4 min read

How to keep your belongings safe when you move

Careful planning can help your move go smoothly and safely.
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How to keep your belongings safe when you move

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New Zealand is a safe country, but that doesn’t mean you should be lax when it comes to the safety of your belongings. During a move, it can be hard to keep track of all your belongings, expensive or not. The last thing anyone wants is to misplace an item they care about.

Let’s face it. Moving can be chaotic. There are days and sometimes weeks when your belongings are scattered throughout the house, and sometimes things get messier before they get tidier. Additionally, if you’re selling items or letting people into your home, it’s easy to lose track of where items live. Careful planning can help your move go smoothly and ensure everything is where you left it.

These tips will keep your belongings safe during a move and ensure your most precious cargo doesn’t go astray.

Label boxes carefully

Label each box with the name of what room it’s destined for rather than what is inside. For example, a box labelled ‘kitchen’ is far more vague than one that says ‘Vitamix.’ Kitchen items seem fairly benign, and most people wouldn’t want to look through a box that’s filled with cutlery or tupperware. Labelling boxes with the names of expensive tools, gadgets or electrical equipment is one way to get people to notice that what you’re transporting is valuable.

Take particular care with power tools, as these are often a hot commodity for people looking to resell in-demand items quickly.

Store important items somewhere safe

If there are items of extreme importance - documents, family heirlooms, or expensive jewellery think about storing them somewhere safe during the move. This could be in a purse or bag that’s always with you (or can easily be taken and stored inside at night) or the home of someone you trust. If there are small important items that you won’t need straight away, you could also consider putting them into a safety deposit box until you’ve moved. Medicines, jewellery, and important documents like your passport are small enough not to be a problem. Store these with the same precaution you would take with your wallet or phone. Keep them within reaching distance or locked safely inside your home.

Be careful when selling items online

If you’re posting items online to sell, make sure you only engage in the sale once you’ve received payment for the item. This could be in the form of a bank transfer or cold hard cash. While it’s tempting to post or hand over items to people if they’ve shown you a screenshot of the transaction, waiting until the payment hits your bank account is always safer. It’s easy for people to make an error on their online banking or transfer funds when their bank account is low. This could leave you waiting longer for the payment than you would like. The good news is, many banks in New Zealand now process transfers seven days a week, which makes selling items over the weekend that much easier.

Take an inventory of your items

It’s easy to forget where items are when you are moving. Make an inventory of items that are important to you and where you’ve decided to keep them. Take photos of your items so that you also have proof of ownership, should anything go wrong. You will need to show these photos to your insurance company if anything goes wrong. It’s also a good idea to get items valued before a big move. This way, you’ll have a current estimation of what the object was worth.

Make a spreadsheet with columns for each item, where you are keeping it, what type of condition it's in, whether you have photos and its valuation.

Refer to your insurance

If you have contents insurance, make sure you check to see what your policy will cover when you move. You might even want to consider taking out additional cover on your most expensive pieces. In New Zealand, moving companies do not have to provide moving insurance, however most reputable companies do. Book your movers through Wise Move and find trusted moving professionals throughout the country.

Take security seriously

Finally, when moving house, pack up your security system last. If you don’t have a security system, take a smart approach to keep your valuables safe on moving day. Always ensure someone is with your moving van if there are items in it. Keep the door closed and locked if you’re going to leave it unattended. If this isn’t possible, make sure your moving van is in sight, and you have a view of the street so you can see people coming or going.

Movers services at low-cost

Budget-friendly moving service trusted by thousands of customers across Auckland and the rest of New Zealand
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What do our customers say?

Read reviews of Wise Move to learn stories from our customers.
$385
Auckland
Wellington, Broadmeadows
9.0
Vladimir
Reviewed 20 hours ago
I was delivering a sofa from Auckland. I am quite happy with the delivery. Flexible, accurate with the goods. Friendly and very nice people who do their job properly. Punctuality and communication can be improved sometimes but it didn't affect me too much and everything went well in the end. I would recommend this mover!
$110
Auckland, Auckland Central
Auckland, Ellerslie
10
Dansoa
Reviewed 20 hours ago
They were extremely understanding and professional, even with more items than expected. They worked very efficiently and handled everything with care. Amazing- would definitely recommend!!
$250
Auckland, Grey Lynn
Auckland, Ponsonby
10
Rosazlin
Reviewed 21 hours ago
Steven my mover was amazing! It was just him and I moving my boxes, bed, mattress and coffee table to my new place. He was communicative, punctual, efficient and friendly - we made such a good team! The process was done fast and I enjoyed talking with Steven too. It was also Valentine’s Day and out of nowhere at the very end, Steven presented me with small gifts from the company! Some cute Jewelry I really love. Thanks so much! Really made my day :) Thank you to PF Moving for the quick responses and providing me with the cartons of boxes at the last minute. Highly recommended!!
$499
Te Puke, Bay of Plenty
Te Puke, Bay of Plenty
9.0
Patsy
Reviewed 21 hours ago
The young men completing the job were exceptional. Great work ethic, took pride in their work, and were very careful with the items. If I could make one suggestion I would prefer a phone call for confirmation rather than relying on emails as I believed the job was being done a week earlier than what it was. Had I not checked my emails I would not have seen the question and would have answered earlier. However, the job has now been done and I am very satisfied and would use this carrier again.
$470
Christchurch, Sydenham
Christchurch, Halswell
9.5
Greg
Reviewed 1 day ago
Movers were great! Really appreciate their work. Managed to pack swiftly while being respectful of the items
$165
Washing Machine
Lower Hutt, Hutt Central
Auckland, Mount Eden
10
Max
Reviewed 1 day ago
It was a wise choice going with Marshall. Flawless communication and delivery of the goods. Not going anywhere else for my moving needs now.

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