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Settling into a new home can be hard for anyone and for pets it's important that we do what we can to make them feel comfortable and relaxed in their new home. 

We’ve covered the brief things on how to make moving with pets easier, but there are many other things that can be done to help this, and we’ll be covering how to settle a dog into a new house in this article. 

Arrange Somebody To Look After Your Dog  

One thing you may want to think about organising before moving house with a dog is arranging for somebody to look after your dog on moving day. This will help to give you the time and space you need to move boxes and removal companies to get around the house easily without the hassle of the dog walking around your ankles stressed about what is going on and the strangers walking around their home. 

By arranging doggy day care with a friend this will allow the dog to leave their current home in a relaxing time and arrive at their new home once you’re ready to welcome them back into a relaxing environment where you have time to give them attention. 

Keep Your Dogs Belongings The Same

Whilst it may be tempting to purchase a new bed, blanket etc for your dog to match the decor in your new home, it’s recommended to hold off on purchasing these things until your dog is fully settled into its new home. Your dog's belongings from the old house will carry a scent with them that will help them to settle into the new house, so by changing these things it can be unsettling them when getting used to their new environment. 

Keep Your Routine 

Like humans, maintaining a routine with dogs is a great way on how to settle a dog into a new home. If you’re used to letting your dog sleep upstairs or go to bed at a certain time in a crate, it’s important to keep this the same in your new home to avoid too much change for your dog during the move. 

You may want to look at reducing the space that they are allowed in within your new home, however this is something that could be done at a later date once the dog has settled in and has become accustomed to their new home. 

Organising To Be Home In The First Few Days Of Your House Move 

If your job allows you to work from home, one way on how to settle a dog into a new home is by organising to be a home for a few days/week after your move. Leaving your dog in the first few days of your move may cause extra stress and anxiety for them as they get used to their new space. So, by organising to stay home with them, the company will help to relax them as they become accustomed to their new home. 

Explore The Local Area 

Any dog owner knows that the word ‘walk’ is an absolute guarantee to get your dog out of the house. So, why not take advantage of this for both of you and get out to explore the area around your home to help you both become familiar with your new surroundings. 

Set Up Your Dog's Space Upon Arrival 

If you’re unable to find someone to look after your dog on moving day, we’d suggest that you set out your dog’s space as soon as you can on arrival to the new home. This will help to ensure that they have their own space to relax and escape to whilst everyone else is moving around the house unpacking. Somewhere like a utility room or a spare bedroom that won’t need to be visited very much during the house move is a great space to set up your dogs space to relax in, whilst keeping the door open will ensure that they don’t feel trapped and can hear that you are nearby if they feel nervous. 

Pay Them Attention 

Part of owning a dog is paying them the attention that they deserve. Dogs are considered a member of the family and it wouldn't be fair to pay attention to the rest of the family and not the dog. Unpacking your new home can take time, but by paying your dog attention not only can this reduce your pet’s stress, but also your own by taking a break from the unpacking tasks that overcome you. Taking some time out playing with them will help to ensure them that they are still a priority and will help them to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings by doing familiar things with them. 

Stay Calm, Relaxed And Patient 

As we said at the beginning of this article, it takes everyone time to get used to a new house, before feeling relaxed and at home. Therefore, the last thing that we’d recommend on how to settle a dog into a new home is to stay calm, relaxed and patient as your dog goes through this process too. You may have times where your dog has accidents in their new home or does things out of the ordinary but this should pass as they become familiar with their new home. And… don’t forget if there becomes a time where they are really struggling to settle into your new home, there is always the opportunity to contact a dog trainer to help give you tips and advice on how to help them. 

As always, if you have any other tips on how to settle a dog into a new home we’d love to hear them. Make sure to share them with us on Facebook, Twitter to help others going through this process. If you’re more of a cat person and would like some tips on how to settle a cat into a new home, stay tuned. 

There is so much to consider even when just moving down the road, and when you throw moving across the world to another country this can become even more difficult to remember what needs to be done before moving. For this reason we thought you’d find it useful to have a moving abroad checklist for you to go through when organising your international removals. 

Visa Requirements 

First up, something that is probably one of the most time sensitive tasks is working out what visa you need for your time in your new home country, the requirements of this and at what time you need to apply for these to obtain them in time for your move. 

Property 

Once you have started the process of applying for the relevant visa, now is the time to start looking for places to stay. If you can’t find the perfect property before you move, you could consider renting property in the first few months, whilst you look at the available properties around the area. This will help to reduce your stress around finding a new home and will allow you to spend time picking the home for you. 

Tax

When moving abroad, you will need to make sure that you have informed HMRC of your move to ensure that you pay the right amount of tax required of you. By not doing this, you run the risk of paying additional taxes that you are exempt from as expats. 

Pet Relocation

Whilst all points on this moving abroad checklist are somewhat time sensitive to be carried out before your big move. Pet relocation is similar to that of your visa requirements which needs to be looked into as far in advance of your move as possible. For example, you’ll find that some countries don’t let in certain pets or breeds, so you will need to be aware of this if your pet is on this list and how you are going to resolve/ manage this situation. Cats and dogs can often be required to have vaccinations as far as 6 months ahead of your move, so by preparing as early as you can to move your pets abroad with you, will help reduce the work later in time. 

Bank Accounts 

When moving abroad it is recommended that you set up an international bank account, this doesn't mean that you have to close your account in the UK, but by opening an international account this will allow you to manage the currency in your new country easier and conveniently. 

Change Your Address 

As with any house move, changing your address on documentation is a must before moving to ensure that your post is delivered to your new address. Although you may cover the basic people to inform such as friends and family, banks, insurance, DVLA etc, it is almost likely that there will be 1 or 2 places that you will forget. You can avoid this by putting a redirect in place to ensure that if anything gets sent to your old address the Royal Mail will be informed that you have a new address and send it to their instead. 

Organise A Removals Company

Organising a removals company is another task that should be done as quickly as you can once you have confirmed a time that you’d be looking to move. This is even more important for international removalsdue to the longer procedure and availability of removals company. 

Arranging Employment 

If your international removal isn’t as a result of a job opportunity, or you are the partner or a relative of someone that you are moving with that has secured employment in your new country, it’s worth checking out the job opportunities around your local area to see what is on offer for your employment. This way you can prepare for the jobs available and know whether you need to travel further out than your home for a role that you are looking for. 

Arranging Healthcare 

Unlike the UK, many countries abroad operate a different healthcare system to us, and do not have an equivalent of the NHS. Whilst there are many other schemes available in other countries, such as Obamacare or Medicaid in America, it is important to research what the requirements are of these before moving to ensure that you can receive medical care when you need it. 

Organising Transport 

You may have organised everything when it comes to arriving at your new home country but have you sorted out your transport. You may look to rent a car in the first few weeks of arriving to give yourself time to look around at the options available and the prices for cars around the area and even whether or not you will need them if you’ll use public transport all the time. 

Learning The Language 

A basic knowledge of the local language is really important when it comes to moving abroad, this will help you tremendously in places with less English speakers and will also help you to become familiar with the language on things such as menus and newspapers. By making this effort this could benefit your inclusion in the local community and help you make the new area your home. 

Education 

Like employment, if you're moving abroad with children of school age, you’ll want to look at the schools in the area, probably even before you find a property. This will not only help you to narrow down the area that you would like to live, but will also assist you in choosing the right school for your child/children. 

Sorting Out Your Phone And Internet 

Before you make the trip to your new home, you might want to check whether your phone is able to be used in another country and whether you need to have it unlocked. As well as this, if you need to use the internet upon arrival to the country you’ll benefit from checking out how to organise the wifi in your new home as well as booking in a time for the engineers to come within the first few days that you arrive in the country. 

Updating Arrangements With Solicitors

If you’re selling you home in England, you’ll want to update the conveyancing solicitor of your international move so that they are aware of the situation. Not only is this important for the conveyancing team, but if you have a will or power of attorney set up, records will need to be updated and you may be required to complete these documents before leaving the UK. Inheritance tax in the UK is still required even as an expat living outside of the UK.

Informing The Government Offices 

We have briefly covered informing the HMRC of your move for tax reasons, however this is not a one size fits all approach and you will need to inform a number of different government offices of your move, such as the pensions centre, the student loans company and more. To find out more and how to inform these people, check out this helpful article by GOV.UK. 

Update Insurance Documents 

Finally, updating your insurance company of your move is important to ensure that you are not left paying for insurance that is no longer needed or will become invalid if you have not updated the company of your move. For example, you may not require car insurance any longer if you’ve sold your car prior to moving, or alternatively, you may be looking to stay with your life insurance provider and will need to inform them of your move and find out if there is anything they need for this. 

At Hackworthy and Sons, we’ve created a thorough moving abroad checklist which we hope will give you the help that you need prior to moving. However, if you think there is anything that we’ve missed or that you wish you had known before moving abroad, we’d love to know your thoughts to add them to this article to help others. 

You might recall that we previously looked at the Top 10 easiest countries to emigrate to back in 2020, but has this changed following the BREXIT transition and Coronavirus? Well, we’re about to find out. 

Last year, the easiest countries to immigrate to were: 

• UAE 
• Germany 
• Australia 
• Canada 
• Switzerland
• Iceland 
• Portugal 
• Sweden 
• Costa Rica 
• Montenegro 

Whilst some of the easiest countries to immigrate to still rank in the top 10, this year there are some new contenders, kicking the likes of Switzerland, Sweden and Portugal off of the list.

Mexico 

Looking to immigrate to Mexico for more than 180 days? You will need to apply for a temporary visa for your stay in the country. Upon the approval of the temporary visa you will be required to renew this each year for up to 3 years.

Following this, if you’re still looking at residing in Mexico, it’s time to apply for a permanent residency, however it's important to remember that this cannot be done before 4 years of living in the North  American country. 

Whilst this sounds easy, and for the utmost part it is, there arecertain requirements that you must meet to be provided with permanent residency, these are: 

• Having family connections in Mexico 
• Proof of sufficient monthly income 
• A regular status of temporary residence 

Some of these may seem impossible, especially if you don’t have any family in Mexico, but don’t panic, meeting just some of these requirements will help you to gain a permanent residency. Let’s face it, it’s unlikely if you’ve lived in Mexico for 4 years already that you haven’t got a sufficient monthly income to live off, that’s two requirements covered right there! 

Singapore 

Unlike many other countries, Singapore has an open door policy when it comes to immigration, so it’s no surprise that there is a large expat population and has a steadily growing number of immigrants in the country. 

If you are moving to Singapore for work, it’s likely that you’ll be amongst some of the highest paid people in the world, and as a result of the low cost of living people can enjoy a high standard of living. We can only imagine that it doesn't take much persuading to move to this beautiful country, making it one of the easiest countries to immigrate to. 

Canada 

Since the announcement of BREXIT, Canada has become a popular destination to immigrate to for British expats, so much so that it has one of the highest per capita immigration rates in the world. 

For anyone aged 18-30, it's easy to move to Canada, all you need is to apply for the International Experience Canada program, where you will be able to get a temporary working visa for up to two years. However, there are only limited spaces on this program, so you’ll need to make sure that you have at least $2,500, as well as a return ticket and proof of health insurance if you are chosen as one of the lucky applicants. 

You’re probably thinking, what about the over 30’s, well they would need to apply for permanent residency, this can be done via the Express Entry route, applying as a federal skilled worker. From here you will be assessed and receive a score out of 1200 based on your education, work experience etc. For more information on the routes into moving to one of the easiest countries to immigrate to, check out Moving2Canada.com. 

 

New Zealand 

Like Canada, New Zealand also offers a working holiday visa for 18-30 year olds who are looking to mainly visit the country on a holiday but would like to make a little bit of money whilst they are there, a great option for people who are visiting New Zealand for a while whilst travelling around the world. 

Others can gain visa’s through the Essential Skills in Demand lists (ESID); these are the Long Term Skill shortage (LTSSL), the Regional Skill Shortages List and The Construction and Infrastructure Skill Shortages List. 

It’s worth noting that if you’re looking for a permanent residency visa in the long run, the Long Term Skill Shortage List policy, may help your eligibility for this, however the other lists may not. 

Paraguay 

Maybe one of the easiest countries to immigrate so far is the South American country Paraguay, with the only requirement for permanent residency being that you only need to have $5,000 (USD) in your bank account, this must be deposited into a Paraguay bank or purchased in local property. 

British passport holders will be granted a 90 day stay in the country upon arrival, however to avoid fines its very important that you make sure that your passport is stamped, dated and signed by an immigration official. 

What’s better is that if you want to still be a British citizen, you can have dual citizenship in Paraguay, meaning that once you have permanent residency in the country, you will become one of their citizens as well as any children you may have whilst living there. 

Montenegro 

Immigrating to Montenegro, can be easy with 4 easy steps.

First, you will need to, buy a home, start a company and make yourself executive director, or alternatively arrange full-time employment. Once you have done this, you will then be able to apply for Temporary Residency, this will need to be renewed each year, until you have spent 5 years in the country where you will then be able to apply for permanent residency. 

Finally, upon another 5 years of living in Montenegro, you will then be eligible to apply for citizenship. So, after 10 years in the country you can become a Montenegro citizen.

Whilst that sounds like a long immigration process, in the long run it’s actually fairly easy, which is why it makes the top 10 easiest countries to immigrate to. 

Thailand 

Thailand  is one easiest countries to immigrate to because, like Montenegro, once you have been a resident for a certain amount of time (3 years in Thailand), you are able to apply for permanent residency if you; make a 3 - 10 million THB investment in the economy, be a highly skilled academic (or an expert in a desirable field), are in a relationship with somebody who already has permanent residency in the country, whether they are a Thai citizen or not, it doesn’t matter as long as they have permanent residency. 

For more information about immigrating to Thailand from the UK, check out this great article by the British Expat Guide, who look into the important things such as visa’s, as well as the benefits of living in the extraordinary country such as the cost of living, the weather and more. 

 

Panama 

Thanks to the launch of the Friendly Nations visa, this allows citizens from over 50 countries around the world to apply for a fast track permanent residency, this includes the United Kingdom. So, if you’re looking to immigrate to Panama from the UK it couldn't be easier, all you need to do is, put $5,00 (USD) into a Panamanian bank and establish a company, from then you will be able to get a passport. Although, if you’re retired you can take advantage of the pensionado visa scheme, which if you have at least $1,000 per month from your lifetime pension you can obtain residency. If however, you spend more that $100,000 on a property, you are only required to have a monthly income of $750 per month. 

Qatar 

To enable you to be able to sign a rental agreement, pay fines, and most importantly officially identify yourself in Qatar, you will need to gain a residence permit. This is required for everybody living in Qatar so if you are going to be immigrating with children they will need to have one also. If you’re moving to the country for a job, it is likely that your employer will be organising this for you as your sponsor, this paperwork must be carried out in the country, so you may be required to travel out beforehand.  However, if you are already in the country this can be carried out whilst on your temporary visa. To find out more about what is required when applying for a residence permit, this article from Expatica, has some really useful information. 

All in all, as long as you have employment arrangements, the immigration process to Qatar is very easy. 

Denmark

For those immigrating to Denmark, following a temporary residence of more than 8 years makes you eligible to apply for a permanent residence permit. As with all of these countries, there are many requirements involved in qualifying for permanent residency, in Denmark, to find out what these are, please make sure to check out the New to Denmarkwebsite.

8 years sounds a long time, right? Well… if you meet all of the following criteria, this may make you eligible for permanent residency after 4 years instead. 

You need to:

• Pass the Danish language test 3
• Have been employed for at least 4 years in total during your time in Denmark
• Pass the active citizen exam or have displayed active citizenship
• Must have had an annual average income above a certain amount

Whilst we’ve looked at the entry requirements making some of these the easiest countries to move to in this article, people may often consider things such as healthcare a reason to be an easy country to move to. Look at it this way, the lifestyle may make the choice to move very easy, or the job opportunities make it a no brainer to move, which overall causes less stress for you and make the choice to move to another country a lot easier. 

Looking at these countries, each of them have a lot to offer when it comes to the lifestyle, weather and quality of life, making them all great options if you’re looking to move out of the UK.

As you may already know we’ve previously taken a look into the new house superstitions and found that there are many ways in which people believe that they can bring luck, prosperity, fortune and more into their new home. But, did you know that there are many housewarming traditions that originate from different countries and cultures around the world? 

In this article, we’ll be looking into multiple countries across the globe and the popular housewarming traditions that these possess. 

Russia 

First up, a housewarming tradition that is sometimes considered to be a European tradition is to bring bread and salt as the first two items into your new home. In actual fact, this tradition originated in Russia, these two items are thought to be two cherished symbols of hospitality. With salt bringing a life of flavour and bread ensuring that the home is never hungry, it’s definitely worth trying this housewarming tradition to attract a full life (and a full belly). 

If you’re moving house with a feline friend, have you considered letting them enter the house before anyone else? This housewarming tradition of letting your cat walk across the threshold of your new home is believed to bring good luck, so much so that Russia’s largest bank offered the use of a cat for 2 hours for those that took out a mortgage with them. 

India 

Bringing a cow into the house, sounds ridiculous right? As cows are considered as sacred animals in India, a common housewarming tradition in this area of the world is to walk the cow around the house. 

Boiling milk and rice is another housewarming tradition that is popular in Indian culture and is believed to bring prosperity of a long life. In our previous article on new house superstitions, we covered the ritual of boiling milk, so for more information on the importance of boiling the mixture of milk and rice until it overflows take a look at this article. 

Greece 

A popular item often given as a housing warming gift is a pomegranate, the seeds of this fruit have been sacred since ancient times and the more pomegranates gifted are said to be better. Some people may even gift a pomegranate plant to provide a lifetime of pomegranates, representing a lifetime of wishes to have good luck, fertility and wealth. 

Germany 

Let’s face it, everyone would like to warn trespassers and evil spirits off of their home, so, what if there was a way to do this. In Germany, having a rooster in your home is believed to warn any trespassers away, whilst acorns placed along the windowsills of your home fend off the evil spirits. 

Whilst roosters are thought to have this special gift, having a pet rooster in a busy neighbourhood could pose a problem, as they aren’t the most neighbourhood friendly pets. So, this housewarming tradition has slightly changed, with people often buying or being gifted homeware with roosters on rather than the actual bird. 

Asia 

If you’ve ever heard of Feng Shui, it’s likely that you’ll know that this in itself is a ritual to bring great energy into your life from the way that your home is designed. 

So if you’re interested in Feng Shui, this housewarming tradition is one for you. Ringing a bell is an auspicious ritual that is understood to clear the rooms of your home from stagnant or dying chi. Chi is held by all objects in your home and can be used to bring luck, wealth and opportunity to your home, so by getting rid of the dying Chi, it is understandable how this, in turn, brings great energy to your home. 

A housewarming tradition that needs to be thought of in advance of your move, is to organise your house removals on a lucky date and should be started before noon. This comes from the Chinese almanac, which helps to determine the fortunes of each day. By not picking an auspicious day to move and moving on a day that is not compatible with any family members (according to the numerology) it is believed to bring disasters and illness to the homeowners. For more information on the housewarming traditions popular in Asia, check out this great article by Asian Customs.eu.

France 

The changing of the chimney hook is a common housewarming tradition that is carried out in France, also known as “pendaison de cremaillere”. The hanging of the chimney hook signifies the completion of your new home and the beginning of the meal to thank those that helped. Traditionally, the food prepared for this meal is cooked in a large pot with the temperature being controlled by the chimney hook. 

Philippines

In the Philippines, scattering coins is a housewarming tradition that is thought to bring riches and fortune to the home. On arrival at their new home, Filipinos traditionally scatter the coins into the living room, however, some people look to throw coins into the corner of any room to signify the capital that enters the home. There are no set rules for this tradition, whilst some people may throw all of the coins on move in one day, other people often save them for other days. 

Kenya 

A Kenyan housewarming tradition that was actually presented to Barack Obama when he first took office as president is the gift of a three legged stool and a traditional Luo oxtail fly whisk. 

Europe 

Whilst candles provide a beautiful atmosphere and relaxation to any room it’s no surprise that they are often bought as a housewarming gift. But, they are also part of a housewarming tradition in Europe, where lighting a candle on your first night in your new home is believed to repel evil spirits and dismiss darkness from the home. Another tradition very similar to this, that could be seen as the origin of the word “housewarming”, is the lighting of a fire in the fireplace, a tradition that came from medieval times.

If you’re moving to one of these countries, we’d love to hear if any of these housewarming traditions are carried out in the local community. And don’t forget if you haven’t arranged a removal firm yet, Hackworthy and Sons carry out international removals as well as european removals, just get in touch with our team today to discuss if we can help. 

Have any of your family and friends ever wished you good luck in your house move? Whilst this is likely a caring comment from your loved ones, for some people luck means more than that and some people may go out of their way to attract luck to their lives and home through following new house superstitions. 

Much like, breaking a mirror is supposed to give you bad luck for 7 years, there are many new house traditions that we’ve looked into to help those superstitious people out. 

Leave Your Old Broom Behind

It is a common new house superstition that you should purchase a new broom, leaving your old broom behind at your previous house. You will have swept up dirt in your old home and it is understood according to Feng Shui principles that your old broom carries all the negative aspects of your life. Nobody wants to bring negativity into their new home, so leave your old broom behind to avoid this. 

After cleaning up your old home following the move your broom is likely to have gathered a lot of dirt and dust, so even if you don’t believe in new house superstitions, it’s still a great tip to ensure that your new home is spick and span. 

Boil Milk 

If you’re looking to bring good luck into your new home, a common Hindu tradition is to boil milk on your new oven and let it boil over the top. This is thought to bring good energy and money, as well as symbolising prosperity and abundance. 

Although the phrase “don’t cry over spilt milk” typically means not to cry over something that’s already happened. It has true significance to this new house superstition, why cry over spilt milk if it’s going to bring you good luck and energy. 

Burn Sage 

You may have heard of burning sage to get rid of the bad energy surrounding you, but have you ever thought of doing this when moving into your new home, to get rid of the bad energy that has lived there before you. This new house superstition is said to keep your home safe from unwanted visitors but has also been recognised to reduce bacteria in the air by 94%. So whether you are superstitious or not, burning sage in your new home is guaranteed to provide some benefits. 

Paint Your Porch Ceiling Blue

Whilst we see many trends when it comes to colours within your home, painting your porch ceiling blue is actually a new house superstition that has been around for many years. The haint blue colour is thought to scare spirits away, as a result of the water-like shade that they are afraid to cross. Haint is the Gulla Geechee pronunciation of “haunt” or spirit, that of which cannot cross water, so to avoid mischievous and dubious spirits entering your home, the blue shade tricks them into thinking that they need to cross water and are in turn steered away from entering the house. 

Spread Out Salt 

Much like a lot of the new house superstitions, spreading salt in the doorways of your new home and over the threshold, it is believed that this will fight off evil spirits in your home. By vacuuming up this after 24 hours you not only clean up the mess that it's made but also vacuum the spirits away. 

Moving House On A Friday or Saturday

A common new house superstition that many people believe, is to avoid moving house on a Friday or Saturday as it is thought to prevent you from being able to settle into your new home and can be unlucky. However, these are amongst the most popular days to move, so if you’re a superstitious person you may even find more availability during the rest of the week, whilst also avoiding the potential of bad luck. 

Whilst we have covered many of the common superstitions of ensuring good luck in your new home, there are so many more housewarming traditions across the globe that are thought to bring good luck. 

We understand that superstitions aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for a reliable removal company, Hackworthy & Sons can help, all you need to do is contact us today for a quote.

As we all know remote working has seen a hugely significant increase over the past year, with all those with the ability to work from home being told to work independently away from the office. Let’s face it, we all thought that we’d back to work within a few weeks when we were told to work from home, but as the year has gone on we can only but dream of going back to the office at the moment (although, it’s beginning to look like more of a possibility soon). However, as we’ve previously looked at, many businesses are going to be looking to downsize their office space, since they have seen how productive their employees can be working from home and working in a small office environment.

In this blog, we look into the best home office accessories for remote workers that could have a positive impact on the productivity of your workforce. Interested to find out more? Keep reading!

Ergonomic Desk Chair 

Comfort is key to everything when it comes to sitting up at a computer all day, so an ergonomic desk chair has to be included on our list of the best home office accessories. Without an ergonomic chair you can risk causing problems with your posture and getting back pain. Let’s face it no one can fully concentrate if they are in pain, but you can help avoid these issues by using a chair that has been specifically adjusted to fit your height etc. This obviously benefits the employee, but employers can also benefit from ergonomic chairs, as a study found that productivity can increase by 17.7% with the use of an ergonomic chair, as a result of experiencing fewer negative symptoms throughout the day. 

Comfortable Desk 

Following on very suitably from a comfortable desk chair is a comfortable desk that is at the correct height for you. It might come as a surprise to you but you can actually overwork your shoulder and arm muscles if your desk is too high, and cause strain in your shoulders, upper back, neck and arms if your desk is too low. So if you’re looking to begin taking up more remote working or would like to improve your current remote working set up, take a look at this article from The Entrepreneur Handbook for more information on the desk height you should be aiming for and even the benefits of an adjustable or standing desk. 

A Speaker / Smart Assistant 

From a survey carried out in 2019, it was found that around half of the 2,000 Brits regularly listen to music whilst they work, and 2 out of 5 of these believed that it helps them get more done. So, what better way to put this to the test and reap the benefits than investing in a speaker to blast the tunes out whilst you work. What’s even better is that if you invest in a smart assistant, such as a Google Home or an Amazon Alexa, you can listen to music as well as setting yourself reminders and more. Think of it as your very own artificial PA! 

Plants

Most people are likely to enjoy having an aesthetically pleasing desk space, not only to keep their mind focussed and organised but also to have something to look at and add some personality to your desk. A plant provides exactly that and more, including benefits to your health! Yes, you read that correctly! They can improve air quality, reduce fatigue and sickness as well as reducing stress within your workspace. 

If you're keen on the idea of a desk plant, but aren't sure what one to get, check out this great article by Ambius, who has put together a top 10 of the best plants for your desk at work. 

Coffee Machine or Teapot 

No matter what your drink of choice is in the office, making tea or a coffee is a great way to take a 5 minute break and re-energise yourself for the tasks ahead. By having a coffee machine in your remote working environment you’ll not only benefit from a break but you can also increase your productivity from the short time away from your desk. Employers can also benefit from this, as it will reduce the time away from your desk that you may have otherwise spent going to the local coffee shop near the office, as well as boosting your health thanks to the health benefits that coffee can provide. 

A Door Hanger

It sounds bizarre, but until 2020 many of us would have thought what on earth do I need a door hanger for when working from home. But, with many people having a full home during lockdown, things can get noisy and it helps to make people aware when you are in a meeting so that no-one gets interrupted. We’ve all seen the interview in the past year where someone gets interrupted in the call, by hanging up a door hanger to let people know this helps to avoid the inevitable. This might even make number one spot on this list of best home accessories for remote working. If you’re interested in purchasing one of these, check out this great one for Zoom meetings on Etsy.com.

A Ring Light 

You might have seen people use ring lights to achieve the best selfies or film videos and until we all started remote working, this was probably the most popular use. But now, if you’re going to be working from home on a more regular basis, a ring light might be something that you look into purchasing to ensure that you everyone can see you well on a zoom call and you're not affected by the miserable weather that is happening outside. 

This will also come in handy for any occasions where you need to take a photo for work.

Wireless Phone Charger 

Finally, on our list of best home office accessories for remote workers, is a wireless phone charger. Nowadays laptops and computers require an adapter to plug in more than one or two other devices, leaving you with a choice whether to charge your phone or plug your mouse and keyboard in. With a wireless charger, all you need is a socket to plug into the electrics and you can place your phone on top to charge, avoiding the need to fuss around with leads when the phone rings but ensuring a fully charged phone for your calls. 

With more of us inevitably going to be working from home more frequently than before even once the pandemic is over, it’s obvious that there is and will continue to be a lot more home accessories out there for remote workers and their employers to benefit from. 

But these are some of our favourites that we’ve found and think will be really useful for benefitting the productivity of your business. 

Is your team going to be working from home more regularly after the pandemic is over and are you looking at downsizing your office as a result of this? At Hackworthy & Sons, we can help with your office removals, if you’re interested in finding out more contact us today. 

We’ve looked at moving from a small town to a big city, but what if you’re considering moving from a big city to a small town you may ask. 

Well, we’ve also taken a look into that, so if you’re debating between the two be sure to check out both of these blogs to help you weigh up your options 

Save Money 

First up, when moving from a big city to a small town, you can be sure to save money, whether that’s socialising with friends or even rent/ mortgage payments. By moving from a big city to a small town, you are likely to receive more for your money when it comes to buying/ renting a property,  thanks to the lower cost of living that a smaller town has. Where you may be only able to afford a 1 bedroom house in a large city you may be able to afford a house with more bedrooms and facilities for the same price in a small town. 

Less Traffic 

Living in a big city, you’ll be used to seeing a lot of traffic and public transport due to the large population that big cities host. It might sound obvious, but by moving from a big city to a small town you will find that there are far less public transport options available and less traffic on the road. With this in mind, you are likely to save time getting to and from places so will have more time to spend on other things, whether this is having more time to spend with friends or having the ability to book appointments within the times that you may have otherwise been travelling within a big city. It goes without saying that you’ll still likely experience rush hour around the times that people finish work and school etc, but probably not to the extent that you have at the moment living in a big city. 

More Space To Explore 

Whilst there are often a lot of parks and attractions to visit and explore in a big city, moving out of the city will bring you closer to nature and natural spaces and away from the concrete jungle that big cities can often feel like.

As a Plymouth removal company, moving clients away from Plymouth city centre to a town such as Tavistock, provides the large landscape of Dartmoor that surrounds the small town, coming with its beautiful views, fresh air and a relaxing environment to explore. 

It’s been found that reduced access to green spaces can be a factor in being at greater risk of mental health problems, so if you feel that you’re missing something from living in a big city, you might look to consider moving somewhere closer to natural spaces. Although, this doesn't have to be the case for everyone, as many people living in a big city can also experience mental health benefits from increased opportunities for socialisation, education, employment etc. Ultimately, this is something that you would need to analyse to work out exactly what you want from moving house. 

Slower Pace Of Life

Within a large city, you can always guarantee that there is something going on in the area, whether that be a party, an event or a sporting fixture, if you’re looking for something to do you’ll always be sure to find something. However, if you’re getting fed up with the fast-paced life, have you considered moving from the big city to a small town where you can be guaranteed a slower pace of life without the need to rush around. 

Close-Knit Community

If you’re looking to become part of a close-knit community, moving from the big city to a small town can often provide this. We’ve previously looked at having more privacy if you move from a small town to a big city which if you’re looking to start on a clean slate is a great option. However, if you’re moving from a big city to a small town and looking to meet new people and build new friendships you can be assured that moving to a small town you will soon get to know the local community and bump into them on a regular basis. With the big cities covering a lot of space, it’s unlikely that you bump into people you know very often, but thanks to the smaller area that the town covers, more people will accumulate in the area. 

As a Plymouth removal company, we have seen many people moving from a big city to a small town and vice versa, and ultimately the choice is up to you. We’d recommend that you consider what the reason is that you are looking to move to help you decide what your best option is. We’ve looked at the things that you should know when moving from a big city to a small town, and each of these come with advantages and disadvantages depending on what you are looking for in moving to a new location. 

If you’d like advice on UK removals from a big city to a small town, our specialist team at Hackworthy & Sons can help, just get in contact with us today. 

If you are looking into moving from a small town to a big city, it’s important to remember that although they may contain some similarities, at large they are often vastly different places to live (and we aren’t just talking about the geographical size of the area!). 

If you're not quite sure about moving to a big city and are looking for information on this, look no further. We’ve put together a list of things you should know which should help you come to a decision. 

More Opportunities 

Probably one of the best reasons for moving from a small town to a big city is the increase in opportunities that a large city has to offer. Whether this is job opportunities, schools, places to eat and visit, etc., a larger city naturally has more space to hold these additional opportunities than a small town does and in turn, is home to a larger population that requires this range of opportunities. 

Often, people choose to move to a large city for their career, but this doesn’t mean cities aren’t also great for family life. As we’ve just discussed, due to the larger population of these cities, it requires the need for more schools for the children living there, meaning that you will have more options than you would in your small hometown. 

More Privacy 

As a local Plymouth Removal Company, we can tell you it’s very much a small world in Plymouth, where you’re likely to have mutual friends with someone you know and be able to find out things happening in your local area quite quickly. However, moving from a small town to a big city like Manchester or London, this is not so much the case and it’s unlikely that you’ll know what’s going on in the area unless you look for the information. 

With this in mind, you’ll probably find that you have more privacy in a large city, which sounds odd considering there are more people in the area, but if you’re looking to start your life on a clean slate where nobody knows you, moving to a big city could be the route for you. 

Higher Wages 

It is well known that by moving from a small town to a big city, you will see an increase in wages, largely due to more competition and higher productivity in the area. However, a study has found that the size of your birth city can have a significant impact on your earnings later in life. It also suggests that the more amenities, larger choice of schools, more options for things to do in the neighbourhood and bigger social circles you have can have a positive effect on your earnings in the future.

So if you are planning on moving your family to a large city, you can be sure that there are benefits for them as well as you. 

Higher Cost of Living 

With large cities boasting a higher level of wages in comparison to the small town that you work in currently, it’s worth bearing mind that this also comes with a higher cost of living. Just going for a drink in the local pub, or even parking your car will likely cost you more than you are used to, and that’s without thinking about the rent/mortgage prices that you’ll be required to pay in a large city.

You may look to downsize your home when moving from a small town to a big city, as what you thought was a reasonable price to pay on your rent/mortgage in your current house is likely to see a significant increase if you are looking to have a similar size house. That said, if you want to continue paying a similar price, it’s best to balance that with reducing the requirements you are looking for in your new home. 

More Traffic / More Public Transport  

As obvious as it may sound, when moving from a small town to a big city, you’d expect to experience more traffic on the road from the larger population that big cities are home to. With that comes more public transport opportunities, take a look at Manchester for example who have trams, and London with the underground on top of all the normal public transport that other towns and cities have.   

Although public transport helps to reduce your carbon footprint by sharing your journey with others, the more traffic in the city creates an increased risk of air pollution. So, if you're thinking of moving to a big city, think about using public transport as much as you can to help contribute to creating a better/healthier environment. 

Pushes You Out Of Your Comfort Zone 

As we’ve already mentioned, a small town can often mean that you always know someone that knows one of your other friends and moving to a larger city can often mean that you don’t feel like you know anyone, unless you move to be near friends and family. Situations like this, although may feel uncomfortable to start with, can often be a real benefit to your move by pushing you out of your comfort zone to do things on your own that you may not have done otherwise. Not only will this push you into new experiences, it should also help increase your confidence around doing more things on your own around your new home. 

At Plymouth removal company Hackworthy and Sons, we have helped many clients moving from a small town to a big city, whether this be from Kingsbridge to Plymouth or Plymouth to London, we’ve done it. If you’re looking for help in your move to a big city, contact us today or get a quote online.  

With many people having worked from home for nearly a year now, it comes as no surprise that businesses are considering downsizing their offices. For employees to have adapted to working from home so efficiently and productively, this truly goes to show the benefits of working in a small office environment that they otherwise wouldn’t have. If you’re considering offering a remote working option after the pandemic is over, keep reading to find out what the benefits of working in a small office environment are and how this can help you reduce costs. 

Although there will still be a need for office spaces once the global pandemic is over, a staggering one in three small businesses are said to be planning to downsize but what are the benefits? 

Lower Costs 

Well, first up and maybe one of the most obvious benefits of working in a small office environment is the reduction of costs. By reducing the size of your office space, not only will you reduce the cost of your rent, but you will not have to spend so much on heating a large space, cleaning costs will be lower with fewer rooms and less space to cover and if you’re lucky you might even downsize to a location that has free parking. 

Better Productivity 

Several studies have shown that productivity levels have significantly increased by 47% while working remotely during the Coronavirus pandemic. So, by downsizing your office and giving your employees more flexibility and choice to work from home you can help sustain the boost in productivity and see the true benefits of this option. It’s also likely that your work from home set up is in a smaller environment than you are used to, so, many benefits of working in a small office environment at home strongly correlate with that of working in a smaller environment once you can go back into the workplace. 

Environmentally Friendly

A benefit of working in a smaller office environment and giving your employees the freedom to work from home more regularly is the positive effect it can have on the environment. The more people are working from home there is less need to commute to your workplace and meetings, meaning that you can help reduce the number of harmful emissions and somewhat unnecessary journeys that you would have made previously. 

Increased Flexibility 

As we’ve already briefly discussed, the flexibility of allowing your employees to work from home means that as a company you can reap the benefits of now having the ability to downsize. But, this means flexibility in itself is a great benefit of working in a smaller office environment. By increasing your flexibility around people working remotely, you can also increase your businesses offerings further afield and even hire new employees from wider geographic locations. 

2020 has definitely taught everyone a new way of working, especially for those who have an office-based role, but we’ve adapted so quickly and the situation has highlighted some great benefits we otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. If downsizing is something you're considering after seeing the benefits of working in a small office environment can have on your business, take a look at the other things to consider from relocating your office and your options around office removals. 

At Hackworthy & Sons, we have vast experience in office removals, including clients that have downsized, so if you’d like more information get in contact with the team today. 

Looking at downsizing your home? It’s likely that where your living currently is too big for those of you living there, with that you probably have way more things in your home than you need. If you need advice on how to downsize your home effectively, you’re in the right place as we provide you with our top tips on how to downsize your home. 

Declutter

First up on our list of top tips on how to downsize your home has got to be, decluttering. Without decluttering your home before you move house you run the risk of bringing unnecessary items with you to your new house that you don't have room for. Not only will this give you less space in your new home, but it’s also likely to cause you stress and anxiety that your move wasn’t the right decision. If you’ve decided downsizing to a smaller home is the right steps for you, be practical with what you take with you to your new home. Think to yourself; Do I really need this? What do I need this for? When was the last time I used this? Asking yourself these questions will help you to work out the things that you use and whether they hold enough value and use to take with you to your new home. 

For more tips on how to declutter your home, check out our recent article here.

Use Storage Units For Items You Are Unable To Fit In Your Home 

If you are downsizing to a smaller home that has fewer storage areas, such as a garage or shed but still need somewhere to store these items away from the inside of your home. Have you considered storing these items in a nearby storage unit? You can store almost anything in a storage unit and can choose from a variety of sizes to suit the amount of space required for your belongings. Items such as garden furniture could be stored in a unit during the winter months and collected in the summer when needed. 

Make Use Of Multi-functional Furniture 

Wondering how to downsize your home with a multitude of furniture to move? If so, items such as sofa beds have a number of uses which means that you don’t need to buy two different pieces of furniture for the same purpose. Have your children moved out of home but you still need to have somewhere for them to stay when they visit? Where you may have had a chair and a bed in one room, why not get rid of these items and make use of your sofa bed? Not only will this make your room look bigger in your new home but will also be more inviting with less clutter around the room. 

Utilise Storage Space

Upon deciding that you will be downsizing to a smaller home, whilst viewing potential houses to move to, it's worth keeping a lookout for the storage spaces available in these properties. No matter how much preparation and decluttering you can do before downsizing your home, it won't be until you have moved in that you know how much or how little will fit into your new home. So keeping an eye out for properties with a lot of storage space will help to ensure that there is room for things to be put away once you have moved in. 

Digitise Photos, Paperwork, etc 

Finally, a tip that can be used across multiple areas, is digitising things that you need/own. For example, if you have lots of old photos that you’d like to keep but don’t need all of the repeats and negatives etc, think about getting these uploaded onto a hard drive so that you can view these on the computer, saving room in the house where these would be stored. 

Other steps you can take are moving to online bank statements and any other paper communications you have with people, this will not only reduce clutter but you’ll play your part in saving the environment.

At Hackworthy & Sons we have carried out many UK removals where people have been downsizing to a smaller home, so if you are considering this move and have any further questions on how to downsize your home, get in touch today. 

Are you feeling a little demotivated after Christmas and out of sorts from the clutter that's built up in your home over the last few weeks. It’s time to start working on decluttering your home, think Marie Kondo and you’ll be done in no time. If you’re not sure where to start, keep reading to check out our list of useful tips for decluttering your home in the new year. 

Make A Plan 

Although this list is in no particular order we would recommend that the first step you take to decluttering your home is to make a plan. Once you’ve made a plan this will give you something to work towards and tick off to see the progress that you’ve made over time. This can be a very loose plan listing the order of rooms that you’d like to work in or can detail the specific tasks that you’d like to get done in each room.

Work In One Room At A Time 

As we’ve just mentioned, making a plan of the order of rooms to work in will help you see the progress you are making in decluttering your home, this leads onto another tip of only working in one room at one time. There is nothing worse than having your whole house turned upside down because you're on a decluttering spree. You can avoid this by starting and finishing one room before moving onto the next room, this way each of the tidy rooms that you see will help to motivate you to keep going with those that you have left. 

Use Hacks When Tidying Things Away

There are so many hacks out there for everything from cleaning your windows with vinegar to storing your bed sheets into it’s matching pillowcase to save space and keep everything in one place. When decluttering your home, life hacks are your best friend, defined as “a simple and clever tip or technique for accomplishing familiar tasks more easily and efficiently”, why wouldn’t you want to make things easier for yourself. We know how annoying it can be to put things away every five minutes, especially when children are around, so why not try labelling some boxes to keep in the house where you can filter all of the things that need to be moved into the relevant boxes. Think of it as filing your belongings away, you might consider labelling your boxes with; things to put away, donations and things to sell. This hack will help you decide quickly where things should go, you should follow your instinct when it comes to putting things into these boxes as this will help you declutter your home of things that you don’t need or have value to you. 

Set A Timer To Declutter Each Room 

If you’re someone who dreads the thought of decluttering your home and can find it hard to pluck up the courage to start, why not try setting yourself a short time limit to work towards getting as much done as possible in this time. By setting yourself a time limit, this will help you move your focus to how much time you have left rather than the work that you have to do in the room, helping you work more productively. 

Keep Your Mind Decluttered 

It sounds really odd, but by making sure other areas of your life are not cluttered will help you when it comes to decluttering your home. Other areas of your life that can be decluttered are; to make sure that your emails are tidy and easy to find, ensure that all messages are read and you don’t have heaps of spam emails that never get read. Cleaning other areas such as your car that you regularly spend time in will help to not only keep your environment decluttered but also your mind. Nobody wants a cluttered mind do they? 

Designate Specific Areas For Things 

By designating specific areas for things such as children's toys, paperwork, cleaning equipment etc this will help you know exactly where things need to go when decluttering your home. In turn, helping you to get the task done quicker as well as avoiding shoving stuff into an area just to tidy the areas visible to people. By doing this everyone in this house will know where things need to go so there is no confusion between those tidying things away.  

Check Expiry Dates On Items 

You might be thinking, how will checking expiry dates on items help when decluttering your home? Well, by throwing out all of the items in your house past the expiry date this will ensure that you are not hoarding items of food, toiletries, makeup etc that you won't be able to use. Freeing up space that can be used more efficiently. 

Discard Things That Don't Spark Joy

Marie Kondo who we briefly mentioned earlier, has a hit Netflix series which uses tidying expertise to help those she visits to declutter their home. The method she advocates is to discard items that don’t spark joy to your life, ensuring that all the items you own have a purpose and will be used. 

She also suggests working by categories when decluttering your home rather than room, so if you’re not a fan of choosing one room at a time this may be the option for you. 

Purchase Some Storage Solutions 

To help organise your belongings, you may find storage solutions useful to help separate draws and cupboards into creating more spaces to store your items. These can often be found in IKEA and other homeware or discount stores.  

Alternatively, if you have larger items that require storage solutions, have you considered self-storage facilities? This way you’ll be able to keep larger items that are not currently needed, away from cluttering up areas of your home. Check out our sister company Plymouth Self Storagefor more information. 

From your clearout, you may be left wondering what to do with unwanted items and furniture, don’t worry we have you covered, check out our website to find out what you can do. Overall you can see that there are many tips that can help when decluttering your home this new year and we’ve just covered a few. If you’ve found any useful tips when decluttering your home be sure to share these with us Facebook & Twitter to help pass the message onto others currently in this process. 

We know moving can be a hassle at the best of times, but office relocations can be even more worrying to some people due to the move affecting more people. We wanted to make things easier for you, so we’ve put together a list of things you should consider when thinking about an office relocation. It's very important when planning an office move to take your time and prepare as this will help to cause the least disruption as possible, for office removal preparation tips check out this article. 

Location, Location, Location 

One of the first things and most might say the most important thing to consider when thinking about an office relocation is the location’. A lot relies on the location of an office, from the employees to the clients who will be visiting the office. When looking at the location of your office relocation, you’ll want to consider whether there is parking available nearby, the public transport links that people may need to use to get to you and also how central you are (nobody wants to be searching around looking for your office in the middle of nowhere). Your office may be in a central location but is it easy to find for those who are not familiar with the location and it’s their first time visiting? These are all the things you should consider before making a decision on your new office space. 

If you like to change up the location of your meetings and meet clients in a coffee shop to get away from the office for a bit or have a confidential meeting, we’d recommend checking out what places you have around your potential new office to find out if the surrounding area has what you need. 

Does The Office Space Have The Facilities You Require 

Does your new office meet your requirements in terms of size and location? That's brilliant. The next thing to tick off of your list is whether the office relocation has all of the facilities required for your business to run. Things you might want to consider are whether the office has a kitchen for you and your employees to use, whether bills are included in the rent price, whether there is internet access already there, whether there are parking facilities available and much more. It’s suggested that you make a list of all the things that you’d like from your office relocation before jumping in to view places that may not have anything you are looking for. 

What Is Your Budget? 

Much like, working out what facilities you require from your office, you should consider how much you can afford and whether this fits in with the requirements that you have for the office relocation. 

Organising An Office Removal 

Once you’ve made the choice on your new office, now is the time to consider arranging your office removals, and gather quotes from office removal companies once you’ve done this and decided on the removals company for your office relocation you can then get a removal date booked in the diary that fits with your agreement with the landlord.

Making A Plan 

You might want to think about making a plan for your office move, not just of how and when your office relocation is going to happen, but how you are going to inform everyone involved in the business of your move. Obviously informing your staff will be fairly easy, but when it comes to informing you clients and suppliers it's worth working out the best way of doing this and how much notice you will need to give them of your move. 

What Needs To Be Purchased

Office furniture & equipment - do you need to buy any additional furniture for your office if you’ve taken on new staff or your office layout doesn't work with the current furniture 

If you’re upgrading the size of your office space to make room for a bigger team, then it’s likely that you’ll need to purchase more furniture and office equipment. This is something to consider before you move so that you are prepared and know exactly what needs to be bought on arrival to the office. You may even consider ordering this a few days before your move to arrive as close to moving day as possible. This way it won’t take up room in the removal van, but you’ll have everything in your new office without the worry of thinking what needs to be bought after you’ve moved. 

At Hackworthy & Sons we have vast experience in office removals, so if you’re looking for a Plymouth removal company to help you move into your new workspace get in contact with us today for a quote. 

As a result of the 2020 pandemic, many initiatives have been brought in to help improve the economy, with one of these being the stamp duty holiday.

What Is Stamp Duty? 

Essentially, stamp duty is a tax (SDLT) that applies to everyone who purchases land or property within England or Northern Ireland, this includes buying freehold properties, a new or existing leasehold, buying through a shared ownership scheme and transferred land or property in exchange for payment. 

Generally, when you buy a property, you will be required to pay stamp duty on any properties over £125,000 for those who’ve previously owned a property. However, the stamp duty holiday was brought in to last until 31st March 2021 to help support the property market and the economy accordingly. Typically, in normal circumstances, you will be required to pay a 2% charge on the part of property between £125,000 and £250,000. As well as organising your home removals upon completing on your house, if you’re required to pay stamp duty, this will need to be paid within 2 weeks of the completion of your house via your solicitor. 

If you’re a first-time buyer you might be wondering do I have to pay stamp duty? Well, the answer is yes! However, only on properties over £300,000, which in comparison to home movers who are normally required to pay stamp duty from anything above £125,000, this threshold is a great advantage for first-time buyers who can purchase a property above £125,000. So, does this mean I can benefit from the stamp duty holiday, you may ask? With the average first-time buyer paying around £208,000 for the first property, it is unlikely that as a first-time buyer you will benefit from the stamp duty holiday unless your home is valued at £500,000. 

Due to the difference in legislations around property taxes across the UK, it’s important to bear in mind that rates may vary on the stamp duty holiday. For example, when moving within England and Northern Ireland, you will only be required to pay stamp duty on homes over £500,000. However, in Wales and Scotland, you will need to pay 5% stamp duty on homes over £250,000. Although, these all share the end date of 31st March 2021, so get in quick if you want to benefit from the stamp duty holiday!

What Is the Stamp Duty Holiday?  

The stamp duty holiday was introduced in the summer to encourage people to move house, saving home buyers money as a result if the property that they wish to purchase is less than £500,000. With many people saving an average of £4,500 it’s no surprise that 90% of transactions are no longer required to pay stamp duty. 

Calls For Extension To The Stamp Duty Holiday

This is not the first time that there has been a stamp duty holiday to help improve the economy. Back in 2008, there was another stamp duty holiday for a whole year on properties worth up to £175,000 which was brought in to lift the market following the financial crisis. However, due to the pandemic, and the stamp duty holiday this has seen a huge increase in property sales meaning that resources are strained across solicitors, estate agents, lenders, etc to carry out the formalities, resulting in calls for the stamp duty holiday to be extended. 

If you’d like more information on the stamp duty holiday, we’d recommend getting in contact with a conveyancing solicitor who will be able to explain how this relates to your personal circumstances and whether or not you will be required to pay this on your new home.

However, if you’re looking for a Plymouth removal company to carry out your home removals, Hackworthy & Sons can help. 

Get in touch with us today for your home removal quote. 

Moving house can be stressful on its own can be stressful for some people, but with the added stress of Christmas on top, so we’ve put together a list of useful tips to help make moving house over Christmas more relaxing. 

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare 

As obvious as it may sound, preparation is key to moving house over Christmas. If the contracts have been handed over to you in the lead up to Christmas, the first thing you should do is choose your home removals company. During the festive period, there is likely to be fewer slots available for house removals as a result of businesses taking a break over Christmas. So, as soon as your house has been secured you’ll want to get in quick to obtain your home removal quotes in order to move house as soon as possible. Just think, if you can make moving house over Christmas possible, you’ll be able to go into the new year in your new house with a fresh mind not having to worry about an upcoming house move.

This tip is especially important for those looking at moving house over Christmas to an overseas country. The reason for this is that there are many other things involved in international removals that will need to be arranged and it can take a lot longer to organise dates, exchange contracts etc when moving to another country. With this in mind, you’d be looking to prepare a few months in advance for moving overseas during Christmas time, as opposed to the few weeks preparation required to move house domestically. 

Put Together A Plan 

Something that will help you to prepare for your festive house move is putting together a plan. By outlining a fairly detailed plan of what needs to be done in the lead up to your move and the things that need to be carried out on the day, this will already help relieve the stresses of moving house over Christmas. Essentially, whatever makes things easier for you is the way to go, by planning in advance you can be sure that you’re not going to miss anything on the day.  

Prepare For Bad Weather 

As we aren’t often blessed with the weather in England, preparing for bad weather is something that we cannot recommend highly enough. Our Plymouth removal company is used to the unpredictability of the weather that can affect house removals and is vastly experienced to deal with most challenges. However, if you can help us prepare for bad weather by informing us of the challenges, such as icy roads etc and help assist in these by laying down salt etc we can all try and ensure a stressful situation is avoided. 

Use Storage Facilities To Ease The Stress Of Unpacking 

No matter how much decluttering you do before moving house, you’re always faced with a pile of boxes to unpack. Depending on how close to Christmas you are moving, it might be worth placing some of your items into a self-storage facility. For example, if there are boxes of things that needed to be sorted as you are unpacking and aren’t essential in making your new house feel like a home, why not move these into a storage facility to ease the stress and the number of boxes required to unpack before moving. Once the rest of your house is unpacked and Christmas is out of the way, you can move your belongings back into your home and unpack at your own leisure without the time constraint. 

If you’re keen on the idea of putting some things into storage to reduce the stress of unpacking, visit the sister company of our Plymouth removal company, Plymouth Self Storage for more information. 

Arrange Childcare 

If you’re moving house over Christmas, it’s worth trying to organise the move on a school day so that you don't have to worry about looking after the children during the removal. If you have friends or family asking if you need any help, why not use this opportunity to ask them for help picking your child/children up from school and looking after them until you’re ready for them to come back to the new house. This way you can reduce the worry of having to get most of the move done before school finishes as you can be sure that your loved ones are being cared for. 

Pack A Box Of Food And Drink Essentials  

We recommend this for home removals throughout the year, but packing a box of food and drink essentials that you’ll want to access throughout the day will enable you to find the box easily and keep your energy levels up for unpacking. Although, what’s better when moving house over Christmas is you can fill this up with loads of Christmas goodies to enjoy, think chocolates, mince pies etc. Some might say they’d rather move at Christmas! 

Keep Your Christmas Decorations To Hand To Decorate Your New Home 

Do you ever feel the dreaded hatred of having to find the Christmas decorations each year? Well, a benefit to moving house over Christmas is that you’ll know exactly where they are and decorate the house as you are unpacking your new home. 

Not only will this save you time searching the attic, decorating your new home will help make you feel at home and what better way to take the stressful moving thoughts away than looking at the beautiful Christmas tree in your living room. 

Buy Christmas Presents Before Moving House 

Depending on how close to Christmas you are moving, it might be worth doing your shopping beforehand. This way you won’t have the added worry of having to buy presents as well as unpacking the house. If you’re really organised you could even wrap and label them so most of your Christmas tasks are done before you even move. 

Although, it’s worth noting that if you plan on buying everybody’s presents before, to put all of the presents into boxes together so that none get lost in random boxes during the move. There’s nothing worse than trying to find a present that you’ve hidden “safely”. By putting them all together they will be easy to find at the new house and be put straight under the tree. 

Order A Food Shop To Arrive At Your New House 

Finally, a tip that we think is really helpful is ordering a grocery shop to arrive at your new house within the first few days of moving. This way, you can focus your attention to the unpacking rather than making a list for the supermarket. 

If you’ve found moving house over Christmas to be stressful before and have any other tips that you would have found helpful, we’d love to hear from you. Share your ideas with us on Facebook or Twitter and we might even add them to this article. 

First time moving house and wondering what is involved in a removal company home survey? Well, we can’t speak for everyone but we thought you may find it helpful to know what is involved in a Hackworthy & Sons home survey. 

We believe that the best way to get a removal company home survey is by visiting the house of those looking to move. This is the easiest way for both parties to determine what needs to be moved and gives the opportunity for everyone to ask questions as and when they come up throughout the survey. 

We know that some removal company home surveys are a way of hard-selling their service to the customer, but we aren’t about that at Hackworthy and all of our surveys and home removal quotes are provided free with no obligation. Moving house is stressful enough as it is, the least you need is your removal company home survey to add to the stress. 

Typically a home survey with us will involve a member of the team visiting your home to view the contents and assess what access is needed to the property ( for example, is there a parking space for the removal van to use? Or is the property above ground level etc). By carrying out a home visit, all you need to do is be at the property to let us in. We would recommend that you walk around the property with us, this enables us to be aware of any areas which have things in need of moving that aren't obvious to those who don’t live in the home. However, if you’re busy with children or work from home, then we can survey the house on our own and come together with you at the end to ask/answer any questions and discuss the next steps in the process. Our home surveys usually last between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on the size of your property, so we’d recommend putting aside about an hour or so for this. 

Following our survey of your home, we will send you a written home removal quote for you to consider in your own time, to help you choose the right removal company for you. However, during this time please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions that come up during your decision process and we will happily help.

Hackworthy & Sons understands that life responsibilities can mean that you don’t always have the time to do these things at a convenient time for both parties. If you lead a busy life or just aren’t keen on home visits at the moment, we can offer you a visit-free removal quotation. Whether this is doing a virtual survey or filling out our online quotation form, the choice is yours. 

Overall a Hackworthy removal company home survey offers you:

• The chance to ask any questions and queries relating to your move 
• An experienced team member surveying your property, whether this be a home visit or a video survey 
• Hassle-free, no-obligation service
• A written quotation for your consideration, with support at the end of the phone

To book in your removal company home survey with Hackworthy, get in contact with us today by calling 01752 546143 or email [email protected]. 

Let’s face it 2020 has been far from what we expected, so far that some people might say on another planet. The entire population has been faced with major changes to their day to day life with all businesses requiring to adapt the way they work to continue operating. 

Don’t worry, we aren’t going to bang on about the dreaded C word, instead we wanted to let you know how we’ve adapted to allow social distancing, and how we can provide you a visit-free removal quote on your journey to choosing a home removal company. 

We are pleased to offer visit-free removal quotes as an alternative choice to our usual site visits. So, if you’re looking for a home removal quote but aren’t comfortable with people coming around to your house, keep reading to find out how you can get a visit-free removal quote. 

There are two options for a visit-free removal quote to be provided, in the form of a virtual survey or our online survey form. 

Own a smartphone or tablet? You can benefit from our video surveys which allows you to show our surveyors around your property to price up the cost of your removal. Not only is this a great option to get a home removal quote in the current climate, but it’s also a considerably suitable option for those who are looking to move to Plymouth or lead a busy life. 

Organising a video survey for removals couldn’t be easier with Hackworthy & Sons, all you need to do is call up and we will book you in and send you a link to the online meeting. From here, you will be required to do a walkaround of the house showing the surveyor each of the rooms in the house so that they can see how much needs to be moved. You will be asked questions as you go around the house about packing and dismantling and may be asked to show areas of the rooms, such as storage areas that aren’t fully visible to see from the call. That’s all we need from you for the video survey! Following the completion of the survey, our team will be able to calculate the service that you require, sending the completed inventory for your reference, along with a written quotation in a few days. 

Alternatively, another way to receive your visit-free removal quote is by filling out our online quotation form. The form has been created into sections of the house to help you easily identify what needs to be moved from each room, enabling you to walk around the house whilst completing the form. We’d recommend setting plenty of time aside to walk around the house to ensure that nothing is missed off the inventory list. 

With each of the sections in the form you will be able to tick the items that you need moved, but it’s important to remember the boxes that will be required to put the contents of items such as bookcases in. If there are any items that you have in a room that aren’t on the list of inventories, you must make sure to add these into the notes section in order to receive a valid visit-free removal quote. Once a visit-free removal quote form has been completed you can expect to receive a full written quotation and an inventory of your furniture within a few days. You can find more information on how to fill out our online quotation form on our website or by calling the Hackworthy team today. 

Obviously we cannot offer a visit-free removal, but you can be sure that all of the  Hackworthy & Sons removals procedures are in line with the latest government guidance. To ensure we meet the standards of a COVID-19 Secure Business and keep our customers and staff safe, we regularly review the COVID risk assessments and update our team with any changes. If you’d like more information or have any questions about obtaining a visit-free removal quote from Hackworthy, please do not hesitate to contact us today and we will be happy to help. 

Let’s face it, we are all counting the days until we retire and can visit anywhere in the world, without a care in the world. But have you considered living abroad once you retire, as an overseas removal company we wanted to take a look at the top best places to retire in the world and we sure wouldn't be fussy about living in any of these places. 

1. Portugal 

First up, is the European country famous for its beaches and home to international footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal. 

Recently, Portugal has become an increasingly popular place to retire, most likely to do with the low cost of living that Portugal has traditionally been seen to have. However, this can depend on the areas that you live. The main cities in Portugal typically have a higher cost of living in comparison to the rural areas of the country. Although substantially lower than other western European countries, is the cost of food and drink.

If you’re looking at retiring to the top best place to retire in the world from the UK, you can be sure to benefit from the 32% lower cost of living and 51% lower cost of rent that Portugal offers.

2. Panama 

One of the safest countries in Latin America and the 2nd best place to retire in the UK is… Panama. 

Panama offers a great retirement program, which provides easy residency to expats that are looking to retire in the country. This is known as “Pensionado”. With discounts offered to pension holders on utility services, medical expenses and entertainment, you can see why retiring to Panama is popular with expats. To benefit from this visa scheme, as an individual you’ll need to be receiving a minimum of $1000 per month, and $1250 as a couple. 

Thanks to the steady income and well paid jobs that The Panama Canal offers, along with Panama being the 2nd largest free trade zone in the world, this creates a significantly stable economy. This stability is not only a great benefit to Panamanians but also those who decide to retire to this wonderful country. 

3. Costa Rica 

If you’re currently living in America and are looking at retiring to another country, Costa Rica is a great option to consider out of the top 5 best places to retire in the world. As a result of the proximity to the US, this makes Costa Rica a perfect location to move to but be close enough to visit those family and friends that you’ve left in your home country. 

Costa Rica has a hugely established community of expats and is no stranger to being an international destination for retirees to move to.

One point that really stands out as a reason to retire in Costa Rica, is the low cost of healthcare that it provides. With citizens able to receive free healthcare and residents having only needing to pay a small cost to join the national healthcare program, you can be sure that you won't have to worry about healthcare when it comes to moving to this North America country. 

4. Mexico 

Are you looking to enjoy and savour an active lifestyle as a retiree? Mexico is the place to be, which is probably why the country is regularly found in the top best places to retire in the world. 

Mexico tends to be a very popular place for Americans and Canadians to travel to in comparison to the amount of Europeans travelling to the country. 

With favourable climates all year round, why would you want to stay and retire in a country where you have to wait for the warm times of the year? When you could be in sunny Mexico enjoying the warm weather throughout the entire year. The country is considered to be the perfect location for low- stress living as a result of the friendly people that live here, welcoming culture that they provide and of course the beautiful weather.

The cost of living in Mexico is a great opportunity to move to the country, as although dependent on your lifestyle can be a relatively reasonable place to live if you're happy to live on a fairly moderate income.

5. Columbia 

Surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, with 3 ranges of Andes mountains running through the country and home to 10% of the Amazon rainforest on its borders, do we really need to explain why Columbia is amongst the top best places to retire in the World?

Well… as Columbia is the 2nd most bio diverse country in the world, the country can offer anything from warm tropical locations to spring like cities and even to cold mountain locations. So whatever climate and lifestyle you’d like to choose to retire to Columbia has everything to choose from that you can ever imagine. 

Like Panama, retiring to Columbia you can also benefit from the ‘pensionado’ visa, but only have to prove a minimum monthly income of $700 from social security, rather than $1000 that Panama requests. 

So, this list could go on looking at 2020’s top best places to retire in the world, but we don’t want to bore you. However, if you’d like to check out what other countries have been listed as the best places to retire to, check out this great post by Business Insider. 

If you’re looking at retiring abroad currently and are looking for some information on overseas removals, be sure to get in touch with Hackworthy & Sons today by contacting us here.

When moving house you can almost guarantee that you’re going to want to buy new furniture or replace some existing furniture that you don’t want to keep anymore. But, what do you do with the unwanted furniture, you may ask? 

Well, the first thing you need to do before moving house is to work out the furniture that you’d like to get rid of, as this way you won’t waste much-needed room in the removal van that could be used. Now, let’s take a look at what to do with unwanted furniture from your house move. Some of these options may be quite obvious, but there are some really handy schemes that you can help others with. 

1. Sell 

The first thing that you might want to look at doing with your unwanted furniture is selling it. If your furniture is still in good condition and could be used again by somebody else, you could look at selling this onto others. For people who are buying their first home may be looking for some second-hand furniture to start furnishing their home before saving up to buy new furniture. 

There are many places you could sell your furniture with the most obvious ones being online marketplaces, such as Gumtree, eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Alternatively, if you don't want to sell your unwanted furniture online, you could take it along to a car boot sale or perhaps sell it onto a second-hand furniture store. 

2. Give Away To Friends Or Family

Has any of your friends or family ever admired pieces of your furniture? Consider first asking them if they would like any pieces of furniture before you clear out these pieces. This way you can know that your furniture is going to a good home and your friends and family will appreciate this gift. 

3. Donate To Charity Or A Theatre Group (for sets)

There are many charities that have their own separate charity furniture shops that are home to a variety of second-hand furniture for people to buy raising money for charity. So, when you are looking at what to do with unwanted furniture and would like to support the local community, why not donate the furniture to charity? If you donate furniture to the British Heart Foundation, they will even come and collect the furniture for you for free. So you don't have to worry about organising how you are going to get the furniture to their shop. 

You might also want to consider donating your furniture to local theatre groups who may appreciate these pieces to create sets for their performances. If this is something you’d like to do, it’s worth contacting a few of your local theatre groups to see if they could make use of your items. There are also places such as Freecycle which is a non-profit organisation that can take things off of your hands and keep off landfill sites. 

4. Dispose Of At The Recycling Centre 

If your unwanted furniture is not in the best condition for people to use again, you could dispose of this at your local recycling centres. Although, it's worth checking out the requirements of your recycling centre first, to make sure that they can take this. Nobody wants to waste a trip and find out that they won’t actually be able to take your items! 

5. Arrange Collection From The Local Council 

Unable to get your furniture down to the local recycling centre and wondering what to do with unwanted furniture? Don’t panic! You can arrange old furniture removals from your local councils, that come with a small cost. To apply for a special collection of large waste, you can visit GOV.UK for more information.

6. Sofa Rescue Schemes 

A great initiative that DFS has created to help reduce landfill and reduce harm to the planet is the Sofa Rescue Scheme which aims to recycle old sofas. Although this furniture removal service is only available to recycle sofas at the minute, if you have any unwanted armchairs, sofas or sofa beds that you want to clear out this is an option to consider. For only £89, you can get rid of up to 3 items of furniture (more with prior arrangement) and help save the environment in the process. We think that is money well spent! 

So, if you’re not sure what to do with unwanted furniture in your home, we hope this has given you some helpful advice on the steps that you could take to clear this out. 

We’d love to hear from you if there are any other options to get rid of your unwanted furniture that we haven’t covered here and we might even add them to this blog. 

Hackworthy & Sons have been carrying out house, office and international removals for over 40 years, and being the largest independent removal company in the South West we have lots of tips and advice for you. So, check out our blog or follow us on social to get organised for your house move. 

Boasting some of the most liveable cities in the world with a laid back lifestyle and great ‘work/life balance’, it’s no wonder that moving to Australia is so popular with expats. 

As anywhere, moving to Australia brings with it a lot of things to remember, from doing things in preparation for your overseas removal to learning the lingo (obviously, most speak English in Australia, but just like England they have their own slang words). 

• Get A Visa 

The first thing you must remember before moving from the UK to Australia is to apply for your visa and get this granted before travelling to the land down under. Australian visa applications are made through the Department of Home Affairs.  There are many options of visa to choose from which can be filtered down by choosing the most relevant situation to suit your needs. 

• Find A Place To Live 

If you haven’t already done so, whilst you are waiting for your visa application to be granted now is the time to look for somewhere to live. Unless you’re moving to Australia with an employer who will be paying for your accommodation whilst you are in the country, renting may be an option to consider as the average cost of residential property is $545,000, equalling to approximately £300,000. 

If you are looking to purchase a house in Australia, you’ll must do the following steps to buy a property: 

• Get a tax file number 
• Get a pre-approval on your loan 
• Apply for a mortgage
• Obtain approval from the foreign review board (anyone moving to Australia to live must get permission from the board before purchasing a property)

So, you’ve decided on renting a place in Australia, before emigrating it is worth collecting a reference from your current or previous landlord to provide to your new landlord so that they can guarantee that they are making the right choice by letting their property out to you. As well as this, you’ll want to consider setting aside some money to pay your security deposit (also known as a bond), which on average will cost around 4-6 weeks of rent, which will obviously vary depending on your rental costs. 

• Sort Out Admin 

Before moving to Australia, it is important to close any utility accounts, insurance policies and other relevant payments that you do not intend to transfer when emigrating to Australia. 

You don’t want to be paying for things that you aren’t using anymore, do you? 

Another administrative task that is recommended to carry out before moving to Australia is informing your solicitors of your house move and updating your will. Should anything happen to you whilst you are in Australia, you can be sure that your will is up to date for anyone included. 

All of these tasks are also likely to have contact details for you which will need updating, so updating important people of your new address is important to ensure that you still receive the essential communications from people. It’s also worth setting a mail-redirect up as well, as with so many places to remember updating your address it's highly likely that you’ll have forgotten somewhere. 

• It’s Time To Pack 

Packing is the next task to tackle when moving to Australia, in order for your overseas removal to take place. You should consider when moving from the UK to Australia the items that you may need to use in Australia that you don't use in the UK. The climate in Australia tends to be a lot more favourable in most areas than in the UK, and with this comes an increase in the need for holiday items such as mosquito spray, sun cream and swimwear. 

• Set Up A Bank Account 

Before you arrive in Australia, most banks in Australia offer the opportunity to open an account online so that you can start contributing money in Australian dollars to it up to a whole year before your overseas removal. All you will need for this is UK identification documents and your UK home address. For more information on opening a bank account in Australia, this Telegraph article put together by TransferWise has put together a really useful guide. 

• Organise Healthcare

With one of the most comprehensive healthcare systems in the world, you’ll need to understand how it works to assist in getting the best care for you and your family. Similar to the UK, the healthcare system in Australia is split into two parts; the public health system and the private health system.

The public system allows you to access care through Medicare, for free or at a lower cost, similar to the NHS in the UK, both of which are funded by the tax-payer. As obvious as it seems, the private system is paid for by an accumulation of government and private entities. 

So, when moving to Australia, you’ll need to make a decision on whether you want to use public or private healthcare. Either way, something to consider before emigrating to Australia is visiting your current doctor for advice and a check-up, especially if you are on regular medication. This way you can make sure that whilst you are looking for a new doctor's surgery when you arrive, you won’t run out of the medication you need. 

• Arrange Schools 

Again, the education system in Australia is much the same as the UK, with public school free for all Aussie residents and most students expected to wear a uniform. The school system won't feel unusual. With private schools, parents/guardians will be expected to pay for their child's education each year and should be aware that this cost will increase if they wish to send their child to boarding schools. 

When moving to Australia from the UK, your child will be familiar with the structure of the school, due to the structure reflecting what they are used to. Children are required to start school at the age of five and typically continue through until they’re 18. 

• Learn The Aussie Differences 

As anywhere in the world, Australia has its own form of slang words that may be completely different from the actual words that you are used to describing. Have you ever heard Australians refer to ‘nippers’? Weirdly this actually means ‘child’ (I know! I told you they can be completely different from the words you are used to). ‘Thongs’ actually refer to sandals and one you might be familiar with already is ‘barbie’, which is a barbeque (not a child’s toy doll). 

The final thing to remember when moving to Australia is that you must only walk on the left-hand side of the pavement and by law you are only allowed to cross at the designated crossings. Although you won't be penalised for walking on the right-hand side of the pavement, you can be fined AUD$70 for jaywalking. So keep that in mind when you take a walk around your neighbourhood. 

We’ve covered most of the things you need to know in preparation for moving to Australia, but if there is anything that would have really helped you to know be sure to let us know and we might add it into our guide. 

However, if you’re reading this as your planning on moving to Australia and are still looking for an overseas removal company, contact us today for a quote on 01752 548187.

Back in 2016, we took a look at the top 5 best countries for expats to live. 4 years later, we thought now would be a good time to take another look and see which countries have remained in the top 5 and whether there are any newcomers amongst the best places to live abroad in 2020.  

In a report curated by HSBC, the world’s longest-running survey of expats, the overall rank of each destination collates the score of each country in terms of the quality of life (‘Living’), career opportunities (‘Aspiring’) and the suitability for families (‘Little Expats’). 

1. Switzerland 

First up is a new entry to the top 5 best countries for expats, Switzerland. Switzerland has been within the top 10 best countries for expats since 2011, however, it wasn’t until 2019 that it reached number 1. 

Compared to the home country of expats that were involved in this study 82% have seen an improvement in their quality of life since their overseas removal. Money is a highly influential factor in the country being ranked so highly in the best countries for expats, and that’s because the cost of living is significantly higher than the other countries involved in the study. Home to two of the most expensive cities in the world, it comes as no surprise that the average salary is $203,000

Switzerland also ranked highly in the topic of ‘little expats’, with the country being popular amongst families, with over half of respondents in the study claiming that the treatment of the children in Swiss schools was better than those in their home countries. 

2. Singapore 

Whilst Switzerland was ranked fairly high for families, Singapore took the number one spot for the best country for expats with children. 

Expats from Singapore are hugely proud of the ability for their children to learn languages with almost three-quarters of respondents, praising the country for its ability to teach their children.

The safety and security of expats was found to be a higher contributor of the country ranking as the second-best place to move to. With 85% of people feeling safer and more secure in Singapore whilst also appreciating the clean and safe environment that the country is known for. 

3. Canada 

Did you know that one in five Canadians are foreign-born? With a statistic like this, you can see why Canada has to be on the list of the best countries for expats and is an easy country to emigrate to. However, let's take a look at why it reached number 3 in the top 5 best places for expats to live in 2020.

For those seeking a country to move to with a better quality of life, Canada is the place to choose. With a lower cost of living, expats have more disposable income in the country thanks to reduced expenses, meaning that you can enjoy the little luxuries such as visiting the famous Niagara Falls. 

So Canada, the second-largest country in the world, also hosts athird of its students from foreign countries. Because of this, you can be sure that the challenges your children may face on moving to Canada are well prepared for by the country's education system. 

4. Spain 

With over 80 million tourists visiting the country each year, Spain has a multitude of jobs in the tourism industry for expats living in the country. Spain also ranks highly in terms of quality of life, second only to Canada, which almost certainly has something to do with the delightful weather

Generally speaking, expats thrive from the flexible work environment that Spain offers. After all, with later start times and relaxing lunch breaks, why wouldn’t you want to live in Spain? 

Thanks to the warm weather and relaxed pace of life, it's little wonder why Spain has become a hugely popular place to retire to. 

5. New Zealand

Moving to a new country can seem daunting to start, but moving to New Zealand need not be. With loneliness being a common challengefor people when moving abroad, there is absolutely nothing to worry about with the people of New Zealand. Known for their friendliness, you can be sure to enjoy your time making new friends and exploring your new home. 

Have you ever noticed that New Zealand is a popular destination to visit when someone goes travelling around the world? That’s because of the experiences that you can do here from the thrill of skydiving to seeing the beautiful scenery that surrounds you. 

In comparison to other developed countries with bigger economies, however, lower salaries and fewer career opportunities are available in New Zealand. That said, with the amazing things this country has to offer, you may wish to consider the balance of your earnings against your quality of life. 

When looking at the top 5 best countries for expats in 2020, the countries all share a high ranking within the ‘Living’ and ‘Little Expats’ categories. With all 5 countries being ranked in the top 7 for living, and 4 out of 5 ranking in the top 5 for ‘Little Expats’, it's clear to see that family and quality of living is more important when moving abroad than work.

If you’re moving to live abroad and are looking for an overseas removals company to help move house, Hackworthy and Sons can help. For a quote, contact us today on 01752 548334 or fill out our online form.

One of our most frequently asked questions is “what is the government Help To Buy scheme?” 

Essentially it is a scheme that has been implemented to help first time buyers to get onto the property ladder. By providing financial help to assist buyers to get a property with just a 5% deposit. 

Not to be confused with the Help to Buy ISA, with the Help to Buy equity loan the government lends you up to 20% (40% if you’re in London) of the cost of your new home. 

You will be required to pay at least a 5% deposit and arrange a mortgage of up to 75% to make up the rest. For the first five years of owning your home the loan will be interest free. However, after this time, you’ll be charged a 1.75% fee of the loan value, that will then increase each year in accordance with the retail prices index. 

It is worth noting that, with the government Help To Buy scheme, although you may have purchased your house at £200,000, and you borrowed £40,000 with a 20% equity loan. 

If your house is valued at £250,000 when you come to sell it, you will be required to pay 20% of the selling price, meaning that you will need to pay back £50,000. A £10,000 difference to what you initially borrowed. 

Requirements Of A Help To Buy Equity Loan

Additionally to the requirements involved in the amount of money each party needs to put forward, something to remember is that the government Help To Buy scheme is only available on new build homes that are valued at less than £600,000. 

You mustn't rent out an existing property to buy a second home through the scheme, or on the contrary shouldn’t sublet your Help To Buy home either. 

More information on the requirements of the government Help To Buy scheme can be found on the Share to Buy website.

Difference Between Help To Buy Scheme and Shared Ownership

As the name suggests, a shared ownership means that you only own a share, rather than the whole property, unlike the Help To Buy scheme. In a shared ownership, costs will involve repaying your mortgage whilst at the same time paying rent to the housing association that owns the other share of your home. 

A shared ownership house can often work out more expensive than being the official owner, that’s because you only own a share of the property but are still required to pay a full service charge and council tax.

A Help to Buy: Shared ownership scheme is a great alternative to a traditional Help To Buy scheme if you can’t afford to pay 100% of the mortgage on a home from the start. Although, it allows you to buy larger shares of the house in the future when you can afford to (this is known as ‘staircasing). 

With shared ownership, unlike the Help to Buy equity loan, when it comes to selling your property, you will need to have this independently valued. From then, depending on the housing association, those registered with them can often be offered first refusal.

However, if nobody in the housing association shows interest, the property can then be put on the market and be advertised through an estate agent. 

The benefit that both of these schemes provide is the opportunity for remortgaging in order to gain a larger share of the property, from the government or the housing association. 

When you can afford to staircase your shared ownership property to 100% this will help you become eligible for a standard mortgage with better rates.

Although remortgaging is available with the help to buy equity loans, it can often be a little harder than shared ownership. As lenders will require borrowers to pay off the 20% equity loan in full before lending money, which some people may not be able to afford to do all at once. 

 

Whilst we can explain to you what the government Help To Buy schemes involve, it’s important to seek professional, legal advice if you’re looking to take up one of these affordable housing schemes in Plymouth. However, if you’ve recently purchased a house either using a government Help To Buy scheme or not, and are looking for a Plymouth removal company to help you move, get in touch with Hackworthy & Son’s today on 01752 547432 or email [email protected].  

First up if you haven't heard of self-storage then where have you been? 

Just kidding, self-storage is “a rented space in a building for storing property, where you can bring or take away your things by yourself”. An easy way to store your belongings if you are in need of some extra storage space at your home. 

Can short term storage help me when moving to a new house, you may ask? The answer is …. Yes, and we’re going to go through the reasons why you can rely on short term storage when moving house. 

1. First up, if you’re having to compromise on the storage space in your new house, then self-storage will help you. 

You may have had storage space in the loft at your previous house and are now moving into a house with a loft conversion resulting in much less storage space. By putting your belongings into storage this will help you store away the things that were in the loft in your previous house until you have built more storage space into your home. 

At Hackworthy & Sons, our sister company Plymouth Self Storage can provide you with the space you need for however long you need it, for you access 6 days a week. 

2. If you aren’t in a rush to unpack your boxes on moving day, why not store some of your non-essential belongings into a storage unit until you have unpacked the main brunt of your house and gradually bring in the things from the storage unit as and when you need it. 

By staging your house move, this will mean that you won't be overloaded with boxes when moving to a new house and help reduce the stress that often comes with moving day. 

3. When you’ve been out on house viewings, have you ever wondered why these houses look so pristine and free of clutter? Some people choose to pack some belongings that they don't need to hand, into a storage container. This can help to make their home look more appealing to potential buyers as this better showcases the home rather than the items in it. 

4. For those that have hobbies that require large pieces of equipment such as paddleboarding or surfing, a short-term storage unit could be helpful when moving house especially if your new house doesn’t have a garage that would fit this equipment in. Self-storage units are also a great place to store items such as camping equipment as this is something that you don’t need day to day so it isn’t required to be kept in the house if there isn't enough room. 

5. Are you between houses and temporarily renting with nowhere near as much room as you need for your things? Put some of the non-essential things that you won’t need to use soon into self-storage. Then, once you have found a house and have a moving date you can pick up your things from the short-term storage unit and take it to your new house. 

6. Finally, storage solutions are often used as a short-term storage option for students who have moved back home in their summer break. As they can store all of the kitchen items, furniture they may have bought and any university things that they won’t need over the summer whilst they are away for the summer before moving to a new house into their new student accommodation. 

We’ve previously looked at the reasons why you should hire a removal company, but have you explored the advantages you could benefit from by hiring a removal company? 

If not, you’re in luck, because we’re going to go through them for you here and we’re sure that you’ll never want to move house on your own again. 

Move Your Things Easily If You Don’t Drive

First of all, if you don’t drive one of the main benefits to you would be that you can move all of your things from house to house with the help of a removal company. Without this help, you are likely to face a few obstacles on how you plan to move house. Unless, you have a reliable family or friend that doesn't mind driving around to move your things. 

Safer To Move With A Removals Company 

When carrying out house removals with a removal company you can be sure that your items will be packed safely and carefully into the removal lorry. Moving on your own could pose some issues with breakages etc if you haven't packed the van correctly. But, the experience of a removal company is second to none, and at Hackworthy & Son’s our team receive regular training to ensure the safety of house removals for both parties. 

Another reason it can be safer to move with a removals company is that not only are the team trained to carry out your move in the safest way possible, but they also drive the removal vans day in and day out so are used to driving these vehicles. Whereas, if you are hiring out a van to move house on your own, you are most likely not too familiar with driving an alternative vehicle to your car. 

Peace Of Mind 

Using a removal company can help to give you peace of mind throughout the removals process, as you can be sure that everything is in hand when it comes to the transportation of your things on moving day. 

At Plymouth removal company, Hackworthy & Sons, we want you to feel as relaxed as possible on moving day. We offer additional services that can be added onto your removal quote to help you in every way we possibly can, whether this be a packing service or self storage. We can help! 

Reliability 

With removal companies you can be sure that they will always be there to help you on moving day. As reliable as your friends and family may be, you can never predict if something was to happen, or they are unwell on the day of your house move and are unable to help you move anymore. This can then leave you in a stressful situation where you may have less help than you originally thought. 

However, with a removal company you can always rely on them being there for your house removal. If a member of the team is unwell, the removal company can make other arrangements for a different member of the team to work. This may not be so easy to arrange for another family member or friend to help at such short notice. 

An additional reason that you can rely on Hackworthy & Sons for your house move is by taking up our cancellation waiver and late key waiver, which covers you should your move be cancelled at short notice or you are unable to get into your new house on time. This is something that is not always available with a van rental agreement. Thrifty, for example, is unable to offer refunds to any cancellations with less than 48 hours notice from the pick up date.  

Insurance To Cover You  

A removal company will be covered by insurance when moving your belongings. So you can be sure that your things will be covered should something happen to them on moving day. With a van rental, you will likely be covered for accidents or breakdowns, but may have to pay extra for insurance on the things inside the van. 

Experienced Removal Team

An experienced removal team is one of the most significant advantages of using a removal company. With the main reason for this being that they know the most efficient way to carry out a house move and can guide you through the process. In turn, reducing the stress for you. 

If you’ve recently moved house with a removal company and found any additional advantages, be sure to share these with us on social media to help future house movers decide on the best way to move house. 

Moving to another country is daunting, that’s why we’ve put together a checklist of the things you need to consider when moving from the UK to the US. Once you have found somewhere to live, moving to America is fairly straightforward once you have an international removal company booked. From here, you can then move your focus to the next stages of your move and follow the checklist provided here. 

At Hackworthy & Sons, we have carried out many international removals for our clients moving to America, and like any international house move, there are many things to consider beyond the usual checklist for moving house within the UK. The USA may be known as the ‘land of the free’ but that doesn't mean that there is nothing to prepare for when moving to America, which you’ll see from our checklist.

Moving To The USA From The UK Checklist

• Obtain The Relevant Visa 

The application process for a green card can take several months to complete when moving from the UK to the US, therefore you must make sure to leave plenty of time to obtain this. It’s a good idea to think about doing this once you have booked your international removal company, that way you know that the two most vital parts of your move have been sorted. You can find more information on applying for a US visa on our Moving To The USA page.

• Cancel Any Contracts In The UK 

In order to ensure that you aren’t continually charged for contracts that are no longer needed when moving to America, you should go through all of your financial commitments and make a list of the companies that you need to contact to cancel your payments. This may include any insurance policies, subscriptions you may have, utility companies, internet providers, and so on.  

• Take Out Health Insurance

When moving to America from the UK, it is vital that you take out health insurance, as there is not an NHS equivalent healthcare system in the USA. To avoid hefty medical fees, you need to finding a health insurance provider before moving from the UK to the US. 

• Apply For Social Security Number 

For those moving to America or working in the USA, you must apply for a social security number. This is a nine-digit number and is your first and continuous connection with social security, and identify and accurately record your covered wages or self-employment earnings. You will need it to get a job, collect social security benefits and some other government services. 

For more information on Social Security numbers and how to obtain a card, take a look at the SSA website.

• Set Up An American Bank Account

Those emigrating to the US should be aware that whilst most high street banks may be marketed as international, they often have strict requirements. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that anyone moving to America opens a US bank account. This will provide employers with an account to pay your salary into, allow you to easily pay bills and buy things without having to carry cash around. 

In order to open an American bank account, you will need to proof of your address, your passport, immigration documents and your social security number.

• Arrange Travel From The Airport To Your New Home 

If you’ve decided to purchase a car after you have arrived in America, you will need to make travel arrangements to get from the airport to your new home. This could be a taxi, an airport transfer or perhaps you are joining family members in America who could collect you. Either way, it’s important to not forget about this when moving from the UK to the USA to avoid any unwanted stress. Alternatively, if you’d like to take your car with you to America, we’d recommend checking if this is offered by your international removal company so that you can make additional arrangements if not. 

• Arrange To Have Wi-Fi Installed In Your New Home  

You will be so used to using the Wi-Fi in your home, so it’s easy to forget contacting internet providers before moving from the UK to the US. To ensure you don’t have to go without for too long, get a date in the diary with an internet provider within the first few days of moving to America. This way you will be able to keep in contact with your loved ones in the UK on WhatsApp or Skype, without having to pay the hefty fees of making international phone calls. 

• Familiarise Yourself With The Laws In America 

There are obviously many differences between the laws across all countries so as boring as it may be, we’d recommend you familiarise yourself with the laws of your home state to avoid getting yourself in trouble. Surprisingly, there are many differences between laws in the US and the UK and even more so in between each of the American states. It’s really important to look through these thoroughly, as what might be legal in one state may not be in another. 

Other things to consider in preparation for moving from the UK to the US, are to: 

• Set Up A Mail Redirect  

• Arrange Pet Relocation 

• Arrange Schools For Children 

• Gather All Important Documents (marriage certificate, birth certificate) 

• Make Sure Your Passport Is Valid 

• Book Plane Tickets

• Pay Any Outstanding Bills And Debts In The UK 

We hope that this checklist will help you prepare you for moving to America from the UK. If you’ve found this guide helpful, be sure to share this on social media to help others that are planning a move to the USA. 

We know how stressful office removals can be and that you’ll want to ensure the least downtime as possible, so we thought we’d provide you with our top tips on how to prepare for an office move.

1. Create a timeline

First up, by creating a timeline to work towards in the lead up to your office move this will help you to prepare and schedule in things to do along the way so that everything doesn't need to be done at once.

We’d recommend first making a list of the things that you need to do, and then put these in order of priorities, thinking about prioritising things that need to be organised with other people near the top.

It goes without saying that the longer time frame that you have the less time you will need to take out of each day to prepare for your move.

The following tips are things you may want to consider including in your office removal timeline in the order to best suit your needs.

2. Hire a removal company

Take the stress out of moving and hire an office removals company as soon as you can to help you move. By organising this as soon as you can this ensures that you have this sorted when it comes to carrying out the other tasks involved in office removals.

With office removals at Hackworthy & Sons there is no need to purchase boxes, you will be delivered packing crates to a week before your move. However, if your moving timeline means that your packing is due to be started before then let us know and we can organise to deliver them sooner.

3. Declutter any unnecessary items

Much like moving house, office removals will definitely unveil lots of unnecessary items, so use this time to declutter your office so that when you get to the new office all of the things moved will be necessary to keep.

This can help save space in the removal van as you won’t be carrying around items that wont be used in the new office.

4. Create a list of items

Once you have decluttered the unnecessary items from your office, you can then begin to create a list of the larger items required to move in the office removal. This will not only help you know what needs to be moved but will also help the office removal company to know all of the items of furniture that will be going with you to your new office.

5. Deep clean the office

Before your office removal takes place, you may want to give it a deep clean whilst it is completely empty, because when the furniture is moved in there will never be a chance to give it such a thorough clean again.

Although, the office will most likely be clean when you move in, by doing this you will know that everywhere has been cleaned to your satisfaction and will know exactly when it was deep cleaned last when it comes to needing to doing this again in the future.

6. Get everyone to pack up their own desk

Assigning each employee to pack up their own desk will help you to reduce the amount of time spent packing up the whole office, thanks to working as a team. Once each person has done this the office can then work together to pack up the remaining shared areas of the office.

Working as a team could almost be a tip of its own, as this can significantly reduce the time of office removals if packing is not just left to a few people.

7. Make sure everything will fit into the new office

It is important to remember to make sure that everything will fit into the new office before the office removal takes place. This is mostly in relation to the furniture as these are often the items that people move before realising that it won't fit it into the new office, which could waste some much needed space in the removals van. An important point to be considered if you’re buying new furniture for the office.

8. Label your boxes

By labelling boxes this helps everybody, from the office removal company to those that are helping with the move whether this be employees or family members.

Each person knows which room the boxes need to be put into and therefore know where to start unpacking.

A tip if you are moving into a new office with multiple rooms, is to create posters using the same terms labelled on the boxes to stick onto the doors of each room so that the office removal companies can match the boxes up to the rooms ensuring that there is no mix up of boxes in the wrong rooms.

9. Arrange a parking space for the removal van

As with all removals remember to arrange some parking space for the office removals van. It is likely with offices that you share parking areas with other organisations or people, so could mean that you may not be able to guarantee a space for the removal van without planning ahead and arranging for a space to be free on moving day. 

10. Update address on all communications

Finally, we’d suggest that you make a note of the communications that contain your address as this will need to be changed once you have moved into your new office. This could include email footers, business cards, google listings and more. It’s also worth putting a mail redirect in place to redirect any mail that gets sent to your old address which needs to be done at least 5 days before the date you would like the redirection to take place. 

To ensure the least business downtime as possible, preparation is key to office removals, so by following our top tips we hope that this has helped you plan how to best tackle your office move.