Damaged furniture, scratched walls and late removal vans are some of the most common ‘fails’ that sleep-deprived Brits face on moving day.
A poll of 2,000 people who have moved home has revealed the most common disasters likely to cause them stress and sleepless nights before and after their big move.
Half of homeowners have experienced a ‘fail’ on moving day, according to the study.
Thirty-one per cent have proudly brought a piece of furniture to their new front door – only to find it wouldn’t fit through it.
One in 10 have even lost the keys to their new property before they arrived at their new home.
As a result of the worry, one in eight prospective movers suffered a sleepless night ahead of their move.
Half of movers grab fewer than five hours of kip in preparation.
Joy Richards, spokesperson for Happy Beds, which commissioned the research as part of its Moving Home campaign, said: “Moving home can be an incredibly exciting time – but it’s also extremely stressful. It’s clear that this stress is affecting peoples’ sleep.
“There are countless things that can go wrong, and it can feel as if you’re spinning plates trying to make sure everything goes to plan.
“It’s really important, before moving, to plan ahead well in advance and get a great night’s sleep before the big day to put yourself in the best frame of mind.”
Sleeping woes persist once the chaos of moving day is over.
One in 10 believe trying to nod off in their new, unfamiliar home is the most stressful part of the entire moving process.
And it will take an average of four nights before new homeowners get a proper restful night’s kip in their new digs.
The moving disasters continue, with a third of respondents finding pieces of furniture broken in transit once they reach the other side.
Twenty-four per cent also discovered too late that the previous owners of their home hadn’t totally finished moving out.
Packing up the old house was revealed as the single-worst part of moving home, followed by the stress leading up to moving day itself.
One in three also can’t stand the admin involved with changing addresses on forms and setting up new bills.
Unsurprisingly, wardrobes were nominated the single worst item to move from one house to another, followed by sofas and delicate items like vases or mirrors.
The average Brit has moved home five times in their life so far, according to the OnePoll.com research.
Joy Richards, a spokesperson for Happy Beds, added: “Having professional help when moving can be really good for peace of mind.
“As discovered in our research, many Brits will be sleep-deprived and completely stressed out by the time that first box is loaded into the van, so finding ways to take the pressure off and reduce the possibility of catastrophe are vital.
“However, occasionally accidents do happen – so even if a beloved heirloom gets smashed, try not to lose too much sleep over it.”
Mick Fallon, Director and Conveyancing Solicitor at Howells Solicitors, said that delegating tasks to supportive friends and family is an effective way of helping moves go smoothly.
“The secret to minimising stress when moving home is to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible, from beginning to end.
“Having the support of people you can rely on can really make the difference – taking the worry out of this exciting period of your life.”
“If you can relax in the knowledge that the exchange and completion is in safe hands and will go through without a hitch, that is one less concern off your plate and you can concentrate on packing and unpacking again.
TOP 20 MOST COMMON MOVING FAILS
1. Damaged furniture
2. Scratched walls
3. Not being able to fit an item through the door
4. Not being able to manoeuvre furniture up/down the stairs
5. Not being able to manoeuvre furniture around a corner
6. Boxes breaking and the contents spilling out everywhere
7. The previous residents hadn’t totally moved out or left things behind
8. The house wasn’t ready
9. Not having everything packed up in time
10. Delicate possessions breaking
11. Removal van showing up late
12. Lost boxes
13. Feeling ill on the big day
14. Friends who were meant to help cancelled last minute
15. Losing keys
16. Car/van breaking down
17. Problems picking up a rental van
18. Removal van getting completely lost
19. Keys breaking in the door
20. I got lost and couldn’t find the house
Check out the Happy Beds campaign blog here: https://www.happybeds.co.uk/blog/tiring-truth-stress-moving-home-keeping-night/
