Moving house on settlement day

We often get asked about moving house on settlement day. We generally don’t recommend this, due to the stress of potential delays with paperwork which may impact delivery schedules.

This is especially relevant if you are buying and selling within a short period of time, as it is often difficult to manage multiple settlements at once. Whether you are selling your house and waiting for the new owners move in or waiting on the settlement on the new house that you are moving into, there is a great deal of coordination involved.

This is why we recommend waiting until after the settlement dates to move. However, sometimes it is unavoidable.

So, what can you do to be prepared, to ensure the day goes as smoothly as it can be?

Firstly, what is settlement day?

Settlement day refers to the day in which all paperwork is finalised and you receive the keys to the house. Property settlement is the process by which you assume legal ownership of your house. This usually involves you and your solicitor meeting with your lender to sign the official documents of the sale. See this article from NAB, which helps in understanding the settlement process when buying a home.

Settlement can take anywhere between one to two months, depending on the real estate and the legalities involved.

Moving tips for settlement day

Although moving house on settlement day is not generally recommended, sometimes these things are out of your control, and it may be the only suitable day that we can move them. Here are some steps that we recommend you take to ensure the move goes to plan:

• Have everything packed and ready to move before the day – this makes it easy for your removalists to load the truck as quickly and efficiently as possible.
• Make sure your removalists are aware of your settlement time, so that the move can be planned around that – allowing buffer time for any potential delays.
• If possible, try to schedule the property settlement meeting time as early in the day as possible. This will give all parties enough time to deal with any issues that may arise.

Our recommendations for moving house on settlement day

If possible, consider moving house the day after settlement.

We understand how excited you must be moving into your new house as soon as possible. However, we recommend holding off for one more night to ensure the settlement can be completed without undue pressure of the truck on its way to the property.

In the case that you find yourself in limbo - moving out of a premises and not being able to move into your new space straight away, our storage modules are the perfect solution. Stored securely inside of our warehouse, we can store your belongings overnight, or as long as you like.

Moving house on settlement day can be a stressful process. However, by planning and preparing as much as possible, you may be able to avoid some of this stress. We always recommend that communication is open freely between your solicitors and removalists as much as possible, to ensure a smooth move.

If you are looking for a removalist that can take the stress out of your next move, get in touch with us today!