Moving house is officially one of the most stressful things anybody can do. It's even worse for students. You move out of student accommodation right after exams, and move in right before the start of another hectic year. Doesn't seem fair tbh.
Keep scrolling for some fresh squeezed, juicy moving tips for students to make sure you're as chilled as possible for your move. And here's a moving motivation playlist to keep you moving.
This is just the beginning.
Jump to:
Quick moving tips for students
Handy moving checklists for students
Moving tips for students from the Fused team
- "Pack an overnight bag with your stuff you use on a daily basis: PJs, tooth brush, etc. This saves you unpacking a million different boxes just to have a cosy first night." - Cait
- When you arrive on move-in day have cleaning products at the ready for a quick spruce up! (Realistically, when are you going to deep clean again?) - Kirsty, People
- Save delivery boxes from Amazon or Hello Fresh (and ask your family if they have any) to save on overpriced new ones! - Becca, Marketing
- "Haven't used it in a year? Throw it away! Less stuff to move makes moving a lot easier." -Jodie, Sales
- "As soon as you're in your new house, MAKE YOUR BED. Avoid the nightmare of having to do it at the end of a long, exhausting day of moving furniture and unpacking boxes." - Jo, Dev
- "Don’t make any of your boxes too heavy. Spread the load. And buy packing materials like bubble wrap in bulk from Amazon or eBay for your breakables. It’s cheaper than buying little bits at a time." - Matt, Marketing
Get more tips in the handy student moving guide 👇
The ESSENTIAL student moving checklist
Here are the BASICS. Get the full version with the downloadable moving guide.
If it's too late for this move, make a note and set a reminder before you move next time! A bit of planning can really cut your expenses and keep stress levels way down.
The Before-You-Move List
Before your tenancy ends, there are a few things that will make moving day way easier.
- Sort your paperwork
- Sort your bills
- Sort your broadband
- Do you need to send your router back?! Do you need too set it up at your new place?!
- Declutter
- Anything you don't need can go to the charity shop, to your mates, or in the recycling. This means fewer boxes to pack and less work.
- Source packing boxes for free. A few weeks before you move, start saving delivery boxes or asking friends and family for their spares
- Buy a mattress protector
- Most student accommodation comes with beds and mattresses included. Sometimes the mattress is brand new, but there's no guarantee that it's the best quality. A nice squishy mattress protector is a clean, fresh start, and an extra layer of comfort so you can get your beauty sleep! It also means you don't have to worry about ruining the mattress ✌️
- Use your towels, blankets and bedding to protect your breakable items
- It's a nightmare to break the pretty trinkets, consoles and other fragile items before you've even started the year.
- Book a professional cleaner for the day before your tenancy ends and aim to get everybody out by then. This will pay for itself easily if you all get your deposit back. It also means that cleaning is one less task for you to take on. There are even specialists who are experts get getting student properties spic and span.
- Check which kitchen stuff you actually need
- Your letting agent will tell you which appliances and gadgets are included in your new student house.
- Boring bits like laundry baskets and tea towels are often left behind by the last group of tenants. Give them a good clean, and they'll be ready to go! This is an easy way to save money and cut down on the amount of stuff you need to bring.
- Make sure you don't double up! Get on the same page as your housemates early. You only need one toaster and one kettle, so make sure there aren't five of you rocking up with every appliance. You're not going to make that much toast.
- Fancy going halvsies on a smart speaker or something else to share
- You've all (hopefully!) seen your student house by now, so figure out if there are any essentials for the living room or kitchen that you want to club together for.
- Decide who gets which bedroom
The Packing-Up List
- Pack one room at a time
- Do a little bit every day
- You'll be less frazzled and you'll stand a chance of actually remembering everything!
- Make a list!
- If there are things you want to get sorted, or don't want to forget, make a note. Stress makes us all forgetful, and you don't want to miss anything.
- Label EVERYTHING
- Even a sharpie to scribble on your boxes will do. So much easier to unpack later.
The Student Move-In-Day List
- Take a video or pictures of EVERYTHING in the flat before you move anything in.
- This makes it easier to show any damage or wear and tear was already there when it comes time to get your deposit back.
- Create a base of operations
- Put everything important in one room - the kitchen makes sense. Kitchen items are usually easy to set up, and you'll have somewhere to grab a cuppa and a snack when it's time for a break.
- Do a deep clean
- Realistically, when will you do this again this year? It's way easier to scrub an empty room.
- Make your bed, set up the bathroom
- Now that you've got a clean slate and a base of operations, make sure you've got a stress-free day and night ahead with the basics sorted.
- Chill and unpack
- Remember those beautifully labelled cardboard boxes that you definitely packed up? Now you can go through and unpack everything a room at a time with minimal stress. And still probably end up with a cable whose origins you're not 100% clear on.
- Take pre-move in meter readings
- If your letting agents or your landlord don't provide you with a starting meter reading, you will need to take one yourself on the day you move in. If you are unsure how to take a reading, read our guidance blog here.
Other stuff that might be helpful for moving day:
Club together with your mates and rent a storage unit
This is an extra expense, but if you have a few friends at uni who are willing to club together, it can be really handy.
There's probably stuff you don't need at home, and keeping it in a storage facility in your uni city makes way more sense! It also means a smooth transition into next year when you've got less stuff to bring from home 😎
Create a digital filing cabinet
Take photos of your most important documents and store them in a Google Drive or Dropbox, or even just email them to yourself. It's super easy to lose papers in a move, and this is a quick, free way to give yourself peace of mind.
Examples: Tenancy agreement, contents insurance documents, student finance documents...all that stuff.
Redirect your post
If you're hopping between student houses, you'll need to make sure that your doctor and other key contacts know that you've moved! Here's a quick list of addresses to change:
- Bank
- Phone company
- Subscriptions
- JustEat and Deliveroo (you do NOT want to accidentally deliver to your old address 😩)
Royal Mail's redirect service is a super easy way to take the hassle out of this process. It's an extra cost, but takes a huge hassle off your hands.
Download the moving guide for an easy move: