If you’re moving away, you have to have some loose ends that need tying up. It can be really easy to forget all of the things to do before relocating, but there are a few different reasons why its important to take care of business before you go. Whether you’re moving to a new province/state, city, or even just a few blocks over, do these things to save yourself a lot of grief money, and time.
Clean Up Your Old Place
If you haven’t done it already, you should really clean up the house as best as you can after your things are moved out and before you hand over the keys to your landlord or the agent. Although you may have kept the place pretty clean while you lived there, high traffic areas of your carpet will be darker than where your couch and chairs have been, and you never know where your cat or dog may have left a few marks without you knowing it. Get your carpets cleaned professionally or do them yourself with a rental machine. That way, you won’t be on the hook for stains and marks in the carpeting. Clean your walls, paying attention to minor details like fingerprints, scuff, and other marks as best you can too, so that they don’t appear damaged. You will also want to tackle the fridge, stove, and bathrooms. This way, you will be sure to avoid a cleaning fee from a landlord who has to scour off baked on lasagna in your oven and scrub toilets.
Visit the Post Office
Visiting the post office before you leave and arranging for address forwarding or a change of address is a very convenient and important aspect of moving. Sure, you’ll have to drop a bit of cash, but it’s fairly inexpensive when you think of the benefits. You’ll be really busy when it comes time to actually box up your belongings and lug them into a truck, and the last thing on your mind will be calling every company and agency with a new mailing address. You also run the risk of falling prey to mail fraud if you don’t prevent your mail from going to an address where you will no longer receive it, so in the long run, it’s actually pretty smart to stop your mail from reaching your old place altogether. Most post offices have varying rates for different lengths of time for a change of address, so you can do it for as little or as much time as you wish, giving you a bit longer before you have to write out a list and call everyone on it about your move.
Make Arrangements for Utility Hookups
You may not expect to arrive at your new place and have a house on your hands without hot water or running electricity, but until you transfer your utilities over to your new home, you will be paying for service at your old address, and go without in your new home. You could even have a delay in when things can be hooked up, meaning your internet, phone, and cable may be out for a while when you move in, and you could get double-billed by the power or gas company in the confusion, needlessly costing you hundreds of dollars.
Leave Contact Info For New Tenants
Sometimes, you just want to move out and never look back, but it would be wise to leave your new contact info in a drawer or cupboard, so you can be reached if anyone important comes by or some of your mail slips through the cracks with the postal service. It’s also useful in case you have left something behind and need to be reached to retrieve your misplaced belongings.