Moving into a rental property

Allow yourself plenty of time to pack your belongings and prepare for your move. Moving house is a good opportunity to have a clear-out and get rid of items you no longer need. It is worth gathering boxes and packing materials in advance to help protect fragile belongings.

Where possible, clear your schedule and choose a moving day (or days) that suit you. Focusing on the move itself can help reduce unnecessary stress.

It is strongly recommended that you take out contents insurance to cover your personal belongings, including any items or appliances you bring into the property. As a tenant, you are not responsible for buildings insurance, as this is the landlord’s responsibility.

Your landlord’s insurance will only cover their own property and fixtures, not your personal possessions.

Before moving, make sure you update your address with relevant organisations such as utility providers, your bank, employer, GP, DVLA and others. You may also wish to set up a Royal Mail redirection to ensure important post is not missed.

Once you move in, contact utility providers and your local council as soon as possible to set up your accounts. You will normally need to provide opening meter readings so that you are only charged from the start of your tenancy.

Some letting agents may assist with utility registration, so it is worth checking what services are available.

In most cases, your landlord will arrange to have an independent inventory made prior to you moving in. If this is the case, we will send a copy to you once we receive it. This important document will be used for any deposit negotiation at the end of your tenancy, so make sure you make any necessary amendments or adjustments then sign and return it to us within 7 days.

All rented properties must have smoke alarms fitted on each floor of the living accommodation and CO alarms in any room where there is a solid fuel burning appliance (wood, coal etc.) We, or our appointed contractor, will visit on the day you move in to check and test that these alarms are in working order.

During your tenancy it is your responsibility to periodically test and replace any batteries within the smoke or CO alarms. We recommend you test them monthly as a minimum to ensure that they are in working order. If you find an alarm is not working, and changing the batteries does not rectify this, you should notify us immediately so that we can arrange a replacement.

You are required to pay your rent in full and on time using the payment method agreed in your tenancy agreement, which for Goodfellows' properties is by standing order. Be sure to complete the form to set this up (provided with your Tenancy Agreement) and send to your bank. Banks will only take an instruction from you and we cannot set it up for you. Alternatively, you can also set this up online using the account details and the reference provided.

Hopefully these points will help you tick off most of the important tasks so you can focus on getting settled in your new home.