Moving to a new home can require a lot of organisation and heavy lifting, add in complex disability equipment, and moving house with a disability is that much more challenging.
Whether you're moving out of a rental or a home you've owned and sold, moving house involves more than shifting your bed and stuff from a to b. Here's your quick guide to make your move as easy as possible.
1. 🚚 Funding your move
There's the above costs of taking out the stuff you don't want any more, and then there's the cost of moving your things you want to take with you.
If you're funded by Disability Support Services or not funded at all, you could borrow from Work and Income to help cover your moving costs. They specifically state that disabled people (with income under a certain level) can apply for their moving costs grant to receive support from a moving company.
You don't have to already be getting a benefit from Work and Income, but you do need to be an ordinary New Zealand resident. You could be eligible to borrow up to $1,500 so you will need to bring a quote in from a moving company when you have your Work and Income appointment.
You can find a link here Moving Costs Grant - Work and Income. (external link)
If you're funded through ACC, it's worth getting in touch with your Case Manager to find out if you're able to request moving support.
2. 🦽 Moving your equipment
Some equipment might not be safe for you or your moving company to take apart and put back together on the other end. You should chat to your assessor (occupation therapist, physio or person who requested the equipment) or the equipment provider to find out the best way to safely do this.
Organisations like Enable New Zealand and AccessAble have lists of local subcontractors who they trust to do a safe and quality job.
Check out the Enable trusted providers list (external link)
View AccessAble's subcontractor and builder list (external link)
3. 🛍️ You have to take everything out with you that you brought in
This can feel like a big ask, but you'd want to move into a clean and clear house too so it makes sense. If you don't do this, your property manager might take some of your bond for the cost of removal, or your house purchaser might try to negotiate at the last minute to factor in those costs.
There are a couple of ways to do this.
COLLECTION - If you have unwanted disability equipment, you can contact your disability equipment provider to ask them to come pick it up. Give a few weeks notice to ensure you can book a good day for collection.
Enable New Zealand and AccessAble are New Zealand's two disability equipment providers. You can contact them for pick ups at the links below.
Equipment collection or repair | Enable New Zealand (external link)
Arrange a collection | Accessable (external link)
RECYCLE - ♻️ You could also consider asking someone you know with a good-sized vehicle to help you donate unwanted furniture or equipment to. Or some places like the Salvation Army might come to you for a pick up. It's worth checking out your local op-shops to find out (Always check opening hours!).
RUBBISH - 🗑️ Depending on how long you've lived there and what your hobbies are, you might want to book a skip bin with your local waste management company. Or if you don't have so much to get rid of, just buy a few extra council rubbish bags. You'll be surprised with how many out-of-date foodstuffs are hidden away in corners of the pantry when you move.
4. 🧹 Cleaning up here and there
Similarly to the rule with leaving stuff behind, you might face a financial penalty if you leave your home dirty. Cleaning up a whole house can take a lot more time than you would think so factor this in when you book a moving company or organise friends to help you shift. It's much easier to clean an empty room or house and faster too if you're paying an external provider.
The places that are easier to forget to clean are often your oven, light switches and behind the fridge/microwave.
5. 📧 Who needs your new address?
Finally, there's nothing more frustrating than missing a vital letter or visitor because they've gone to your old home. Don't forget to go online or contact your bank, NZ Transport Authority (for your vehicle), your funding provider, and anyone else you can think of who might need to send you important information. It's illegal to open someone else's mail in New Zealand, but that doesn't mean that it'll get to you unless they have your address.
You can also set up a redirect with NZ Post, meaning that mail which comes through their posties can be sent to your new address.
Take a look online at NZ Post Redirect to set this up. (external link)
Last updated on Thursday, 5 December 2024