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In life, you’ll face a variety of challenges depending on your age, location, background, and an effectively endless list of other variables. Few things remain constant as you grow older, however, and one of these things is moving house – from buying your first home to moving into your place of retirement, it’s a situation you’ll likely have at one point in your life.

As you get older, the process may become familiar, but that doesn’t make it any less stressful. Throughout all the stress, certain things are naturally bound to slip your mind, so today, we’ve compiled a handy little checklist for senior citizens to ensure nothing is forgotten during a big move.

1 – Inform close friends, neighbors, relatives, etc.

The first and most awkward thing of all would be moving away without letting those whom you care about the most know. A former neighbor may be counting on you to look after their house whilst they are away, or relatives may end up arriving at the wrong house for Christmas dinner.

Avoid these social disasters by going through your contacts and alerting everybody that you care about that you are relocating.

2 – Double-check with all relevant parties

The last thing you want is for all your possessions to be packed up in boxes and your removal company arriving only to find out you’ve either gotten the wrong day or not signed the relevant documents.

Call your moving agent to make absolutely certain your dates are correct, the sellers are still happy to go ahead, and your buyers are still part of the chain as well. All it takes is one slip up for the big day to go awry.

3 – Ensure your details are up to date

It could be for something as important as a bank statement or tax invoice, or something as minor as a magazine subscription – you can’t let your post end up going to your old address.

Log in to your bank account or visit your bank’s branch, call up your subscription services, change your details on any shopping websites you need to etc. Make sure your address is updated anywhere and everywhere that you have given it to in the past.

However, should one or two websites/companies slip your mind, it’s hardly the end of the world. The new folks in your house will likely inform you if they continue to receive your old post, so any places that slip your mind can easily be remembered with communicative buyers.

4 – Map out the location of important amenities

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It’s important to keep a close eye on your health, including your teeth, eyes, and organs. You never know when a bad turn of events may strike, and the last thing you’d need in a worst-case scenario is no clue of where the nearest dentist, optometrist, or clinic is located.

We advise mapping out the locations of these ‘important amenities’ in the early days of planning to move and registering with them as soon as possible – your health is important, and you must ensure you know where your nearest relevant services will be when you move.

5 – Declutter and dispose before moving

As you sort through and pack your possessions up, you’ll likely find many things that you no longer have any use for. You’re moving into a place for the future and bringing along with you some useless mementos of the past may not be ideal for you.

Trash any objects that you don’t want or no longer need – your uncluttered new home will thank you!

6 – (For Renters) Notify your landlord

Some senior citizens may be moving out of rented accommodation, in which case, receiving bills – or possibly even civil litigation – from your landlord is a situation that you’ll want to avoid. Paying rent for a location you are no longer staying at is one thing, though nasty landlords may consider this even more severe as this could have been time spent with a new tenant occupying the residency.

Notify your landlord in advance to avoid any harsh situations, but also because, if you have kept your place in particularly good condition, you may receive some or all of the deposit back in return.

7 – Keep important documents on you or in a secure and memorable place

We cannot stress the vitality of this one: Keep your passport, tax documents, driving license and all other important paperwork somewhere both accessible and safe. Your person is most recommended as it is less likely to get lost or misplaced that way, though if you have another secure method to transport them, then by all means use that way instead.

This is especially important if you are moving into rented accommodation, as the landlord will likely need proof of identification on the day if you have not met them already. They may also need to verify any income and tax information you have previously told them about, so keep these documents with you for validation.

Overall…

It’s a wild world out there, but if you’re a senior citizen, you don’t need us to tell you that. The quickest way to get back out into that wild world and explore your new life is to ensure you’ve forgotten nothing on the day of your big move.

Feel free to refer to our checklist as many times as need be. Remember, it’s always better to be safe than to be sorry.