The hidden costs of moving house

by Sian Meades on Apr 12,2012

I’m moving house next month and I already hate it. I’m trying to be excited, but it’s going to be more than a bit of a faff. And here’s the other thing I’m discovering – there are a lot of hidden costs. I’d made my peace with estate agent fees and a heck of a deposit. But there was a lot of sneaky expenses that I hadn’t even considered.

Or a man with a van. Or a buddy with a car. Unless you’ve already got four wheels, you’re going to need transport to get your stuff to your new home. At the very least it’s going to cost you £50 for the day (moving will take that long, you should always plan for two trips back and forth). Even if you have a friend who can help, you need to fork out for the petrol. And a pint after, that’s just polite.

You might not need a skip, but since everyone in my shared house is vacating at the same time, it’s down to us to make the place spotless. Meaning that we can’t really get away with leaving any rubbish furniture behind ‘just in case someone else wants it’ (yeah, that’s a line that doesn’t fool anyone)’ We need a skip. It’s the easiest way to get rid of everything, and the clearout will feel so good once we’re done. But it’s still about £90. We can split that, but it’s still money I hadn’t even considered.

Remember when you could just pick up boxes in Asda? Nope, they’re all about the Bag For Life now. That’s great, but not so helpful when you have to move house. I tried moving everything in Bags For Life once. It’s difficult, and your new housemates think you’re a bit weird. You can buy boxes online now and your boxes can cost you between £10 and £40 depending on how much stuff you have.

OK, so you’ve just sorted out your move and paid up your current bills. But what about the bills on the other side? If you’re unlucky you could find that your new council tax bill falls the day after you move in. Not much you can do about it, and it’s not exactly a hidden cost – you’d have paid it anyway. But it’s always worth factoring that into your budget and finding out from the landlord when they’re due. It’ll help you budget if you know to expect it.

Contributor

Sian is founding editor of the lifestyle blog Domestic Sluttery. She can also be found on Qype writing about London, and in bakeries looking for pecan pie.

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