You cannot stress enough the importance of organising documents before you move out of your house. The last thing that you want to do is go through your packed bags and sealed boxes to try to find your lease papers or vehicle-related documents. Whether you have a small cabinet filled with your important papers or a huge wall unit that stores all your important documents, you must make it a point to organise them and store them neatly in an easily accessible container before you leave your house for good. Your checklist for moving house should have your documents marked as a priority.
Essential Things To Do Before Moving – The Importance Of Organising Your Documents
– Avoid Misplacing Important Papers
It is very easy for you to avoid misplacing all your important documents if you include managing your papers and files on your checklist for moving house. Just placing all your papers together in a single folder is not going to be helpful. You have to begin by categorising your documents so that they do not end up in the wrong file or folder. This way when you need them, you know which box to open or which folder to access.
– Prevent Your Documents From Getting Damaged
Also when you are moving house, you do not want to risk your documents getting torn or damaged at any cost. The right boxes, files, and folders will keep your documents away from any kind of mishap and will also prevent them from getting wrinkled and damaged.
– Save More Time When Moving House
Organising your papers and files is a very tedious task. But the earlier you do it the better it is for you. It is going to save you a lot of time when the day of moving out finally comes.
Here’s A Look At A Few Strategies That Can Help You Organise Your Important Papers Before You Move From Your Old House
1. Pick A Spot For Your Papers
This is very helpful. You will begin by selecting one small room in your house for all your important papers and documents. Whether it is the documentation relating to your vehicle or your insurance, your lease papers, or your child’s admission-related documents, all of them can be put in the same room. You can then begin sorting them out by categories. Make sure to use separate boxes and containers for all these different document categories. You can also colour-code the boxes. For example, your children’s school and tuition-related documents and invoices can go under the blue code and your property-related documents can go under the green code. Similarly, you can assign red colour to your vehicle and insurance-related document boxes and folders.
2. How To Organize Papers? With Action Items!
You can also separate your documents and papers based on the action required on them every month. For example, if you have any insurance papers to file or any invoices that need to be rechecked, you can put them in one box (under a green label). For the papers and documents that do not need to be acted upon, you can select a different box or container altogether (with a blue or grey label). You can also create a different box for any papers or subscriptions, magazines, upcoming bills, or birthday cards that you are expecting. For all your expired bills and old invoices that you still need to keep a record of, you can create a different box altogether.
3. Digitize Your Records
This is a completely different approach but it is very practical when it comes to organising your papers before you move house. If you do not want to keep any hard copies with you, you can convert them into digital or soft copies with the help of the right hardware and software tools. However, you might want to look into a few things before you discard the hard copies for good. Make sure that you do not have to reproduce them in front of any authority, public body, clerical office, or any other such venue that requires a hard copy of your documents for any process or formalities such as insurance claims, medicine prescriptions, and the like. This way you can store all your critical documents in separate files and folders on either your smartphone, calling tablet, or your laptop. You can also replicate them and keep a copy of them on your Google Drive or iCloud for easy access.
Now Let’s Understand How To Easily Categorise Your Records And Manage Them Like A Pro As You Move To Your New House
4. Organising Your Personal Records
Before you relocate to another city or state, it is important to collect all your personal papers and records such as:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Marriage certificate
- Social security cards
- Divorce documentation if any
- Military Service records if applicable·
- Will and power of attorney
5. Managing Your Health-Related Information
Your health-related information and medical records including your medicine descriptions are very critical. These include your:
- Prescriptions
- Medical bills and receipts
- Directives given to you by your healthcare professional
- Health Insurance documents·
- Life insurance policies
6. Streamlining Property Paperwork
Always remember to make a different box for your property-related paperwork and keep it easily accessible throughout the transit. It should contain your:
- Mortgage documentation
- Home improvement receipts
- Property deeds
- Tax payment information·
- Property insurance
7. Protecting Your Bank Account And Tax Information
Next is also one of the most critical categories of documents that you can never forget in your old house. This box should always be on the top of your list. It should contain:
- Records of your loan
- Investment records
- Tax deduction paperwork
- Tax returns
- Bank statements
- Credit card statements
- Information about your lockers
- Information on any joint/shared account
8. Automobile Records
Vehicle-related information is also very crucial. Create a small and lightweight box for your car records and make sure that it contains:
- Payment records
- Car loan information
- Maintenance records
- All the invoices and receipts of any repairs made
Conclusion
The trick to organising your documents efficiently and smoothly is to begin by categorising the paperwork that you have in your home. Assign a different box to every category and that will make your life a lot easier. Remember, you have to start with this process quite early on because it can get very complicated as the day of the move nears. The only way to sort out your documents and organise them without stressing yourself is to act sooner and move ahead gradually and step by step.
