And, according to research, this year will be no exception as August 30th is predicted to be this year's busiest moving day for Brits.
Based on figures from the English Housing survey, there were 625,000 owner occupier moves in England in 2016-2017 or approximately 1,700 moves per day. On the most popular day of the year, 3.8 times this level (approximately 6,500 moves) are expected. Looking at the most popular month and days to move, this translates into 75,000 homeowners moving in the month of August, alone and 175,000 homeowners moving on Fridays over the course of the year.
Paula Higgins, Chief Executive of the HomeOwners Alliance, says: “Many homeowners like to move during the school summer holidays so their children can settle into their new place in time for the new academic year, which is the start of September across most of the UK.
It may appear sensible to move on a Friday, so you have time to unpack and settle in over the weekend before heading back to work. But we advise people to be exceptionally careful if they move on a Friday. On this particular Friday, 30th August, with even more moves expected to be happening than usual, it's paramount that people are as organised as possible.
Of course delays can occur at any time, but issues with transfers of funds are more likely to happen on a Friday when banks, conveyancers and removal firms are stretched to the limit as it’s the time when most housing deals tend to complete. On the last Friday of the month bank money transfers can get overloaded and it’s peak time for conveyancing fraud. If there are delays in transferring funds, you may have to spend the weekend in a hotel or on friends’ and families’ sofa.”
Rob Houghton, CEO of reallymoving, adds: “Moving on the busiest day of the year isn’t for the faint-hearted, especially with the August bank holiday also happening that week, pushing more moves onto the remaining four days. Ensure your solicitor and everyone in the chain knows you’re working towards that date and book your removals firm well in advance, so you only need to confirm as soon as you exchange. It’s best to ask them to come to your house to assess the volume of your belongings. This ensures you have the right sized van and number of team members on the day of your move.”
Further moving day research by the HomeOwners Alliance, discovered 115,000 delayed moves annually. One in five homeowners (19%) who bought their home between 2016 and 2018 had moving day delays because of sellers vacating their homes late or funds not being cleared on time.
A quarter (25%) of these homeowners incurred costs of more than £500 on average, with one in seven (14%) of them losing more than £1,000 in costs, including removal firms cancellation charges and hourly waiting charges, storage fees, hotel/ accommodation costs and late completion charges.
Tips on avoiding moving day delays:
Suggest a mid-week move to all in your chain pointing out the potential downfall of choosing to move on a busy day. Savings are possible, for example, removals firms may offer mid-week deals on prices. See our guide on https://hoa.org.uk/advice/guides-for-homeowners/i-am-buying/what-is-the-best-day-to-move-house/
If you have to move on a Friday, ask your solicitor to order the mortgage money from your lender the day before completion so it can be transferred first thing on the day of the move. Do not allow the transfer to take place later than 3pm. Otherwise you will likely be stranded without keys to your new abode until Monday.
If you're going to be moving this August, remember things will be busier. Start getting quotes for removals firms as soon as possible - you want them ready to appoint immediately after exchanging contracts. Read our guide on how to find the right removals company https://hoa.org.uk/how-to-find-the-right-removals-company/
Choose a removals firm you trust and have rapport with. Talk through what would happen if a delay occurred. For example, do they have emergency storage if needed?
