A recent survey has found that 82% of homeowners claim to have never made a mistake while moving house, compared to 18% of renters saying the same.[1] But out of 12 common moving mistakes analysed, nine are more frequent among owners.

The study, by Go.Compare Home Insurance, highlighted that 90% of Brits have moved house at least once, and 65% admit to making mistakes during the transition from one home to another.

The most frequent mistake is misplacing an item, made by one-quarter (26%) of movers. Homeowners are more likely to be at fault for this, with two-thirds admitting to it, compared to around a third (34%) of renters. This is also the case for the second most common mistake – breaking an item in transit – something that over a fifth (22%) of residents had done overall.

Forgetting to label boxes was the third most common error, a mistake made by 16% of movers. Not allowing enough time to load or unload belongings, and dropping an item causing it to break complete the top five moving mistakes with both made by 15% and 14% of respondents, respectively.

Here are the most common moving mistakes:

Of these 12 errors, only three are more frequent among renters. These include losing the keys to the property, a mistake made by just 1% of respondents overall, forgetting or leaving it too late to book a removals company, and forgetting to take final and initial meter readings.

The survey also found that well over half (58%) of residents have forgotten to update their address when moving. Updating clubs and memberships with your new address is the most frequently forgotten, with over a tenth (12%) of respondents admitting to this.

Nathan Blackler, home insurance expert at Go.Compare, said: “Moving house can be a stressful time and the amount of things you need to consider or keep track of can often be overwhelming. Some of the most frequently made mistakes don’t come as a surprise, and although you can take steps to minimise accidents from happening, sometimes things simply go wrong.

“With forgetfulness being such a big factor in moving mistakes, it often helps to create a checklist of everything you need to do. It can also be beneficial to map out a timeline, as some things shouldn’t be left until the last minute, like booking a removals company or updating your home insurance.”

For more information on moving home mistakes and a helpful moving checklist visit Go.Compare.