Moving into a new home is very exciting, but it can also be very stressful. The process of going through a purchase or negotiating a rental contract can be a real burden, and the relief that comes when it is all sorted, and it is time to move in is enormous. There are, however, some things that you need to do to make sure that your new home is safe and secure before you move in. This doesn’t mean changing the carpets or stripping unwanted wallpaper in the living room; it means serious things that you may need professional services to address.
Here are four services that your new home needs before you move in.
Locksmith Services
The single most important service that you need before you move into your home is a professional locksmith to come and change all the locks in the house. Even if the people from whom you bought the house seemed like the nicest people in the world, the reality is that to keep yourself and your family safe, it is so important that no one but yourselves has a key to the property. Have the locks changed as soon as possible after the house comes into your possession for the best peace of mind.
Many of us tend to move our possessions into a new home over a few days, so changing the locks before you start bringing your possessions guarantees that everything will be safe and secure during the transition. Particularly as there will be so many disordered boxes everywhere, if someone were to enter the house and steal something, you may not even notice that it is missing or may assume it somehow just got lost in transit.
Electrical Services
The second important service that you should hire before you move is qualified electricians to come and check all your wiring and electrical sockets. Whilst your survey should have highlighted any major electrical work that needs doing, it is still very important for the safety of you and your family to have a professional electrician check everything one more time. The number one cause of electrical fires is worn out the wiring in faulty outlets and old sockets. When the wires start to wear out, they become loose and snap, which can easily lead to a fire. For your family’s safety, an electrician must come to make sure that your wiring and electrical outlets are all up to scratch. As well as checking your wiring, residential electrical services will make sure that all of your smoke detectors are working correctly and will also check your carbon monoxide sensors. You should not move into any new home until you have had both of these checked and if your new house doesn’t have either, then you must have them correctly installed by an electrician.
Additionally, electricians can install new light fittings or other fixtures that are difficult to reach or require tricky wiring. It can be dangerous to climb ladders and fit chandeliers in high ceilings, but electrical services will have all the right safety equipment. In some houses, it can be difficult to locate your fuse boxes or electrical panels, but an electrician can show you where everything is, and explain all of the switches to you. Electrical panels and switches are not something to mess around with if you don’t know what you’re doing, so it is always advisable to have a professional show you.
Plumbing Services
The third important service you need to make sure your house is safe before moving in is a plumber to check all your pipes. Leaking pipes can cause huge amounts of damage to houses but can also be dangerous to people’s health. Leaks can cause damp spots in your home, which lead to black mold or different kinds of fungus. These can be very harmful to respiratory systems, especially for people with underlying health conditions like asthma. In less commonly occurring cases, serious injuries can be sustained as a result of extensive water damage. If a ceiling, for example, becomes sodden with leaking water, it can come down and seriously injure someone in the room below.
While a house survey will notify you of any major damp issues, an experienced plumber will be able to check your pipes and make sure that no problems are going to occur in the future. Surveys only identify big problems, but smaller overlooked issues can quickly get out of hand. A burst pipe can do extensive damage, so it is much better to have a plumber inspect and do any minor necessary repairs before a bigger problem occurs. You will not know whether or not the previous owners did any amateur patch-up jobs, so a plumbing service will ensure that everything is in good condition.
Professional Cleaning Services
Another service that your new home needs before you move in is a professional cleaning. Experienced cleaners will be able to get rid of any mold or fungus that had already formed before you had your plumbing checked, which will ensure the health of you and your family. Additionally, professional cleaners can provide the highest standards of deep cleaning in bathrooms, toilets, and kitchens, which can be paradises for invisible germs. Even if a house looks clean to the eye, you don’t know about the cleaning habits of the previous owners, and your new home may be teeming with nasty bacteria. Not only will it make your house more sanitary, but it will also help to make it feel more like your home.
Using someone else’s bathroom or kitchen can be a bit unpleasant at first, but if you know that everything has been thoroughly scrubbed to the highest possible standard, you will feel much more comfortable.
There is so much to think about when moving house, but it is vitally important that you take every measure to ensure that your new home is safe before moving in. Many hidden dangers may not have come up in your survey. Follow this guide, and you will ensure that you and your family will be safe and secure in your new home.
