Moving? Here's Your Checklist

Congratulations! You’ve found your next home & signed a lease. You take a deep breath of relief knowing that the apartment hunt is FINALLY over. Soon enough, your relaxation is stolen from you as you realize the inevitable…now you have to move.

A majority of Americans have described moving as the single most stressful thing in life, ranking even higher than the stress of divorce. (source).  The number of steps it takes to move can be daunting and overwhelming. The good news is that moving doesn’t have to be the most stressful thing in YOUR life. With a little direction and a game plan, your move can be easy breezy. Don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place.

•  Don’t panic.
  It’s so easy to get overwhelmed when you have to get all your personal items from location A to location B. It’s not as scary as it looks. 
  
  
  
• Do some spring cleaning!
  
  It’s simple: the less stuff you have, the less stuff you have to move. Take it room by room and separate what you want to keep and what you want to donate. Look into local charities that accept donations and what items they will and won’t accept.
  
  
  
• Get movers and/or a moving truck
  Whether this means hiring professionals or enlisting some friends in exchange for pizza, don’t go it alone. Moving services can be a huge time and energy saver if it's in the budget. They will help you coordinate everything you need for moving-day in advance so you can rest easy knowing that the heavy lifting (literally) will be taken care of. If hiring movers isn’t for you, renting a moving truck for your DIY move may be a good option as well. 
  
• Contact the parking authority to get temporary no parking sign
  The temporary no parking (TNP) signs will be put up in front of your new home with a period of parking restriction for your moving day. This gives you and your moving crew the ability to park as close as possible without the obstruction of neighbors’ cars parked on the street. Some moving companies will handle this themselves, but you may need to do it on your own. More info on how to get this permit can be found here.
  
  
• Apply for a parking permit
  
  Unfortunately, the TNP will not be your last contact with the PPA. If you’re moving to a street with permit parking, you’re going to need that little sticker on your back windshield. This is a $35 a year “park as long as you want” pass so you don’t have to keep moving your car every two to three hours to avoid a ticket. It’s important to note that in order to get this permit, your car will have to be registered to your new address (more on this later.) You can apply for this permit online with your registration and proof of address (photo ID, utility bill or lease.)
  Assuming your car isn’t registered to your new address yet, you can get a temporary permit for 30 days while you change everything over. This will have to be done in-person at PPA’s office at 35 N 8th Street. For this, you will also need to bring proof of address and your license plate number
• Set up mail forwarding
  USPS Change-of-address - This will ensure that your important mail and deliveries make it to you instead of the new tenant in your old apartment. Just remember that this is a temporary forwarding service that only affects USPS mail, so make sure you take some time to change your address with every delivery service and anywhere that sends you mail. That means changing your amazon address before you hit “buy now!”
  
  

• Turn on utilities:
  
  Electric, gas, internet, cable (if you still do that), and water are the utilities you may need to set up prior to move. Make sure to check your lease to see which utilities will need to be in your name. You can set these all to start or transfer to your new home in advance so you don’t have to worry about it at the last minute. In Philadelphia, this is who to contact:

• Electric: PECO 

• Gas: Philadelphia Gas Works 

• Cable/internet: Verizon, Verizon Fios, Comcast (Xfinity)

• Water: Philadelphia Water Department(note: many landlords like to keep water in their name and collect payment from their tenants. Ask your realtor or landlord how water will be paid if it’s not included in the rent.)
  
  
  

• Get renter’s insurance
  

  Even if your lease doesn’t require it, you should never move into a rental property without insurance. Renter’s insurance will protect your personal items in the event that they are destroyed or stolen from your home. It may feel pointless because you’ll “never need it,” but the world is a crazy and unpredictable place. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. The best part is most plans cost around or under $10 a month and can be personalized to your personal insurance needs. Want some help finding that perfect rental insurance plan? Fill out this form.*
  

  • Update your address

  You’ve already notified USPS that you’re moving, but now you need to make sure it’s official everywhere else. This means your photo ID, voter registration, and car registration. The first two can be done online here if you are already a PA resident. If you’re coming from out of state, this can be done in-person at the Drivers License Center with proof of identity and residency. 
  
  
  

  • Get packing! And start early

  Just because moving isn’t fun doesn’t mean you should put it off. Get moving boxes as soon as you can and place one or two in each room. This way, as you move about your life ,you can start to put less used items in the boxes. With everything you were so kind to donate gone and the lesser used items put away before the final pack, that last haul will be light work. 
  
  

  MOVE IN DAY

   

  • Access your keys

  Find out in advance when, where, and from whom you are getting your keys. Most of the time, you’ll be able to get your keys the morning of your move. Your realtor or landlord will either give you access to the lockbox on the property, meet you to give you keys, or have you pick up keys from the leasing office. You will probably only receive one copy, so be prepared to make a copy for everyone in the house.

   

  • Document your new rental before you move things in

  Moving day is finally here and you absolutely cannot wait to get this over with. Pump the breaks for a moment! Before moving anything in, do a walkthrough of your new home. Make a list and take photos of any imperfections, damages, or repairs needed. If it looks like something they might charge you for when you move out, get it documented and send it via email to your landlord that same day. This will serve as your protection from unfair deductions at the end of your lease.

   

  • And finally… Enjoy your new home!

  Once the movers (or your friends and family) have done their thing, all your furniture and boxes have made it to their for-now homes, it’s time to relax and take in the fact that you did it! You moved and survived the process! Now all that’s left to do is to enjoy that pizza you bought to feed your helpful friends and unpack at your own pace.