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Moving into a Bristol Property Soon??

Appfolio Websites • Jul 05, 2016

Are you moving to one of our beautiful properties soon? Forrent.com has some great reminders!!

When you’re moving into a new place, you’re going to be in a state of chaos for a while. Between signing the lease and moving in your very last box, there’s plenty you need to take care of during this stressful time. To help ease the process of moving, we’ve created this checklist to help you out. From setting up Internet to decluttering, here’s a list of what you’ll need to take care of before, during and after your move.

Set Up Services – UTILITIES

Before you move in or shortly after you’ve moved in, you’ll want to set up utilities, Oz Moving and Storage Social Media Coordinator T.J. Peterson advises. After all, even if your apartment has electricity when you arrive, if you don’t switch it over to your name, it might be shut off when you’re unpacking. It can also take an Internet service provider a few days to get you a router and start service. Be sure to get the name of the electricity company from your property manager. Besides electricity, you may also have to put in your name water, Internet or any other providers that aren’t already set up.

If you can, it may help to stay with your current Internet, phone and cable company.

“These companies spend heavily on attracting new customers, but a little-known secret: They will spend even more to keep you. You can also save by combining services such as TV, Internet and phone,” says Wes Taft, co-founder of moveCHECK , a free mobile app that helps people throughout every stage of the moving process.

Complete a Change of Address Form With USPS

One of the biggest tasks before the move? Updating your address. You’ll want to start with the post office. You can either fill out a form at your local post office or complete a change of address online.

The post office will forward just about everything, with the exception of catalogs , to your new address. So take care of that one first. Peterson says you should also change your address everywhere else, including at your bank, any schools, medical providers, insurance providers (automobile), credit cards, voter registrations, mail subscriptions (magazines and newspapers), the IRS, the DMV, your place of work, Amazon account and anything else you can think of.

If you have it, be sure to update the address on your renter’s insurance pronto. If you don’t and something goes wrong in your new place, it might not be covered even if you’ve been paying for it.

Check to Ensure Everything in Your New Home Works

Be sure to conduct a thorough walk-through of your new home. Check that everything, including faucets, toilets, utilities, smoke detectors, the air conditioner and water heater, is in good working condition. Make sure water is running (including hot water), appliances are working, etc. Be sure to check for outside outlets too. You don’t want to move out and have the property management company charge you for appliances that were broken to begin with.

Photograph Your New Place

Chances are high that you’ll do a walk-through with either a broker or a property manager. During this time, he or she should mark any items in your apartment that are either broken or old on some sort of checklist form. After that, you’ll want to photograph the apartment closely to ensure you aren’t charged for damage you didn’t cause. If you notice something amiss after you move in (maybe a cracked floor tile), be sure to let the property manager know so he or she can take note of it or have it repaired.

Don’t Leave Anything Behind in Your Former Home

Check every nook and cranny of your old home before you move, advises Nancy Zafrani, general manager of Oz Moving & Storage. Your property manager may charge you to remove any items left behind. Unless you have an agreement with your property manager, don’t leave furniture behind either.

Go Through Your Belongings

You don’t want to pay a mover to relocate an item you really don’t want. Taft advises going room by room and organizing everything into three piles: keep, donate and discard. You can donate gently used goods to Goodwill or consign items that are in good shape that others might want. And some charitable organizations will pick up certain goods for you if you schedule a pick-up.

Move Your Pets

If you’ll be moving with pets, you’ll have to take extra steps to ensure they are OK during the transition.

“Before moving out of state, make sure your pet has a well-fitted collar with updated contact information , choose a travel kennel and get a health certificate from the vet. Make sure that your pet has enough food, water and treats for the journey,” says Taft. “Consider bringing along a favorite toy, blanket or pet bed. On the day of the move, make sure that your pet has a safe place to stay out of the way of movers. Once you arrive in the new place, check all rooms in the new house to make sure that there is nothing that could harm your pet. Take your pet on a few walks around the neighborhood so that they learn their way home in case of getting lost.”

If you feel comfortable, you can hire a service to help transport your pet. You’ll also want to register your pet with the county you’ll be residing in so if your pet gets picked up by the county animal catcher, it can be returned to you. You might want to consider having your pet microchipped, which gives vets the ability to “scan” your pet and track you down.

Check out these  tips about moving on a budget , and find advice on easing your transition to a new community.

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