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

Interstate moves are the ones most likely to have a genuine gap -- your old settlement date, your new one, and the day an interstate removalist can actually deliver your belongings don't always line up, especially over a long distance.

How to do it

1. Check your actual dates first -- settlement day, removalist delivery day, and the day you can physically get keys aren't always the same day on an interstate move.
2. Book a short-stay option near your new place, not just anywhere in the city -- being close by 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 if your move falls around a peak period -- short-term accommodation books out around the same busy periods 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
• Leaving it until the week of the move, when both movers and short-term stays are hardest to book

Related tasks

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