The Most Common Moving Day Problems and Exactly How to Avoid Them

Moving day has a way of throwing surprises at you even when you have planned everything down to the last box. After years of carrying out removals across Kingston, Surrey, London and in the UK, we have seen the same problems come up again and again. Most of them are not bad luck — they are entirely preventable. Here is what goes wrong most often and what to do about each one before it happens to you.

 

Parking — the one people always forget

This is the single most common source of delay on moving day. A removal van needs to park close to your front door — ideally within 20 metres. If you live on a busy road, a permit zone or near a town centre, you need to apply to your local council for a parking suspension at least two weeks in advance. It costs around £40 to £80 depending on your borough and it is absolutely worth it. If the van has to park 100 metres down the road because no suspension was arranged, you have just added hours to your move.

In Kingston and across South West London, parking suspensions are handled through the council website. Apply early — some boroughs take longer to process than others.

 

Furniture that will not fit through the door

This happens more than most people expect. A three-seater sofa that fitted when the previous owners moved in thirty years ago does not necessarily fit through a modern doorframe, up a staircase or around a tight landing. Before moving day, measure every large piece of furniture and every doorway, hallway and staircase it needs to pass through. If something will not fit, arrange for it to be dismantled beforehand. Most professional removal crews carry tools for basic disassembly, but wardrobes with integrated tops, large modular shelving and oversized bed frames often need sorting the week before.

 

Running out of boxes halfway through packing

It always happens. You think you have ordered enough and then you are three rooms from finished with nothing left to pack into. The rule is simple: always order more than you think you need. Unused boxes can be broken flat and stored or given away. The cost of ordering an extra ten boxes is nothing compared to scrambling around the day before your move trying to find more.

 

The chain delay — keys not ready on time

You are packed, the van is loaded, you are ready to go to your new home — and the keys are not available because the chain above you has not completed. This is one of the more stressful situations in a house move and it is not always in your control. What you can control:

Ask your solicitor on the morning of completion what time they expect funds to clear. Agree with your removal company in advance what happens if there is a delay — most will accommodate a wait, but it helps to have that conversation before the day. Never book a removal for first thing in the morning if you are in a chain — mid-morning gives solicitors time to complete without you sitting outside the new property for hours.

 

Lift bookings in apartment blocks

If you are moving out of or into a flat in a managed building, the service lift almost always needs to be pre-booked with the building management or concierge. Turning up on the day without a booking means competing for lift access with other residents — or discovering the service lift requires a key nobody told you about. Book at least one week in advance and find out how long you have access to it.

 

Not reading utility meters before you leave

It takes thirty seconds and people still forget. Before you leave your old property for the last time, photograph the gas, electricity and water meters on your phone and send the readings to your utility providers that day. If there is a billing dispute later, you have clear dated proof.

 

No essentials box

Your essentials box is the one box that goes in the car with you, not in the van. It contains everything you need for the first twelve hours in the new house without unpacking anything else: kettle, tea, mugs, a couple of plates and some cutlery, phone charger, toilet roll, basic cleaning supplies, a change of clothes and any medication. Without it, you are rummaging through forty boxes at 10pm trying to find the kettle. Pack this last and label it OPEN FIRST.

 

Underestimating how long everything takes

A two-bedroom flat takes longer to empty than you think. A three-bedroom house with a loft and a garage takes much longer. If your crew quotes you six hours, add an hour in your head before committing to anything else that day. Completion times vary, lifts queue, furniture needs wrapping — it all adds up. Do not book a cleaner at the same time the van is due to arrive. Do not arrange carpet fitters at the new property until the day after at the earliest.

Moving day goes wrong when people assume everything will run on time. It usually does — but planning for the exceptions means that when something slips, you are ready for it.

If you are planning a move in Kingston, Surrey or London, call House Relocators on 020 3337 5003 or email sales@houserelocators.co.uk.