Your Money - Budgeting For Your Move Abroad
Moving house can be stressful at the best of times, and if you are moving to another country it can be doubly so. Drawing up a moving budget can help you to plan more efficiently and keep on top of costs. As well as considering your travel expenses, initial spending money and home insurance and motor insurance costs to protect your new investments, here are another list of costs to account for.
Removal Costs
If you are moving abroad you will find specialist companies to help you with your move. Get at least three quotes including all fuel and labour expenses. It is best to budget for the highest quote price, just in case. You may want to purchase insurance for the move, should anything get damaged in transit, so remember to include this expense too.
Rent/Lodgings
If you are not moving straight into your new home, factor in the costs of home rental or hotel expenses. Work out how long you will be staying for and remember to account for food and drinks bills too if they are not included.
Pets
If your pets are moving with you, the chances are that they will be required to spend some time in quarantine - up to six months in some cases. Budget for the cost of kennelling, as well as any vet bills and medical costs that your pet will incur.
Storage
You may choose to pack up all your possessions yourself, or many removal companies will do this for you, for a price. Ask your removal firm as they can tell you roughly how much packaging you will need based on how many rooms you have in your house, and how many people are in your moving party. You may not be moving straight into your new home, in this case consider the price of a storage facility, and how long your goods will need to be kept in storage for.
Utilities
Check to see if there will be any deposit required for connecting your new property to gas, electricity, phone, water and internet suppliers. Factor these expenses in too.
Cleaning Expenses
You will probably want to have your house spotlessly clean for the new tenants, and may want to have your new home cleaned if the previous owners do not do so. You could do this yourself, or may choose a professional cleaning company to do the work for you. Either way, you should budget for the cleaning costs of both properties.
Miscellaneous Costs
Once you have thought through and budgeted for the cost of your move, add on an extra 5% of that budget. This will help to cover any extra minor costs that you may incur - there may have been something that you have forgotten and didn’t budget for.
