‘Pack the least emotional rooms first': six tips for a stress-free house move

The Guardian

16-05-2025

Moving house is notoriously stressful, and amid the chaos of packing up your life it's easy for small details to be forgotten. If you can dot the Is and cross the Ts of this exciting new chapter, it can make waving goodbye to your old home and settling into the new one a whole lot easier. So we called on experts from across the industry to give us their professional secrets.
While they all agreed on the importance of packing a bag of essentials to keep with you on the big day (think a kettle, underwear and loo roll), they each had their own unique takes on how to make the process a little bit easier. Here are six golden rules to go by …
'We're always looking for ways to make moving house easier, but our top rule is to make decluttering a priority,' say Ingrid Jansen and Lesley Spellman, founders of the Declutter Hub and authors of Reset Your Home: Unpack Your Emotions and Your Clutter, Step by Step.
'A new home means a fresh start, and if you declutter well in advance it means you'll have less to pack, less to pay on moving costs and less to worry about en route,' says Jansen. 'Work systematically around the house, starting in the least emotional rooms, like the kitchen and bathroom. As well as being easier to declutter, you'll be able to find any excess food and toiletries that can be used up.'
'Once you've moved, seeing your stuff in a new home often makes you see it through a different lens,' adds Spellman. 'So don't be afraid to continue decluttering as you unpack.'
As might be expected of the founder of financial education provider Hoops Finance, Funmi Olufunwa is a big fan of spreadsheets.
'If there's more than one of you moving, I recommend using a joint email address to keep everyone in the loop, and making a spreadsheet of all of the things you need to do throughout the moving process, such as redirecting your post,' she says. 'If you allocate each task, you can see who's responsible for what at a glance.'
As you go along, add all those little jobs that can be easily forgotten in the chaos of the move. 'This includes taking meter readings in your old and new homes and arranging for a food shop to be delivered to you on move-in day,' says Olufunwa. 'Just make sure you remember to change the delivery address – I've nearly been caught out on that one myself!'
'Many homeowners underestimate the hidden bottlenecks of moving day,' says Joseph Lane, founder and mortgage expert at Mortgage Lane.
To avoid moving-day headaches, Lane suggests using a QR code-based labelling system such as Sortly to help track your boxes' contents – 'it prevents hours of rummaging' – and updating your address two weeks before moving, rather than afterwards. 'Prioritise banks, utilities and key subscriptions to avoid disruptions,' he suggests.
Lane's number-one tip is to choose your completion day wisely. 'Most people aim for a Friday, but this often backfires because conveyancers are overloaded,' he says. 'Instead, opt for a Tuesday or Wednesday completion, when banks and solicitors have more flexibility.'
'Moving is stressful, so our brains focus on the big stuff, but forget something tiny like locating the stopcock – and it can turn into chaos,' says Terry Fisher, property expert and chief marketing officer at We Buy Any Home.
Fisher recommends packing a 'front door bag' filled with essentials to secure your new front door. 'That means a smart doorbell, batteries or charger, new locks, if needed, and even a temporary wedge or doorstop. Peace of mind starts at the threshold.'
And if all else falls by the wayside? 'Label the sockets in your new home with colour-coded stickers,' says Fisher. 'When you're surrounded by wires and half-charged gadgets, knowing exactly where your router, kettle, or charger can go makes all the difference.'
'My main advice is to work out how you'll be moving house – whether that's with a removal firm or a DIY van hire – long before your completion date,' says Matthew Ballard, group managing director at family-run firm Ballards Removals.
It's also worth remembering that removal teams are often unable to confirm bookings until you get a call from your solicitor to exchange contracts.
'Removal companies tend not to book ahead of this point in the process,' says Ballard.
'That isn't to say you shouldn't make initial contact with your removal provider. Whether it's as simple as showing them around your house or arranging parking space for removal vehicles, good preparation will ensure you can get settled in as quickly as possible.'
'Moving house can stir up a lot of feelings: sadness, anxiety, nostalgia, relief – sometimes all at once,' says psychotherapist and anxiety expert Kamalyn Kaur. 'It can take months to feel settled, so feeling 'off' doesn't mean something's wrong: it just means you're adapting.'
Creating a goodbye ritual, says Kaur, is one way of helping to ease the transition. 'Small acts such as writing a letter to your old space or having a goodbye dinner can help mark the move. Once in your new home, prioritise creating small spaces of comfort – your bed, a cosy reading nook, your coffee setup – to help you feel at home.'
And if Kaur could give just one piece of advice? 'Whether it's your morning coffee or a regular workout, sticking to familiar routines creates a sense of stability and comfort and sends a message to your nervous system: not everything is changing.'
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