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Planning and Preparation |
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| Timing Issues: |
If you are currently renting, make sure
you give appropriate notice to the landlord in accordance with the
lease and the relevant tenancy legislation. If you are hoping to
simultaneously settle the sale of one property and the purchase of
another, make sure that your lawyer is aware of this so he or she
can advise you accordingly and appropriate steps can be taken to make it
happen. |
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| Inventory: |
Take an inventory of your possessions
and work out:
 | what you are taking with you |
| what you are not taking with you that must be either disposed
of or put into storage |
| what you are leaving behind, if anything. |
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| Logistics: |
Work out the best way to move the
possessions you are taking with you to their eventual destination.
The job will inevitably require a lot of muscle, packing materials
and one or more heavy vehicles. It's a big job best left to
the professionals. Consider the various disposal and storage
alternatives for the possessions you are not taking with you (see
below) and make sure you leave yourself enough time to get it all
done. |
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| Packing and Unpacking: |
If you can't or don't want to do all of
the packing and unpacking yourself, you can get a professional
packing service to help or do it all for you. Subject to cost
constraints, it makes a lot of sense to let the professionals do the
packing because they should have both the expertise and the packing
materials required to do the job efficiently. It makes more sense
for you to do some or all of the unpacking because you can generally do it
at your own pace and after all, only you know where all the bits and
pieces go. The most important unpacking rule is that you should
start with the important stuff. Get the perishables in the
fridge, get the bed set up and made and get the kitchen and bathroom
basics in place. Prepare a floor plan of your new home and work
out where heavy items like furniture should go. Give a copy to
the removalist to minimize the amount of heavy lifting and moving
you need to do later. |
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| Moving Guarantees and Insurance: |
Packing, moving and unpacking your
possessions exposes you to the risk of damage or loss. Some
risks may be covered by guarantees from the removalist, for example
regarding breakages. Others may be covered by insurance.
Check your existing home contents policy to determine the
extent of your insurance cover and be aware that the removalist may
exclude liability for breakages where you do the packing or
unpacking. |
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| Quotations: |
Get quotes and copies of the
documentation from a couple of reputable removalists. If you
know someone who has moved recently, see if they are prepared to
recommend someone to you. You can also contact the
Australian Furniture Removers
Association and ask for a list of qualified removal companies in
your area. Make
sure all quotes are provided obligation free and ask:
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how they
pack delicate items like glassware, hanging clothes and paintings
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how they label boxes and other
items
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whether they provide a guarantee against breakages
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whether they offer or can arrange any moving insurance cover that you may
require.
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If you
are doing some of the packing or unpacking yourself, also ask if
they can supply packing materials and boxes, and check the
arrangements for collection of the boxes after the move.
Review the quotes and documentation, taking into account any
exclusions of liability, guarantees against breakages and insurance cover (including
the level of any excess) and whether
GST and the cost of insurance, boxes, packing materials etc. is included in
the quote.
Select and book the preferred removalist well in advance. |
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| What Not To Forget: |
Anything that's out of sight may
be out of mind, particularly if it's been tucked away for a while.
Consider whether anything you have lent, hidden, put into storage or
safekeeping or put in for repair needs to be collected or
relocated. In some cases it will depend on how far away you
are moving, but the following are some examples:
| cash or other valuables buried in the backyard or hidden in
the toilet cistern |
| bits and pieces stored in the attic and under the house |
| wills and other important legal documents held by your lawyer
or accountant |
| documents and other valuables stored in a bank deposit box |
| medical, dental, immunisation and hospital records |
| books or other items you may have lent to friends |
| electrical equipment, watches or clothes in for repairs |
| dry cleaning. |
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| What Not To Take: |
Return rented videos and library books and leave behind anything that
is of little or no use to you but could be important to the new
owner or occupant such as:
| all the keys you scattered around your relatives, the
neighbours and the garden |
| the remote control for the garage door |
| the documentation for fixtures like the air conditioning unit,
water heater, pool filter, garage door etc. |
| spare tiles and paint. |
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| Pets: |
Removalists generally do not transport
pets so you will have to make alternative travel arrangements.
Pets should be kept out of the way during packing and unpacking and
special care may have to be taken to settle them in to their new
surroundings. |
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Surplus Stuff |
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Sell It: |
Depending on the item, consider online
auctions (e.g. eBay), traditional auctions, online classified
advertising (e.g. tradingpost.com.au),
traditional classified advertising, second hand shops, local markets
and garage sales. |
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Family and Friends: |
Do you have family or friends that would be happy to use or store
some of your surplus stuff under appropriate conditions? Make
sure all parties to the arrangement understand their respective
obligations and responsibilities if the goods are lost, stolen,
damaged or simply wear out. If you are not entirely
comfortable with a handshake or oral agreement, set out the terms in
writing to minimize the risk of problems or arguments later.
Check your respective home contents insurance policies to see if the goods are in
fact covered under either policy. |
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Storage: |
Storage facilities seem to be springing
up all over the place. Choose one close to your new home,
particularly if you are likely to be visiting it regularly.
Make sure the space is clean and dry and that the facility has
adequate security and fire protection measures in place. Don't
forget insurance. Items in storage are unlikely to be covered
by your home contents policy. The proprietor of the storage
facility may be able to offer or arrange appropriate cover. |
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Give It Away: |
Family and friends may be happy to take
some of your surplus stuff off your hands permanently and it may be appropriate
to donate other items to charity (e.g.
The Smith Family or
The Salvation
Army). |
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Toss It Out: |
Make sure you dispose of your rubbish
thoughtfully, safely and efficiently. Depending on the item,
the following disposal methods may be appropriate:
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regular garbage service
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periodical Council clean ups
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the local tip
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hire a mini-skip.
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Check with the relevant authority
or service provider to establish exactly what rubbish they will
and wont take. There are strict rules about who will accept
what and some items may need to be prepared first. For
example, old fridges may need to have the doors removed for safety
reasons and old tins of paint may need to be opened and allowed to
thoroughly dry out. Pesticides and other chemicals should be
disposed of only in accordance with the manufacturers instructions
to avoid polluting our waterways.
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Council Rates and Utilities |
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Council and Water Rates: |
If you are buying or selling a freehold
property your lawyer will generally ensure that the relevant Council
is notified of the change of ownership. Check with your lawyer
that this is the case. An adjustment will usually be made at
settlement to reflect any prepayments or arrears. The same
arrangements may apply to water rates, so again check with your
lawyer. If you are renting, Council and water rates are
generally the responsibility of the landlord. |
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Utilities: |
Contact your electricity, gas and
telephone providers to have the
services disconnected and advise your new address. They
usually require up to 5 business days notice in advance. Someone may
come out to read the relevant meters or you may be
asked to take the readings yourself and advise the result over the
telephone. Final accounts will usually be sent to your new
address or settled over the phone by credit card. Arrange to have the
required services connected to your new home. Again, they
usually require up to 5 business days notice in advance. In
some cases you may have a choice of service providers to choose
from, so shop around.
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Mobile Telephone: |
Notify your service provider of your new
address for billing purposes and confirm whether the service extends to
the area where you are moving. |
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Internet Service Provider: |
Check whether you will be able to
access your existing Internet Service Provider ("ISP") from your new address
for the cost of a local call. If you can't, check the terms of
your current agreement regarding termination and start looking
around for a new ISP. A penalty may be payable if you
terminate the contract part way through an agreed fixed term. |
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Cable and Satellite TV: |
Check the terms of your current
agreement regarding termination. A penalty may be payable if
you terminate the contract part way through an agreed fixed term.
Consider having cable or satellite TV connected to your new home.
Here are links to Austar and
Foxtel. |
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Mail |
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| Monitor Your Mail: |
Keep tabs on your incoming mail for up
to a year before you move and jot down the names of everyone that
sends you something. You will then know who to notify when you
do move. Many organizations include "Change of Address" forms
when they send mail or publications to regular customers or clients.
Collect them and send them out when you do move. |
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| Mail Redirection: |
Australia Post
offers a
Mail Redirection service.
Be sure to notify everyone that keeps sending things to your old
address. If important items are still being sent to your old
address when the redirection period is close to expiring, consider
extending it. |
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Home
and Contents Insurance |
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Contents Insurance: |
You can either take out a new contents
policy or arrange to have your existing policy transferred to your
new address. If you are moving to a smaller home and disposing
of some of your possessions, consider whether the level of cover
should be reduced accordingly. |
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Home Insurance: |
You generally only need to take out
your own home insurance policy if you directly own a non-strata
title freehold property. In most retirement villages
you will not therefore need your own policy, the main exception being
a community title village where your home is on a separate community
title. In lease, license, strata title, company title and unit
trust villages, the village owner or the relevant owners corporation,
company or trustee will usually be responsible for insuring the
village structures, including your home. |
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| Refunds: |
If any of your current insurance
policies become redundant when you move, terminate them and apply
for a pro-rata refund of the premiums you paid. |
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Spread the Word |
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The list of other people and organizations that you
should or may have to notify is long and will vary from person to
person. The following is a comprehensive but non-exhaustive guide. |
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| Family and Friends: |
You can do it by conventional mail,
e-mail, e-cards, telephone, carrier pigeon or any other way you can
think of. |
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| Forwarding Address: |
Leave a forwarding address and
telephone number with the new owner or occupant so they can pass
them on to all the people you forget to tell. |
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| Newspaper Delivery: |
Cancel your newspaper delivery and
settle your account. Enquire at your new
local newsagency about newspaper deliveries. |
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| Car: |
| Registration |
| Drivers license |
| Compulsory third party insurance |
| Comprehensive insurance |
| Motoring associations ( NSW,
QLD,
VIC) |
If you are moving interstate you will need to investigate the
registration and licensing requirements in the new jurisdiction and
you should consider joining the appropriate motoring organization. |
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| Health: |
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| Leisure: |
| Associations |
| Clubs |
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| Professionals: |
| Employer |
| Accountant |
| Lawyer |
| Broker |
| Financial planner |
| Fund manager |
| Superannuation manager |
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| Securities: |
If you own shares, property trust units
or other registered securities you should advise:
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for issuer sponsored or
certificated holdings - the registry of the issuer
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for CHESS holdings - your
controlling broker or non-broking participant.
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The
Securities Registrars Association
of Australia Inc. has more information
here.
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| Other Finance and Investments: |
| Bank, building society or credit union accounts |
| Credit cards |
| Department store cards |
| Hire purchase companies |
| Life insurance |
| Other creditors |
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| ATO: |
The Australian Taxation Office must be
notified of your change of address. You can do it by telephone
or mail and can find instructions and contact details
here. |
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| Electoral Rolls: |
When you change your address you may
need to complete a new Electoral Enrolment Form and send it to the
Australian Electoral Commission.
You can download and print the appropriate form
here. |
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| Seniors Card: |
If you are a Seniors Card member or
holder and you are moving interstate you may
want to apply for a new card to ensure that you are entitled to
receive all available benefits. Here are links to the various
websites:
ACT, NSW,
NT,
QLD,
SA,
TAS,
VIC,
WA |
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| Social Security: |
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| Companies and Businesses: |
If you are a director, secretary or public officer
of a company or the home you are moving from is the registered
office or principal place of business of a company, contact your
accountant or the
Australian Securities and Investments Commission regarding
notification of your change of address. Similarly,
if you are the proprietor of a registered business name and the home
you are moving from is the principal place of business, contact your
accountant or the relevant State authority regarding notification of
your change of address. |
