Safety Tips for Women while Moving

Everyone should be cautious and take care to protect themselves and their belongings while moving.  Women moving by themselves may be particularly vulnerable to break-ins.  Here are some simple tips and precautions to take to protect yourself during and after your move.

Before You Move

• As tempting as it may be to tell everyone about your upcoming move, best to share this information with as few people as possible. This tip actually goes for any time you are leaving town...shouting out to all your "friends" on Facebook simply alerts people to the fact that you're leaving a home unattended and ripe for a burglary.
• Set up the post office to hold your mail until you have fully moved out of your old home.  Anyone with access to your mailbox can lift up that little yellow "forwarded mail" sticker to see your old address...a home that likely has everything packed up in boxes and could be an easy target.
• Check out your new neighborhood before move day...try to identify any risks your new city/area of town may have. 
• If you have access to your new home before move-day, change all your door locks before you actually move in.  You never know how many keys to your home are floating around!

Move-Day

• Have a friend with you on the day of the move...good for moral support, and also just better to have another person around, since you'll have many strangers in your home (movers, potentially the cable guy, etc.)
• Don't tell neighbors that you're living alone.
• Move any valuables (jewelry, silver, etc.) yourself, and keep them locked in your trunk until you're ready to bring them inside.  Even better, you could put them in a safe deposit box, or store them at a friend's house until you move in.
• Keep your purse and other items you want to protect and move yourself safely together in a closet or bathroom clearly marked "DO NOT MOVE".  This will also ensure that your keys and other necessities do not get packed away in a box during the move.
• Label your boxes simply by which room they should go into, not "DVD Player", "Stereo Equipment" to avoid calling attention to valuables.  To keep track of the contents of the boxes, number them and keep a list with you that has the numbered boxes and their contents.
• It's likely during the move that every door and possibly even window has been unlocked...make sure all doors and windows are locked securely after the movers leave.

After the Move - Settling In

• If you weren't able to change your locks before you moved in, do so as soon as possible.  You don't know how many people the previous owner allowed to have a copy of the keys.
• Cover windows as soon as possible to restrict the view from the outside, even if it's as simple as hanging up some sheets with thumbtacks.  Local big-box stores have paper window shades that are cheap and are easily "installed" with self-adhesive tape...no need for anything fancy right off the bat.
• When arranging for utility services to be installed, invite a friend over so you're not alone.  You can even make a fun day out of it, and you won't be in your home alone with a stranger.  Also, never tell a service person that you live by yourself.

Last but not least, now that you've taken the precautions to protect yourself and your belongings, ENJOY your new adventure!  Although stressful, moving to a new home can be very fun and exciting!

Need help planning your move?  Call BoxCart Moving & Storage for a quote!  (703) 263-3300 or email us at: info@boxcart.com