What to do in your old home on your last day

Amid the excitement of moving to a new home, the importance of leaving your old property in presentable condition shouldn't be overlooked. To its future residents, this will also be a ‘new’ home, while any estate or letting agent charged with marketing it will expect a clean and well-presented property. In any of these scenarios, it’s vital to ensure your current home is left in the best condition you can manage.

We’d always recommend running old and new properties together for a week if finances and schedules permit, giving you time to relocate at leisure. However, it’s often necessary to move out of one house and into another in a single day, especially if you’re selling your old home. The logistical minefield of same-day relocation rarely grants you much time at the old address once the removal lorry has departed, so advanced planning is vital to ensure you’ve already done as much as possible…

Before moving day

Use the weeks before moving to complete jobs you won’t have time for on moving day. Pull out furniture so you can dust and vacuum skirting boards, use paint to touch up obvious marks on the walls and tackle any small DIY jobs you’ve been putting off, like filling in nail holes. Tasks like window cleaning can be done now; nobody expects your home to be left spotless, but new occupants won’t appreciate finding months of accumulated grime.

Notify every service provider (broadband, water, insurance, TV licensing) of your plans in advance, ensuring these contracts end around the day you move out. If you’re selling privately, write a letter for the new owners telling them how to operate the appliances, listing useful information about refuse collection dates and the location of the stopcock.

On moving day itself

Get up bright and early, stripping any remaining beds and ensuring you’re dressed and ready long before the removal men arrive. When they do, ask them to empty one room at a time, giving you the opportunity to give each freshly emptied apartment a quick spruce-up. This might involve mopping laminate floors or tackling carpet stains which had previously been hidden by furniture. If you have a cordless vacuum cleaner, ensure it’s fully charged in advance, and don’t pack cleaning wipes or kitchen roll until the very last minute.

Fling all the windows open to eradicate the dust clouds which will appear as your life’s belongings are moved, and also to banish any residual smells. Positioning a diffuser in the hallway is a nice touch, since its aroma will permeate an empty house quite effectively. Try to avoid filling the outside bin, since the next occupants will generate huge amounts of rubbish as they unpack. If someone has bought your home, it’s advisable to leave a card and a bottle of wine somewhere prominent as a welcome present; they might ask for advice or report issues in the coming weeks, so starting their occupancy on a positive note is helpful.

When the removal men have finished, check every cupboard, outbuilding and attic for missed items like coats or vacuum cleaners. Squirt some cleaner around each toilet bowl after it’s been used for the final time and turn off any appliances and sockets. Finally, ensure all the lights are off in each room, and check every door and window is securely locked before you leave for the last time…

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