More than a quarter of people are looking to move house

Plus advice from an expert on final things to check the day of moving 

September is the month of new routines for many households, and a new study shows that more than one in four people have itchy feet and are currently looking to move house.

26% of Brits want to sell up and move on, a recent survey by Go.Compare home insurance has revealed*.

More outdoor space is the reason for 23% of those looking for a new abode, with the exact same percentage saying they need more indoor space.

18% of those wanting to move house cite better parking as a reason for wanting to leave their current home, with a further 18% of people wishing to be closer to the country.

16% of those ready to sell up simply want a new change, while 15% want to be in a better catchment area for schools.

The region with the highest number of people with their mind set on moving home is London, with 34% of people in the Big Smoke unhappy with their current home. While 30% in the West Midlands and 25% in the East Midlands are ready for a fresh start.

With so many people keen on new beginnings, Nathan Blackler, home insurance expert at Go.Compare home insurance, urges homeowners to check their home insurance policy covers them when moving.

He said, “Moving house is stressful enough and you want to protect your belongings as much as possible when transporting them. Check your home contents policy to see whether removals cover is included. DIY moves aren’t usually covered by removals insurance, so look at the exclusions carefully.”

He added, “Valuable items like jewellery or watches may not be covered for damage, theft or accidental loss during a house move, so you may require additional cover. Don’t forget to insure your new home from the day you exchange contract.”

Removals insurance covers your goods if they’re lost or damaged while they’re packed, loaded and transported from your old property to your new home. Many home contents insurance policies will include cover for loss or damage of your possessions when you’re moving home, so long as you use a professional moving company to transport them.

Before you move, check your policy documents for ‘contents cover when you’re moving home’, ‘goods in transit cover,’ ‘household removals cover’ or similar. If this cover isn’t included as standard, you might be able to pay to add it as an optional extra.

There may also be some exclusions that you need to be wary of. For example, any damage to fragile items might not be covered unless they’re professionally packed. Also any valuable items such as coin or stamp collections, jewellery containing precious stones and watches might not be covered so if this is the case, you’ll need to cover them separately with a standalone policy.

Here are Go.Compare’s top tips on what to do before you move in to your new home:

• Redirect your post to your new address, this can be done via Royal Mail and you can pick the amount of time that you choose to redirect post from your old address
• Organise a new broadband deal
• Notify your car insurer
• Don’t forget to update the data on your microchipped pet
• Take final meter readings and let your current energy suppliers know you’re moving 
• Make sure you insure your new property from the day you exchange contracts – and update the address on your home insurance policy.

Go.Compare has compiled a guide about making sure you financially protect your belongings when you’re moving home and transporting them to your new property, in case they get damaged, lost or stolen – this guide can be found here: https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/contents-insurance/moving-house/