Self Storage Gisborne moving checklist

5 - 4 weeks before moving:

• Ring us and book a storage unit for your household items
• Arrange a furniture removal company or hire of a truck or trailer.
• Contact your current insurance company and organise the transfer or modification of policies.
  If renting, give your landlord written notice.
• All the items you do not want to move sell at a garage sale, give away to charity, or throw out what needs to be thrown out. In this context pay attention also to any inflammables such as paint, turpentine, and the like as these are not allowed to be stored and/or transported by moving companies.
• Now is the time to start your packing. Items that aren't used often (e.g. stored in your garage / at the back of cupboard) should be the first to be packed.
• Identify contents of each box and state the location where it is to go (kitchen, master bedroom, office, garage). Store packed boxes accordingly to make sorting out and loading on moving day easy.
• Set a date for your garage sale and arrange necessary advertisements and announcements for this garage sale with the papers.

Notify change of address:

• Newspapers, magazines, clubs and associations
• Banks
• Doctors
• Department of Transport (Driver's Licence)
• Start to use up your frozen food from the deep freezer and try not to add any more.

4 - 3 weeks before moving:

• Arrange to have your lawnmower, weed eater etc. serviced for moving in order to avoid any damage due to possible leakage and/or fire during the move.
• Have any oil or fuel drained (pay attention to the rules and requirements of the self storage company and the moving company).
• Plan your actions for moving day. If travel is involved, prepare travel route, stops, accommodation, etc, and make bookings accordingly.
• Confirm your moving schedule with real estate agent/landlord/vendor/lawyer. Arrange interim housing if necessary.

3 - 2 weeks before moving:

• Ensure all relatives and friends have been notified of your new address.
• Have your mail forwarded to new address from the post office from moving day onwards.
• Make plans for spending your last night - where you will stay, whether and how you will celebrate/say your last good-byes, etc.

2 - 1 weeks before moving:

• Collect all your items from the dry-cleaners, take back your books to the library, give borrowed items back to their owners (neighbours, friends, relatives, ...).
• Settle any outstanding bills. 
• If appropriate, transfer or close your current bank accounts. 
• Make sure your rubbish is collected before you are moving from the old address.

1 week before moving:

• See us at the storage facility, fill out the contract and have storage all organized.
• Arrange to have sufficient cash or cheques ready to cover the move and all auxiliary costs.
• Make a plan to use any remaining food in your refrigerator over the last days in your old home. 
• Plan for any special needs (of children/pets/sick people, ...) prior to, during and after the move. Have some medication handy (band aid, pain killers, ...). 
• Pack a kind of emergency box with some tea bags or other drinks, cookies, snack food, mugs, can opener, glasses, towel, soap, screw driver, ...) 
• If you want to take down your TV antenna, arrange for having it disconnected before moving. 
• Consider having your children or pets supervised by other people on moving day and make arrangements accordingly. 

3 days and less to moving day:

• Pack your personal luggage. Carry jewellery and valuable documents yourself. 
• Defrost and clean deep freezer/refrigerator. Empty water from washing machine, dish washer, garden hose.
• Keep separate your cleaning equipment for final cleaning of your old home and preparatory cleaning of your new home. (Moving companies are not allowed to transport any inflammables and storage companies do not store them either). Check with companies' policies.  

Stop Supplies:

• Ring power company to have the meter read (allow 2 working days).
• Have gas meter read.
• Arrange disconnection or transferral of phone.
• Stop delivery of milk, bread and newspapers and maybe other services.

1 day before moving day:

• Inspect your home from top to bottom, yards, attic, garage - any spot you can think of. Check cupboards, drawers and possibly secret storage areas for belongings that may have been left behind so far.
• Pay attention also to the areas around the house in order not to leave anything behind you would not like to miss (statues, urns, water features, pots, rocks, ...) if not sold with the house. 
   Empty water bed. Allow plenty of time to drain. May take several hours to be ready for transport.
• Water the pot plants you want to move and when dried sufficiently put them into boxes tightly so that they support each other. Each small plant with pot can be rolled in a type of newspaper tube to keep them separate. 
• Make sure that items you need first at your destination are marked "load last" so that they are unloaded immediately. 

Moving Day:

• Spend the time at the old house. Don't leave until the movers have gone. Oversee the inventory with the moving company. 
• Check that the phone has been disconnected, the gas & power meters read. Turn off all switches. Lock all windows and doors.
• Hand keys to landlord/real estate agent/lawyer.
• Meet removal men at the self storage facility and/or new address and supervise the unloading.
• Have a stiff whisky and celebrate the successful move.