Transferring Day Disasters and Keep away from Them

Moving to a new house or apartment is a complicated process. To ensure your move goes smoothly, you need to start preparing weeks before the big day when you’ll have to juggle boxes, furniture, valuables, pets, children and whatever else will be transported to your new home.
While you can’t expect everything to go perfectly on moving day, you can avoid some disasters big enough to ruin the whole experience.
Read on to learn about some of the biggest moving day disasters and how you can prevent them from ruining your move. Contact us for more information Tips for moving on a budget and learn how to find free moving boxes.
1. Your hired movers don’t show up
You’ve packed all your boxes, prepared your furniture, and even asked friends or family to help you care for your kids and pets, but when your scheduled move time arrives, your movers are nowhere to be found and repeated calls to the company are lost unanswered.
If your mover doesn’t show up, there’s not much you can do other than try to hire a truck or van and move yourself, or reschedule your appointment.
Continue reading: How to find a trustworthy and reliable moving company
To avoid this disaster, hire your mover well in advance of your move, at least four weeks before a local move or eight weeks before a long-distance move. If you are planning to move during a busy time like summer or a holiday, book a move 12 weeks in advance.
Also, be sure to check out your mover before hiring them, and watch out for red flags like ridiculously low estimates or high down payments. Choose a mover with a physical address and, if possible, visit their location to assess the condition of their trucks and warehouse.
Continue reading: Best Movers of 2023
2. You cannot park your moving truck on your street
If you live in a dense metropolitan area like San Francisco, New York, or Boston, finding parking for a moving truck can be difficult, especially if you live on a one-way street. Imagine you’ve packed all your boxes and are ready to go, but the nearest parking spot for your truck is only a block away.
Prepare for moving day by applying for a special parking permit well in advance of your move, if your city offers one. If you don’t have a permit to move trucks, you may be able to apply for a no parking sign that will allow room for your truck on the day of the move.
Most cities offer you the option of reserving street space for your moving truck.
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If none of these solutions are available in your city, talk to your neighbors and regular parking garages on your street to see if you can come up with a plan to provide space for your truck.
3. Your belongings don’t fit in your moving truck
You’ve packed all the boxes and ready your furniture for removal, but halfway through packing you realize you underestimated the size of your move and rented an undersized truck. If you’re moving a short distance, you might be able to make two trips, but this will add significantly to your moving day. If you move over a long distance, you could get into a lot of trouble.
Avoid this moving day disaster by taking a proper inventory of all your belongings and choosing a truck big enough to haul everything in one trip. Online calculators can help estimate the correct truck size, as can a general rule of 150 to 200 cubic feet of truck space for each of your furnished rooms. If you’re between sizes, go for the larger truck.
Continue reading: This is how you determine the right size of rental truck for your move
4. You accepted the released value coverage and the movers broke valuable items
When it comes to insuring your belongings with a professional moving company, you generally have three options. The first, called “released value protection,” is usually free with most trusted movers. It agrees to compensate you in the event of damage by professional movers at a base rate for all your belongings – typically 60 cents a pound.
That means if movers break your laptop and it weighs 3 pounds, they’ll pay you $1.80. If you own something of value, think carefully about your other options before accepting Shared Value Coverage.
Most movers also offer ‘Full Value Protection’, which means movers will refund you 100% of the value of damaged items, but you will have to pay for coverage, typically 1% of the total value of your belongings. You must also make a careful inventory that includes the value of all your belongings.
Both forms of mover protection only protect against damage caused by the movers themselves. If you want additional protection from the elements, theft, or other disasters, you must purchase moving insurance with a separate insurance company.
Continue reading: What is moving insurance and do you need it?
5. Your furniture doesn’t match your new home
You’ve loaded all the boxes and furniture onto your truck and cruised in comfort to your new home, only to find your favorite sofa won’t fit up a spiral staircase or your bed frame won’t even fit through the front door.
Measure all of your large furniture before you start packing, and then, if possible, measure the stairs and doorways in your new home to make sure everything fits. If you’re moving a long distance, see if your property manager or real estate agent can get the measurements for you. For heavier items and furniture, make a plan for moving the items between your old and new space.
Augmented reality software like Magicplan can help you figure out where the bottlenecks might be in your new home and how to navigate through or around them.
Continue reading: How to lift heavy boxes and furniture
6. You forgot to set up the utilities in your new home
You have received the keys to your new apartment and handed in the first boxes when you suddenly realize that the light is not working. Worse still, neither the sinks nor the toilets. With no electricity or water, you may be spending your first night in a hotel rather than your new home.
Set up the utilities in your new home at least three weeks before you move in to ensure everything is up and running when you arrive. This includes gas and electricity, but be sure to check the water supply as well if your landlord doesn’t provide it. And don’t forget to choose an internet provider and setup the internet before moving day.
Continue reading: Take the stress out of moving into your first rental apartment
You can find more moving tips here: Learn how to pack a moving box properly and how to thoroughly clean your new house or apartment.