Moving into a new home! *update on last page*

Marisco

Outer_Limits wrote: »

And somewhere to sit! Good idea to check sizes before choosing - also will it fit going up the stairs and through the door?

Congrats on your new home The above is an excellent point, we helped oh's daughter move into her first flat recently, and bought her a lovely cream leather sofa and chair from a charity shop. When it came, we could only get the chair in, and that was after taking off 2 doors!!!:( We ended up buying her a couple of bean bags, mind they are comfy!:D

We live in a one bed flat, and our dual fuel is £58pm, we get discount for dual fuel and doing it all (bills etc) online. Also some councils will allow you to pay by DD over 12 months, so it's worth asking. TV can also be paid monthly by DD as can the water. I've got all my DD's and SO's to come out on the same date, (1st of the month) so I know what's left (or not!!:D) is mine. And don't forget waste bins and bin bags!!:)

[Deleted User]

Congratulations !!! It's a fantastic feeling isn't it ??

I can't improve much on what everyone-else has said, really, except to support the idea of your not rushing in and buying lots of stuff. Take it, literally, one day at a time and get things as you find you need them.

One thing i would recommend - buy yourself a stout notebook, that you can carry around with you at all times. In it put the measurements of your WHOLE FLAT - every room; every window, etc. Then - if you're out and see a real bargain, you don't have to go through the "will it fit?" and risk either missing something good or wasting money. You'll know instantly.

Also, of course you can use the same notebook to write down anything that occurs to you that you need, as you go along.

Oh yes - and don't ignore charity shops. Some people throw really nice things out just because they're changing the colour of a room. I've got some really good stoneware crockery I bought for a couple of pounds in one. My latest bargain is a pair of good quality cream curtains for £5.

Good luck. Enjoy it !

LadyMorticia

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

In a new build, you need to make sure the property exists on databases - it needs a postcode, for a start - check the Royal Mail website.

I've been checking and it doesn't so far, but I'm not sure if that's because the homes haven't finished being built yet. They do have a road name and a postcode though so might email Royal Mail just to check.

You will need a water rates account - go to the relevant company online and notify them.

You will need electric and gas accounts - contact them with the meter numbers and there could well already be a reading, as electricity would have been used in the process of building.

Thank you. Just a case of finding the best and most affordable supplier.

You will need;

Curtains/curtain poles or blinds. Privacy and warmth.

Flooring/carpeting (unless it's already included). A couple of rugs would be useful if you have hard flooring.

Lampshades.


Is there an oven and hob in there? They tend to be 'gifted' in new builds.

I'm not sure about an oven and hob yet as we haven't had a look at the property yet. I'm hoping they are "gifted" though as that would be one less thing to buy.

Pots, pans, cutlery and crockery. A halfway decent set of kitchen knives, a chopping board and sharp scissors. Good quality knives use less effort than bad ones. Will you be cooking veggies from scratch? If so, a good peeler will help.

A seat for the kitchen would be good, as you can sit down if you feel tired/weak/dizzy.

A mixing bowl or two.

Mugs and glasses.

A kettle, toaster and microwave.

Thank you.

I don't do any cooking because I get really foggy and my concentration wanes and I forget that I'm doing things, or I fall asleep in the middle and things start to get a bit dangerous.:o

Washing machine/drier (much less effort if you can fit one in than having to wait for DH to hang it out)

I really want a drier. I don't think the development has any garden for the flats or a courtyard so I don't think there would be the opportunity to hang it outside.

A table & chairs to eat at is nice, but not essential.

I think DH really wants a table so it can double up as a Warhammer board.:rotfl:

A fridge/freezer. The freezer bit will be really useful for when you don't feel well enough to faff around with shopping or cooking.

A cutlery organiser. Trust me, you won't want to be scrabbling around in a drawer for a teaspoon for long.


Washing up bowl.
Packet of washing sponges.
Washing up liquid.
Teatowels.

Ariel/Bold/whatever.
Clothes airer/washing line/linen bin/washing basket
Iron/ironing board (optional )

Loo cleaner. Your choice whether bleach or disinfectant or limescale remover.
Appropriate (ie, not dangerous if accidentally mixed with ^^^) bathroom/kitchen cleaner.
Polish, cloths and glass cleaner are optional. But it makes cleaning the bathroom mirror easier to use a cleaner (or white vinegar and water) - use newspaper or kitchen towel to polish off.

Two sets of plastic gloves - one for bathroom/loo/dirty jobs and one for washing up.
Vacuum cleaner. A lightweight one - and upright may be easier for you (no bending)
Lightweight broom.
Dustpan and brush on long handles.

Wastepaper basket in each room.
Kitchen bin (unless they've already fitted one in the cupboard)


Somewhere to cuddle up and watch telly with DH. He can sit on his amp if necessary when you aren't actively cuddling up!

A coffee table would be good, as there's less bending to pick up the remote/tea/whatever.

You might need to get an aerial fitted to watch telly, as they may have just run the cabling - but as they are flats, it's likely they have put an aerial up.

Something to sleep in.

Something to put your clothes in.

Towels.


A notepad and pencil for all the little things you notice and think 'I need that' or 'they need to come and fix that'.


You might need a stool for the shower/seat for the bath, grips to help turn the taps or oven controls.


I would also suggest a couple of extra fleecy blankets on the sofa, as you don't know how cold you are going to feel yet. But modern places are very warm.

A box file for storing everything to do with the flat and your finances.

A small toolkit - screwdrivers, pliers, tweezers, torch.
A small firstaid kit.

Sam!!!!!!!!!!



Don't think I've missed anything vital.


Did it all last year, so these are the things I remember most.[/QUOTE]

Thank you so much JoJo.

I'm going to copy and paste the list into a Word document with everyone else's responses too in a minute. Just so I don't forget everything.:)

LadyMorticia

Marisco wrote: »

Congrats on your new home The above is an excellent point, we helped oh's daughter move into her first flat recently, and bought her a lovely cream leather sofa and chair from a charity shop. When it came, we could only get the chair in, and that was after taking off 2 doors!!!:( We ended up buying her a couple of bean bags, mind they are comfy!:D

We live in a one bed flat, and our dual fuel is £58pm, we get discount for dual fuel and doing it all (bills etc) online. Also some councils will allow you to pay by DD over 12 months, so it's worth asking. TV can also be paid monthly by DD as can the water. I've got all my DD's and SO's to come out on the same date, (1st of the month) so I know what's left (or not!!:D) is mine. And don't forget waste bins and bin bags!!:)

Thank you.

We really want beanbags (well, DH more than me. ). My only problem is them being so low down that I won't be able to get up from them.:rotfl:

I like the idea of having them all the same date. Would make things easier.

I don't think we use that much fuel. As I said in a previous post, it's mainly DH's amps when he's practicing.:p

Although, I think we use more gas because I'm really sensitive to the cold and can never get warm enough.

Corona wrote: »

Congratulations !!! It's a fantastic feeling isn't it ??

I can't improve much on what everyone-else has said, really, except to support the idea of your not rushing in and buying lots of stuff. Take it, literally, one day at a time and get things as you find you need them.

One thing i would recommend - buy yourself a stout notebook, that you can carry around with you at all times. In it put the measurements of your WHOLE FLAT - every room; every window, etc. Then - if you're out and see a real bargain, you don't have to go through the "will it fit?" and risk either missing something good or wasting money. You'll know instantly.

Also, of course you can use the same notebook to write down anything that occurs to you that you need, as you go along.

Oh yes - and don't ignore charity shops. Some people throw really nice things out just because they're changing the colour of a room. I've got some really good stoneware crockery I bought for a couple of pounds in one. My latest bargain is a pair of good quality cream curtains for £5.

Good luck. Enjoy it !

It is.

Thank you.

All very good hints and tips. (although, DH never lets me drag him into charity shops ).

zzzLazyDaisy

Apologies if this has already been said - but you mentioned income support, so do get your claim in for council tax benefit and housing benefit on day one. It is easy to overlook this in the first days of moving, but often they won't back date. Either take it in by hand and get a receipt, or send it by special delivery (costs about £4) then you can print off the name and signature of the person who signed for it. And keep copies in case they lose your application (I have experience of this when helping friends and almost without fail, some piece of paper goes missing).

LadyMorticia

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

Apologies if this has already been said - but you mentioned income support, so do get your claim in for council tax benefit and housing benefit on day one. It is easy to overlook this in the first days of moving, but often they won't back date. Either take it in by hand and get a receipt, or send it by special delivery (costs about £4) then you can print off the name and signature of the person who signed for it. And keep copies in case they lose your application (I have experience of this when helping friends and almost without fail, some piece of paper goes missing).

Thanks hun.

Already thinking about HB and CTB. I have the same worry with the Income Support thing, in that if the postcode isn't recognised then I might not receive any important letters, and don't know if the in-laws could act as a "go between" address..:think:

I'm going to apply as soon as I get the Tenancy agreement. I know that HB used to be able to be paid to Landlords but apparently now it's paid to the tenant? I'd rather have it paid directly to the Landlord as that would cause less stress for me in the long-term.

Deep_In_Debt

LadyMorticia wrote: »

Thank you.

The property is a new build and we'll be the first owners so not sure if the meters will already have readings?



How high is high?

I used to pay TV license on a DD every month, just because I found it easier that way but I'm not sure if you can still do that.:o

R.e. Broadband. We live in an area that has a really low max speed, but we already know which company we're NOT going with because the in-laws have had nothing but trouble with them.:o

You should still do readings for a new build. I bought a new build 20 years ago (and still here!) and the builders/contractors had been using the electricity so worth doing a reading.

zzzLazyDaisy

LadyMorticia wrote: »

I'm going to apply as soon as I get the Tenancy agreement. I know that HB used to be able to be paid to Landlords but apparently now it's paid to the tenant? I'd rather have it paid directly to the Landlord as that would cause less stress for me in the long-term.

I don't know about HB (which is for social housing such a council or housing association). Certainly LHA (for private rented) must be paid direct to the tenant unless they are 2 months in arrears or they are vulnerable in some way which means they are less able to manage their financial affairs. It is worth speaking to the local authority about it, but if this also applies to social housing, then all I can suggest is that you perhaps pay the HB into a separate bank account with a standing order going out a few days later. The problem is often that HB is paid 4 weekly, but rent is paid monthly. Over time it works out, because at some point you get two HB days within the same rent month. If you leave the money there, you will then have a 'float' to ensure that there is always enough money to cover the rent. But in the early days you may need to make up the shortfall (unless your HA rent is also 4 weekly)

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Income Support is sorted by just writing to them advising of the change of address with the date it took effect from.

HB can be still paid to HAs - there's a bunch of supporting documentation you'll need for the HB/CTB claim - IS award letter, bank statements, the rental agreement and probably your passports - get Sam to take them all in and get the council offices to take the copies so that there's no chance of them going astray. You can claim as soon as you sign on the dotted line.

My HA demanded a weeks' full rent in advance, so I 'didn't have the HB put me into arrears'. Didn't stop the HB making a mistake or 3, but hey-ho. They didn't get it - I was still paying rent on my previous place, plus having to fund the removals and other things. I eventually got it to them through paying a fiver a week. They charged weekly, but the council paid 4 weekly on different weeks, so the account is in credit for 2 weeks and in debt for 2 weeks (roughly) every month. Means the 3 monthly statement, raised every 90 days :huh: can look scary, but it's their problem, not mine. They are getting every penny they are due, so I am unconcerned.



Regarding the Community Care Grant - put everything down, carpets, underlay, fitting and all. If they won't pay for it with you explaining you need it for warmth and cushioning for a fall, then you have lost nothing by asking. But if you don't include it, they can't even consider it. List everything you need and they sort out what they can or can't help with.

Duplicate your list for a Social Fund loan if you can afford a small repayment out of your IS each week to pay it back. Apply for both at the same time and it makes it easier for them to deal with it.




And take it easy!!!! You can, because you are in the PIL's house, wait until the carpet is fitted and curtains put up, move things over slowly and actually stroll in when everything is done, right down to the bed being made and the kettle on. Take advantage of that to make it as stress free a move as possible.


You will be fine - moving consists of

Services
Finances
Having essential stuff
Getting essential stuff in there
Getting yourself in there
Drinking tea

Dealing with doctor/hospital/clinics/blue badge issuing department/OT/car insurance as you get round to them.

Drinking more tea.

Did I mention you might need some tea?

LadyMorticia

zzzLazyDaisy wrote: »

I don't know about HB (which is for social housing such a council or housing association). Certainly LHA (for private rented) must be paid direct to the tenant unless they are 2 months in arrears or they are vulnerable in some way which means they are less able to manage their financial affairs. It is worth speaking to the local authority about it, but if this also applies to social housing, then all I can suggest is that you perhaps pay the HB into a separate bank account with a standing order going out a few days later. The problem is often that HB is paid 4 weekly, but rent is paid monthly. Over time it works out, because at some point you get two HB days within the same rent month. If you leave the money there, you will then have a 'float' to ensure that there is always enough money to cover the rent. But in the early days you may need to make up the shortfall (unless your HA rent is also 4 weekly)

It's a HA that we're renting from. Apparently they're a really good one. The OT I saw for my BB said that they are one of the best (he also said that once we've moved to get an OT assessment done of the flat for adaptions).

I've claimed HB before when I lived on my own back in Cambs but I had various support workers helping me with things and they took over as I was deemed vulnerable so I've never had to do it myself before.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted wrote: »

Income Support is sorted by just writing to them advising of the change of address with the date it took effect from.

Thank you. When I changed my address from my old home to here, I had to fill in a review form thingy, which is why I was worrying about not getting any important post.

HB can be still paid to HAs - there's a bunch of supporting documentation you'll need for the HB/CTB claim - IS award letter, bank statements, the rental agreement and probably your passports - get Sam to take them all in and get the council offices to take the copies so that there's no chance of them going astray. You can claim as soon as you sign on the dotted line.

Thank you. I'm going to get everything together asap so that I don't have to worry too much when it comes to making the claim. I'm so ill at the moment that the last thing I want is to get stressed and then feel loads worse.

My HA demanded a weeks' full rent in advance, so I 'didn't have the HB put me into arrears'. Didn't stop the HB making a mistake or 3, but hey-ho. They didn't get it - I was still paying rent on my previous place, plus having to fund the removals and other things. I eventually got it to them through paying a fiver a week. They charged weekly, but the council paid 4 weekly on different weeks, so the account is in credit for 2 weeks and in debt for 2 weeks (roughly) every month. Means the 3 monthly statement, raised every 90 days :huh: can look scary, but it's their problem, not mine. They are getting every penny they are due, so I am unconcerned.

I'm trying to get "back-up" money together, just incase I need to pay for rent until things are sorted.
I remember with HB before that it took a while to sort out so I got letters saying I was in arrears but then it was back-dated to the date of the claim so that sorted the arrears out.

Regarding the Community Care Grant - put everything down, carpets, underlay, fitting and all. If they won't pay for it with you explaining you need it for warmth and cushioning for a fall, then you have lost nothing by asking. But if you don't include it, they can't even consider it. List everything you need and they sort out what they can or can't help with.

Duplicate your list for a Social Fund loan if you can afford a small repayment out of your IS each week to pay it back. Apply for both at the same time and it makes it easier for them to deal with it.

What kind of things can you apply to the social fund for?

And take it easy!!!! You can, because you are in the PIL's house, wait until the carpet is fitted and curtains put up, move things over slowly and actually stroll in when everything is done, right down to the bed being made and the kettle on. Take advantage of that to make it as stress free a move as possible.

Thank you. I don't want to over-do things and feel alot worse. I know moving is stressful so I'm trying to take things easy for the time being (not easy when I have so many appointments to attend ).

You will be fine - moving consists of

Services
Finances
Having essential stuff
Getting essential stuff in there
Getting yourself in there
Drinking tea

Dealing with doctor/hospital/clinics/blue badge issuing department/OT/car insurance as you get round to them.

Drinking more tea.

Did I mention you might need some tea?

Lots of tea! Yaaaay.