In the normal course of events, you would have a matter of months to prepare for a house move, but sometimes things happen that mean it has to be done fast. That doesn’t mean it’s all bad news. The cause may be a good one, such as an opportunity coming up that you weren’t expecting or that you had been waiting for for ages, and suddenly it happens.
Whatever the reason, you’ve got to get this done quickly. Here is how to do it in under seven days.
Make a Plan
This would take some time to put together if you were starting to think about it from scratch, but here it is, mapped out for you, so all you have to do is personalise it.
Declutter
This is really a pre-move action, but if you’re pressed for time, you will just have to do it faster. Be ruthless: if there are things hanging around that you don’t use anymore, get rid of them. Maybe it’s the legacy of an old hobby or the junk of a family number who doesn’t live with you anymore. If it is, tell them what you’re planning, and they can either come and get the stuff or authorise you to dispose of it.
Whether it’s yours or someone else’s, it can be recycled, gifted to a worthy cause, sold online or dumped responsibly. But it has to go. If it stays, you’ll have to take it with you, and that is unnecessary time, effort, and money paid to your moving company.
Get Your Moving Company Booked
To avoid a frantic last-minute phone-round, get one booked immediately. If you’re moving within Dubai, that is easier than going abroad and it should be possible to do it all in a day but talk to the movers and see what they say. If you need to put some things into storage, pick a mover with that facility: a good, secure, airconditioned warehouse. Now you’re committed and you’ve got to get started.
Start Packing the Least Used Rooms
It may be tempting to leave these to last, but the point is you need the things you use regularly to be available, not packed and inaccessible, so do the spare rooms first.
If you’re going to struggle to get everything packed in 7 days, many moving companies will pack for you for an extra charge.
Get Packing Supplies
You’re going to be needing boxes, bags and tape, permanent markers, maybe labels. Get down to the stationers, hardware store etc. and buy what you need. More than you need, in fact; you don’t want to run out of something and have to stop what you’re doing to go and buy more. If you’re going to use mini pods or something else your moving firm can provide, get them to deliver it ASAP or go and get it yourself.
Label Everything
Make sure the kitchen boxes are marked “kitchen” and the standard lamp for the hall is marked “hallway”. You know where everything goes, but other people won’t so clear labelling helps prevent confusion later on.
Pack the Most Frequently Used Things Last
You don’t want to go rummaging through carefully packed boxes for toothbrushes. Maybe put them in a box marked “essentials”.
Organise Final Utilities Readings and Cleaning
Get the meters read and book a professional mover like EasyTruck to make you look good after you’ve gone. And that’s it. You can relocate your apartment in Dubai in seven days – with a bit of organisation.
