How much does it cost to move house? To figure this out, you’ll need to consider more than just the obvious expenses. While you may have already looked into the cost of packing supplies and hiring a moving van or professional removalists, have you also included cleaning, final meter read or mail redirection costs? These are just some of the hidden costs you’ll need to account for to ensure you don’t blow your moving budget.
How Much Does It Cost To Move House – The Checklist
- Packing Supplies
- Packing Service
- Furniture disassembly / re-assembly
- Storage between moves
- Removalist services; OR
- DIY moving van hire + petrol + helpers
- Insurance
- During move
- New home & contents policy
- New car insurance
- Vehicle relocation
- Unpacking assistance
- Delivery costs of new furniture/white goods
- Pet-sitting services
- Exit and entry cleans
- Utility costs
- Mail re-direction
- Opportunity cost – your time off work
Packing Costs
You’ll need to purchase sturdy boxes, packing tape and packing paper or bubble wrap before you get started. To calculate your packing supply costs, start by figuring out how many packing boxes you need to move house. Then contact your local removalist or storage company for a quote.
You might also like to engage a professional packing service to help you complete the job quicker. They will be able to provide you with a quote, and there are things you can do to ensure their time is used most efficiently. Here’s how to prepare for professional packers.
Furniture Disassembly, Re-assembly and Set up
Have a think about whether you’ll need help taking apart large furniture such as beds and desks, plus how you’ll place it and put it back together in your new home. A full service removalist like Pinder Tower Movers will include disassembly and re-assembly in their quote, but check with other service providers. If you’re DIY-ing your move, and need some help, try a service like Airtasker to find a person who can help.
Storage
If there is a gap in time between when you move out of your old home and into the new, you may need to pay to store your goods for a while. Before you do this, think carefully about whether you really want to store your existing possessions – will you use them in the new house, or are they no longer right for the space? Storage costs can add up, so you’ll want to use a storage service judiciously.
Removalist Service Or DIY Moving Costs
The easiest way to move house is to hire a professional removalist. If you hire the right people, they will do the job quickly, efficiently, and with minimum inconvenience to you. When hiring a removalist, make sure their quote includes any costs associated with getting to and from their depot, hours worked, kilometres travelled, and insurance. Request a written quote up-front.
You may be considering how to save money when moving house and decide to DIY your move by hiring a van and doing much of the work yourself. Make sure you allow for hire fees, petrol, insurance, plus the cost of any hired help. And a word to the wise – you will probably take a lot longer than you anticipate, so have a flexible budget for up to double the time you expect!
Insurance
Make sure that your household contents are fully covered when you move, including for special items such as billiard table, antique and art removals. If you are hiring professional movers, check that insurance is included in their quote. Otherwise, check with your existing house and contents insurance provider as to whether you need to make any changes to your policy for the duration of the move.
You also need to check whether your house and contents and car insurance policies can be carried over to the new address. Because insurance premiums differ by postcode, you may find there is an additional cost to this (or, if you’re in luck, a saving to be made). Call your insurance providers before you move to get everything sorted before moving day.
Vehicle Relocation
This cost applies if you’re moving a long distance and don’t wish to drive your own vehicle to the new house. You’ll be able to find vehicle relocation service providers by searching online and can obtain a quote via their websites.
Unpacking
Will you be hiring help with this job or doing it yourself? If the former, obtain a quote in advance for the job. Professional packing services will often provide unpacking help, and will be able to give you a quote for the whole job.
Delivery of New Furniture and White Goods
If you have purchased new items that will be delivered to the new house, don’t forget to factor in delivery costs (and set up fees if relevant).
Pet-Sitting Services
If you are moving house with your dog or your cat, you may wish to place them in a kennelling or cat-sitting service for the duration, so include these costs too.
Exit and Entry Cleans
You may choose to hire cleaners to conduct a thorough clean on your old property, or potentially the new one before you move in. If so, be sure to budget for this, as a thorough clean can be quite time consuming, and can add up to a substantial expense.
Utility Costs
Before you move, speak to your electricity, gas, telephone, internet and television subscription service providers to understand any costs associated with your move. These might include final meter read, disconnection and connection fees, contract cancellation fees, the costs of a new modem, etc. Check what the fees will be if you change service providers, and also what they will be if you transfer your contract across to another provider.
Mail Re-Direction
If you need to have mail re-directed to your new address, check in with the local post office, as this service will attract a fee. Note there may be higher costs associated with mail that is addressed to a business name, vs personal mail.
You may not need to pay for mail re-direction if you update your address with all service providers before you move house. You can also elect to receive all future communications by email.
Opportunity Cost
Don’t forget that, if you need to take unpaid time off work to pack, move and unpack, you’ll need to consider the lost wages in your budget.
Looking to move house in Melbourne? Pinder Tower Movers can help you with household and furniture removals, packing supplies, professional packing services and interstate or Victorian country removals.