Moving house is a long and stressful process, but it's often those crucial 24 hours on the day of the move that cause the most headaches.
A poll of 2,000 people by bedroom and furniture retailer Happy Beds revealed that the most common disasters include damaged furniture and walls, furniture that doesn't fit, and tricky items that can't be manoeuvred around the house.
Half the homeowners surveyed said they'd experienced a moving 'fail' on the big day.
In addition, 31 per cent bought a piece of furniture that wouldn't fit through the door, and one in 10 even lost their keys before they arrived at their new home.
These are the top stressors to watch out for on moving day:
- Damaged furniture
- Scratched walls
- Not being able to fit an item through the door
- Not being able to manoeuvre furniture up/down the stairs
- Not being able to manoeuvre furniture around a corner
- Boxes breaking
- Previous residents hadn't totally moved out or left things behind
- The house wasn't ready
- Not having everything packed up in time
- Delicate possessions breaking
- Removal van showing up late
- Lost boxes
- Feeling ill
- Friends who lent a hand cancelling at the last minute
- Losing keys
- Car/van breaking down
- Problems picking up a rental van
- Removal van getting lost
- Keys breaking in the door
- Getting lost
The stresses of moving day even disrupt homeowners' sleep: half of movers grab less than five hours' kip in preparation.
Joy Richards of Happy Beds said: 'Many Brits will be sleep-deprived and completely stressed out by the time that first box is loaded into the van, so finding ways to take the pressure off and reduce the possibility of catastrophe are vital.
'However, occasionally accidents do happen – so even if a beloved heirloom gets smashed, try not to lose too much sleep over it.'
Mike Fallon, director and conveyancing solicitor at Howells Solicitors, added: 'The secret to minimising stress when moving home is to make the process as simple and straightforward as possible, from beginning to end.
'Having the support of people you can rely on can really make the difference – taking the worry out of this exciting period of your life.
'If you can relax in the knowledge that the exchange and completion is in safe hands and will go through without a hitch, that is one less concern off your plate and you can concentrate on packing and unpacking again.'
