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Moving Home 
Moving home might be stressful, time consuming and expensive but there are ways you can cut the cost and the time it takes - and reduce stress levels into the bargain.
Removals Charges vary widely around the country and, unsurprisingly, are more expensive in the south-east. Costs start from around £30 an hour for a van plus two removal men. If you're moving some distance away, mileage charges start to bump up those costs. Moving from London to Manchester, for example, could cost from an extra £200 on top of the above costs. If you want to avoid labour costs and you don't mind moving your own belongings, you can hire transit vans from around £50 per day. Packing costs extra, usually from around £10 per hour per packer. If you prefer to pack your own possessions, most removals firms sell packing materials and charges start at around £1.50 to £2.50 per packing carton, but you can save further by using your own crates and boxes. Make sure they're sturdy enough, though, or the removals firm may refuse to accept responsibility for the state of the contents. If you have your own transport and plenty of willing friends, you could do the entire move yourself. This is likely to take significantly longer, though, so if you want to save costs without sacrificing too much time, choose a local removals firm, but do all the packing yourself. And remember to give the movers a set of keys - that way you won't arrive to find them running up hourly charges while waiting for you to let them in. Storage If you find yourself out of one property before you can move into another or you have too many possessions to fit into your new home, you may need temporary storage. Self-storage units are available throughout the country from around £5 to £10 per week for a 10 ft square secure container. To store the average contents of a one-bedroom flat, you'd need around 40 to 50 ft square, which costs around £80 plus VAT for four weeks in London. But if you have your own transport and you don't need regular access to your furniture, you could save by storing your furniture somewhere cheaper - the same space and time in Luton, for example, costs around £70 plus VAT, or £55 plus VAT in Southampton. Many storage sites offer special deals and discounts, so get several quotes before choosing. You could also reduce costs by looking for a storage site which doesn't charge VAT, such as Safestore in Dunstable. Updating your address Until you get around to telling everyone you have moved, mail redirection is the best way to ensure you don't lose any post. You can have your post redirected by the Royal Mail for up to 12 months. Prices start around £6.95 for one month, but if you're unsure how long you'll need the service, it's cheaper to arrange a longer period from the start, rather than keep renewing the arrangement - for example, three months' redirection costs £13.95. Letting everyone know you've moved is a big time-consumer. As well as your friends, family and colleagues, you need to inform banks, building societies, utility providers, insurers, and so on. Simply Move provides a free online address update service. You simply key in your old and new address details, date of moving and any relevant account or policy numbers and the service contacts the company on your behalf. Unfortunately, financial companies still require your signature on any change of address notification, so you will still have to physically write to those companies. You can save some time by making copies of a standard latter, with gaps for your account/policy numbers which can then be written in by hand, and you can save a bit of cash by sending these letters out early, using second-class stamps. Insurance Check well in advance whether your buildings and contents insurers require notice before cancelling your policy or you might have to pay cancellation charges. Other insurers (life, motor, health) will only need to be told your new address, but remember that this may have a knock-on effect on your premium. For example, motor insurance is affected by the space where your car is parked. Failing to inform your insurer of a new address could invalidate your policy or mean that you're under-insured. Utilities Most gas, electricity, water, telephone and cable providers require notice of your move, but there should be no disconnection charges provided you give the correct notice. Moving presents an ideal opportunity to shave your household utility costs by shopping around for the cheapest providers in your new area. Even if you're only moving a few streets away, you could still save money - up to £150 a year, according to online utility checker Uswitch.com. If you require any further information about the services that we provide or would like to review your financial planning position, please contact us |