Time to Move

What to expect when you’re finally ready to move into your new home.

Remember, any advice provided on this website is of a general nature only and does not take into account your personal needs, objectives and financial circumstances. You should consider whether it is appropriate for your situation.

In our last post, we covered some of those "final checks" items, like signing your loan documents and how the money gets transferred to the seller. Now, let's have a practical chat about what you need to do to make shifting your stuff as painless as possible.

Make final inspections

Your contract almost certainly entitles you to a last check of the property in the week leading up to settlement. That gives you a chance to make sure it's still in the same condition it was when you bought it. If it's not, this is when you can ask the vendor to fix it. It can also be a great opportunity to measure up and figure out where furniture might go.

Connect utilities

Arriving at your new home in complete darkness is pretty miserable, so you'll want to make sure you have the essentials ready from the get go.

Depending on what's available at your property, you'll have a few different services to get connected. Start doing this way ahead of time. Get in touch with your suppliers for electricity, gas and internet companies to book a date for everything to be active.

Don't forget—when you pay your bills with Up, late fees become a thing of the past. Up learns your regular charges, predicts when they'll hit, and helps you see how much you really have to spend in the weeks ahead. Set up your Regulars in-app once you've received your first bills.

Let everyone know where you've gone

People need to know where you live now. It's important to change your address details with the electoral commissions, government departments like Medicare and Centrelink, your bank and the road authority. Most of these can be done easily online. Do it close to moving day, so you don't miss anything important.

Speaking of which, you can also pay to have your mail redirected for a period of time after you move. To do that, head on over to the Australia Post website.

Book your removalist

There can be a tricky balance here - sometimes settlement day is delayed, and then you've got a truck going nowhere - but you don't want to leave it too long and miss out. Some people suggest booking the van for a few days after settlement, just in case.

Also, not all removalists are equal, so ask friends and family for recommendations to reduce the risk of stuff getting broken.

Check your pets

If you're moving to a new council area, check the requirements for registering your pets, so they're all set on moving day.

Take possession

This is when you legally become the owner of your property. Congratulations. You made it.

You've already signed most of the documents, but on settlement day there are final signatures and checks to make sure everything has been executed properly. Your conveyancer will make the exchange with your lender and the seller's squad. Now it's yours. You can go get the keys.

Pick up your keys

Once you have your keys, it's a good idea to get the locks changed. Sounds a bit counter-intuitive, but you simply don't know who has a copy. Locksmiths usually cost a couple of hundred bucks but it's nice peace of mind.

That’s that.

If you haven’t already, have a play with our Upgraded Rate calculator. It helps you to see how much time and money you could save over the term of your home loan if you put our automated savings tools to work. There are many different ways Up can help you pay off your loan sooner if you so choose.

Home loans aren’t as scary as they may seem, but there’s no doubt there’s a lot to unpack. The good news—our Up Home Guides are the help we always knew we needed. We’ll be with you throughout your journey whenever you need us.