You can never plan for delays caused to your move by external factors. However, you can make yourself aware of them in case one or more of these should apply to you on your moving day.

• The weather: People rarely take the weather into account when moving, in fact the only time they do think about it is when it’s pouring down with rain and they’re loading cardboard boxes into a van. Cardboard loves water and soaks up as much as it can, this in turn leads to you holding an armful of papier-mache whilst trying to catch your possessions with your feet. Always plan for rain, have umbrellas and waterproof sheets to hand.

• Traffic: If you were simply moving to the next road along, moving home would be a doddle. But when you’re taking everything you’ve accumulated throughout your life to the other side of the city or maybe even a different city, traffic can play a big part in how smoothly things run. Always consider journey times and rush hour traffic when moving, furthermore, carefully plan your route if you’re using a larger vehicle.

• The Chain: A chain, in terms of moving home, is referring to one party buying or selling a property that could affect your purchase/sale. Let’s say the person buying your house has a last minute problem acquiring a mortgage, this would mean the sale of your home would fall through. Consequently, the purchase of your new home would also fall through, if whoever you’re buying your new home from is also buying a property, that sale would fall through. These chains can be very large with many purchases going through at once, the bigger the chain the more potential there is for a link to break. To try to avid this, keep the chain as small as possible to minimise the risk.

• The Bank: The bank is a usually a key part of the moving process as they have the funds you are going to use to buy your new home. Making sure the funds are ready to be released to the person you are buying from is very important, something as simple as a missing signature on a form could be enough to delay a sale for weeks. Always check and recheck your paperwork to ensure it’s all present and/or completed.

• Fixtures and Fittings: With some sale’s, the seller may offer to sell you special fixtures and fittings which may have been installed, i.e. lighting, switches or even kitchen appliances. Ensure they have left everything that you have purchased from them. Similarly, if you have sold any fixtures or fittings to the buyer of your home, ensure you leave said fittings before moving out. It isn’t acceptable to remove switches and leave bare live wires sticking out the wall, a standard switch must be fitted by a qualified electrician.

• Keys: Getting the keys to your new home is the moment it all becomes real, you are the proud new owner of the property. If you stop to think though, your new building may be five, ten or even hundreds of years old and could still have its original locks, there is the potential that many keys have been cut to your new front door over the years. A big tip is to get new locks fitted as soon as possible. You may trust or even know the person you’re buying from, but many people may have owned that building before them.