Protecting Your Possessions When Moving House
*This is a collaborative post.
If you’re on your way to a new home, then before you start thinking about interior design and setting up your new lifestyle, you want to make sure that what you already own is going to make the trip there a-okay. There have been plenty of horror stories about people losing items, sometimes particularly valuable ones, in transit. So, what can you do to protect your items from being damaged while moving?
Pack them up safe
In most cases, the reason things get damaged in transit is that they have not been packed and loaded in a way that prevents damage. Make sure that you’re securing any fragile items with enough padding, whether it’s using soft linens and towels, or investing in packing materials like foam peanuts and bubble wrap. You want to prevent things from having too much wiggle room in their boxes. You should also look at what you can do to secure items in place so that you don’t have boxes and furniture sliding around, such as straps if you’re using a flatbed.
Keep it somewhere safe
You might not want to transport everything with you during the move at the same time. The more items there are to move, the more clutter, and the more chance of things getting damaged. To that end, you might want to take some of the items that you’re not likely to use or put immediately and put them in mobile self-storage, instead. This way, you can make sure that everything else is unpacked before some of the more valuable or fragile items are welcomed into the home. Can also work if you’re not exactly sure how much storage space you have for everything you want to bring with you.
Don’t tell everyone you’re moving
Of course, you can tell close friends and family that you’re moving. You should also let services like your bank and utility providers know. However, theft is a serious issue and people who are moving home are more likely to get targeted. As such, avoid posting too much information on social media. Don’t liveblog your moving day. You never know who might be keeping an eye out for easy takes and there are few easier than a bunch of packed boxes ready to lift.
Take an inventory of what you got
When you’re packing things away, try to keep an inventory list of what each and every box contains, as well as each item that is being transported standalone. If you’re relying on multiple types of transports, or you’re using storage, you might want to note down where each item goes, as well. This won’t exactly prevent them from getting damaged. However, you can double-check the items on the other side to see if anything is damaged or missing from your list. This way, you might be able to get compensation if you’re entitled to it.
Take the time to make sure that you have the adequate transport that you need, not to mention the safeguards to protect your items, and always double-check on both sides.
