Sort temporary accommodation if there's a gap before your new place is ready

Long-distance and regional moves are the ones most likely to have a gap — your old settlement date, your new one, and the day the movers can actually deliver don't always line up perfectly, and a truck already loaded with your furniture isn't a backup place to sleep.

How to do it

1. Check your actual dates first — settlement day, moving-truck delivery day, and the day you can physically get keys aren't always the same day, especially on a long-distance move.
2. Book a short-stay option near your new place, not just anywhere in the city — even one night closer in saves real hassle on moving day itself.
3. Ask your removalist directly whether they offer short-term storage if your new place genuinely isn't ready — some do, as part of the same booking.
4. Book earlier over summer — short-term accommodation books out around the same peak season your movers do.

Common mistakes

• Assuming settlement day and delivery day will automatically line up — confirm both against the calendar rather than trusting it
• Booking accommodation on the wrong side of the city for your new address, not the side that actually helps on moving day
• Leaving it until the week of the move, when both movers and short-term stays are hardest to book affordably

Related tasks

If you already know there's a gap, mention it when you're getting quotes for your mover — see if short-term storage can be bundled into the same booking rather than arranged separately.