Moving home can be a chaotic experience. On top of packing up all your belongings and finding a new place to live, there’s the added pressure of getting your bond back. Your ‘to do’ list never seems to stop growing, and trying to arrange your entire life into a couple of boxes is a lot harder than it sounds. But don’t despair; there are ways to make moving home less painful for everyone involved. The most effective method for taking the stress out of moving is to prepare for the event well in advance. Here are three things that should be done before leaving your home.

1. Clean Like You Mean It

It might sound obvious, but thoroughly cleaning your property before vacating is essential to getting your bond back in its entirety. Despite being clearly stated as an official violation in the majority of lease agreements, it’s not uncommon for rental properties to be abandoned in a state of utter disrepair. Landlords are left to clean up the mess, and tenants are obligated to pick up the bill. The entire point of bond money is to act as insurance to protect homeowners, and not cleaning your property is the fastest way to add unnecessary stress to the moving process. Rather than waste your bond money, start cleaning like you’ve never cleaned before. If you think you’re not up to task of cleaning an entire house, you should contemplate hiring the services of a cleaning company, such as Absolute Domestics, which can provide a team of experienced professionals to get your house looking spotless.

2. Make a Budget

There can be unexpected costs involved with moving house. For example, some removalists charge by the hour and transporting your possessions from one house to another may take longer than you realise. Always allow plenty of time for your removalists to get the job done. Even if you end up overestimating, having money to spare is always better than not having enough. Save cash by using old, recycled boxes rather than spending money on new ones, and scrunch up old newspapers to wrap up fragile items instead of purchasing bubble wrap. By planning ahead and creating a realistic budget, you should be able to avoid any unforeseen expenses.

3. Pack Smart

Don’t wait until the day before your lease ends to start packing. Begin by doing an inventory of your belongings and either throw away or give to charity anything you no longer need. Whether it’s clothing, electronics or even furniture, don’t bother taking anything you won’t miss. Lightening the load before you leave your house will make moving much less stressful. Try to be as organised as possible when packing up the house; label all your boxes to ensure nothing gets lost and implement some sort of system to keep track of everything once it’s safely in your new home. Be sure to use lots of protective wrapping for fragile items and check whether you insurance covers moving damage, just in case.

Moving house doesn’t have to stressful. Before you know it, you’ll be settled in your new home. Do you have any tips on what to do before leaving a house? Comment below with your advice or experiences.