new city.
• Host a home warming party: Who needs an excuse to party? But in case you do, what a great way to say thanks to those who helped you move home and to say hi to your new neighbours and colleagues. Want to know how to host the ultimate home warming party? Click here.
• Leave a review: Don’t forget to leave a review for your removal company. Remember how invaluable you found those reviews? Others will appreciate yours just as much. Here we show you how to write a review. You can leave your review for the removal company here.

So that all remains now is for you to enjoy your new home, new city, and new life. Good luck.

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