Moving into new apartments can be a daunting task for anybody, but with a little planning and some help it doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. Whether you plan on moving yourself or hiring professional movers, there is a lot that can go wrong without the proper planning for your move into any new apartments.
Below, we offer five great tips that we have compiled to help you reduce the stress from moving into your new apartments.
1. Get photo friendly.
Make sure to take pictures of your old apartments to document any damage or problems. This is to make sure the apartment rentals office doesn’t over charge you for any damages.
Before you begin to unload any boxes into your new apartments, take photos of every room and any scuffs, scratches, holes or any problems that are seen within the apartments. Not only will this help you avoid paying for damages that were already present in your new apartments, but this will also help you find anything that requires the apartment rentals office maintenance team to fix in your new apartments.
2. Make a list (and actually check it twice).
With so many things to be done in the new and old apartments during the weeks leading up to the move as well as moving day, making yourself a checklist can provide you with much needed organization. This organization can help reduce the chaos of packing, unpacking and moving into new apartments drastically. Your checklist can include things like what you want to sell, the things you plan on donating, what items are too fragile to be moved in a moving van, making sure all your utilities will be turned off at the old apartments and what needs to be turned on for the new apartments. Basically make it a list of anything you don’t want to forget when moving into your new apartments.
3. Mark it up.
This may seem like a simple step, but many overlook the importance of labeling packed boxes. Don’t just make general labels like bedroom, dining room or kitchen, but also get specific so moving into and out of your apartments can go smoother. For example, you can label boxes similar to this: “Living Room: DVDs and CDs”; “Kitchen: pots, pans and cookware”; “Bathroom: hair care and vanity items, etc.” This can provide you with easy unloading when bringing boxes into your new apartments.
4. Don’t forget the address change!
When you find out your new address at the new apartments, the first thing you should take care of is a change of address. This can be done through the Post Office or in the apartment rentals office of your old apartments. As soon as you sign your new lease, the apartments rentals office at the new apartments should provide you with your new address. This is a crucial step in the moving process because your bills and other important mail can’t be forwarded or sent to your new address until the old apartments rental office and the US Postal Service both have your address at the new apartments.
5. Ask for help.
Deciding whether to “do it yourself” or use another self-service moving company, borrowing a friend’s truck or hiring a professional moving company can make all the difference in moving into new apartments. While hiring movers can take off some of the pressures of loading and unloading boxes from the apartments, it is also much more costly. Or you may have friends or family that are willing to help you move into the new apartments. (Just remember to reward them in some way like taking them to dinner afterwards!) This is all about your personal preference. But, if you hire movers or do it yourself, make sure that you have a parking space reserved for the moving van beforehand. Those arrangements can be made through the apartment rentals office of both the old and new apartments.
Hopefully this will help decrease the stress of moving into new apartments and make your move a little bit easier. We at AMLI also have a partnership with Alexander’s Mobility Services who can help with a move into all AMLI apartments. This is an option that most don’t know about and might help you make the move into your new AMLI apartments!
Do you have any other tips for making a move easy and stress-free? Let us know your advice in the comments below!
View All Posts by Jason Ernst