The lease is signed, the boxes are packed (OK, so they’re kind of packed), and you’re left to anxiously await the main event: moving day. But you still have plenty to do before the movers (aka your dad and his pickup) show up. For a simple, seamless move-in, make sure you take care of these four things about two weeks in advance.
Get internet.
First night in your new place, you probably aren’t going to want to play a board game or run to the nearest DVD rental store — those are still around, right? — for some celebratory entertainment, and your phone’s data plan can only stretch so far. Call your internet provider well before your move-in date, so when they inevitably can’t fit you in for two weeks, you have plenty of time to spare.
Set up utilities.
And by the same right, make sure the utilities at your current apartment are set to be turned off or transferred back to your landlord on the last day of your lease. For your future apartment, your landlord might have already taken the liberty of putting them in your name, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.
Forward your mail.
This takes almost no time at all and ensures you won’t miss important correspondence from your bank, credit card, grandmother, or whomever else you forgot to update with your new address. Just hop on the USPS website, fill out a quick form, and wait for their pack of free coupons to greet you at your new abode. (Your magazines, however, will be forever gone if you don’t contact them directly.)
Get renters’ insurance.
As you’re moving all of your belongings — bed, couch, dresser, endless knick knacks, clothes, PS4, TV — it’s a good time to consider the value of all that you’re lugging around. Would you be able to afford replacement of everything? If not — and realistically, not many can — consider getting renters’ insurance. It’s typically less than $100 per year and covers your belongings in case of theft, water damage, and fire, plus helps with your living expenses in case you need to stay elsewhere while your apartment is unlivable. Be prepared to put your agent in touch with your landlord (or study up on the nitty-gritty details of your future apartment).
With all of this taken care of, moving day should be a cinch and you’ll be living the new-apartment dream in no time.
