New Year, New Home, New Locks.
As we start 2022, people will be beginning their new jobs, meeting new people, saying goodbye to others, completing their goals, beginning the journey towards their goals and for some people, this will be the year they move into their new homes.
When you first move into your new home, several things need to be considered. These are our top tips for moving and getting settled into your new home.
Change your locks
Euro profile locks, Rim locks, Sash locks, all locks – Remember to change your door locks. One of the first things to consider when moving into your new home is the security around your home. Whether you were familiar with the previous owner or not, you never know who might have a key to the property.
The most important thing when securing your home is to install the best quality lock you can afford; a high-security door lock is a small price to pay for your peace of mind.
The APECS product range offers security solutions to fit a wide range of doors.
For timber doors, we have our APECS LX5 which is certified to the British Standard of BS3621. Our LX5 Mortice Lock will give you the highest level of protection against sawing, drilling and picking.
If it is a uPVC door that you have, it will most likely be a Euro Profile Cylinder that you need for your door. For the best quality and most secure Euro Cylinder on the market, the APECS AP Cylinder offers you everything you need.
The AP Cylinder is not only rated to TS007-1:2014+A2:2018, it has also achieved Sold Secure Diamond – some of the most rigorous testing regimes within the United Kingdom.
Engineered to safeguard against all forced methods of attack such as snapping, drilling, picking and bumping – it has a Patented anti-snap protection system. When the outside of the cylinder is tampered with, it sets an interlocking cam mechanism – this then prevents any further damage to the internal parts of the cylinder, while still being able to open your door from inside the property.
We are so confident in the strength of our AP cylinder that it is protected by a 10-year guarantee.
Set up your utilities
Water, Gas, Electric, Heating, Phone, Internet – it is important to try and take care of arranging your utilities before you move into the property. On the day of moving, it should all be set up and ready to go.
Locate your Fuse Box and Internal Stop Tap
It is better to know where they are before you need to know where they are – you don’t want to have to be searching for them when you urgently need them. Typically, your internal stop tap is located near your kitchen sink and your fuse box is likely to be under the stairs or in a storage cupboard.
Inspection
Before you move all your furniture in and start getting settled in your new home, doing a walkthrough while it is empty will allow you to catch anything that looks out of the ordinary.
- Check everything is working as it should be e.g. taps, drainage, light switches, sockets, doors.
- Make sure that any requested repair work has been completed or document the repairs that need to be actioned.
- Everything included in the purchase is in place.
If you spot something after your initial walkthrough, make sure to email and call your solicitor/agent immediately and get information on the next steps.
Change of address
Be sure to notify the necessary people of your new address, such as family and friends, the bank, any loan or credit providers, insurance companies, the DVLA and anyone else that may send your regular letters or bills.
Learn about the local area
You will have mostly researched the local area before you purchased the property, but there are lots of little things one may forget. For example, what day do the bins go out? Where are the local amenities? Where is the local Doctors Surgery / Pharmacy / Accident and Emergency?
This way you remove the panic of trying to locate them in an emergency, like forgetting the gravy for Sunday Lunch or running out in your pyjamas to catch the waste collection service.
Knowing all these little tips will make moving into your new home a breeze.
P.s don’t forget to meet your neighbours!
