Moving to York / Moving From York: What You Should Know
Published on , in Community, Lifestyle, Moving Home.
Published on , in Community, Lifestyle, Moving Home.
Moving is something that many of us approach with some trepidation. There’s so much to do, from making housing arrangements and moving everything you own to finding your way around a new city and setting up new networks. But at the same time, a move is an exciting opportunity to start in on a new chapter of your life.
Whether you’re moving to York or looking to leave the city for the first time, having some inside expertise can make the process a little easier. Read on to discover what you need to know before you move to York and some tips to make moving away a little easier.
Before we dive into all the things you need to know about moving to York, let’s talk a little about the place itself. York is a city on the eastern side of England about twenty-five miles to the northeast of Leeds. The city is home to about 200,000 people and has been around for nearly 2,000 years.
York is a city where the historic Viking and Anglo-Saxon past lives in harmony with a sleek, modern future. You can visit Europe’s largest gothic cathedral in Europe and then spend an afternoon in some of the city’s 2,000 retail shops. The Rivers Foss and Ouse winds through the city, and there are a variety of excellent public transport options.
If you’re looking for somewhere affordable to live in England, York is a great option. On average, food bills tend to be lower than the national mean, with a gallon of milk costing just around £4. A three-course meal for two people will set you back about £50, and a pint is £4.
Utilities also tend to be on the lower end of the scale for average costs in England. For a 915-square-foot apartment, you can expect to pay just under £200 for all your basic utilities. Cost of petrol is also low, coming in around £4.75 per gallon as of this writing.
Overall, a family of four is looking at monthly costs of £2,447.22 before rent, and a single person can expect to pay £712.20.
Most homes in the York area are semi-detached, where you’ll have multiple separate homes joined to form one long building. You can expect to pay somewhere around £250,000 for a semi-detached house in York. You’ll pay a little less for a terraced property and a little more for a fully detached home.
Rent can range from around £600 to £1,000 per month, depending on how many bedrooms the apartment is and how close it is to the city centre. Your average one-bedroom apartment close to the city centre will be around £600. If you want a house in the city centre, expect to pay closer to £1,000.
If you're looking for a job in York, you’ll find that the job market is thriving. About 80 per cent of the population is employed in some form or fashion, a statistic that outdoes both the Yorkshire area average (74 per cent) and England’s overall average (76 per cent). More than half of those people are employed full-time, with most people working in the retail industry.
Because York is located so close to Leeds and Harrogate, the city is pulling in more and more business interest. Entrepreneurs want to take advantage of the tourist market and the growing younger population. The city council is also one of York’s biggest employers, with more than 5,000 employees on staff.
Because York has been around for so long (the earliest settlements may have been established around 8,000 BC!), it has a tremendous amount of history and culture to see. This draws in thousands of tourists every year, and the city boasts dozens of exciting opportunities. You can tour the two and a half miles of medieval walls that surround the city, go on dungeon walks and ghost tours, and visit Clifford’s Tower.
Because of the large tourism presence, York also has a thriving hospitality market. Dozens of pubs, restaurants, and clubs are scattered throughout the city. You can stop in and have a pint at a traditional pub, enjoy a classy dinner at a nice restaurant, or hit the town for a night at clubs with your friends.
There are several excellent schools around York if you have young children. Fulford School and Bootham School are both highly-ranked state schools with exam pass rates above the national average. If you want to send your children to a private school, St. Peter’s School and The Mount School are both excellent boarding schools around York.
For older students, York is home to two excellent universities. The University of York opened in 1963 and joined the Russel Group, a group of world-class, research-intensive universities, in 2012. York St. John University also split off from the University of Leeds in 2006, and there is a branch of the University of Law in York.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to stay on the go, York has plenty to keep you and your family busy. Aside from the historical attractions and thriving hospitality industry (it’s said that there are enough pubs in York that you can visit a new one on every day of the year), the city has a thriving nightlife. The York Barbican, Fibbers, and The Basement are all popular venues.
York has four theatres, one of which has been around for more than two centuries. If you’re a nature lover, the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales will provide you with plenty of gorgeous adventures. And the city hosts a variety of other vibrant cultural events throughout the year that will keep you and your family entertained.
Once you move to York, there are a few to-dos you’ll need to take care of. First, let the City of York Council know you’ve moved house so they can recalculate your bill. If you’ve built a new property, you may need to work with the Valuation Officer to determine which tax band your property falls into.
You’ll need to join the electoral register to make sure you can vote in York when election day rolls around. You’ll want to take advantage of the priority parking and discounts on bus travel and parking fees that residents get. You may also want to set up waste and recycling services, join the library, and learn about different community groups available around York.
If you’ve had some good years in York, it may be time to move on to a new place. There are a number of cities around England that can offer some amazing new opportunities. If you’re wanting to keep the commodities a larger city offers, Leeds and Harrogate are both tremendous towns that will offer you a good change of pace from York life.
Selby [more info] is another nearby town about fifteen miles down the River Ouse from York. Five miles north of York, you’ll find Haxby, a small town that’s home to just 8,000 people. Both of these cities will get you out of the hustle and bustle of York itself while keeping you near enough to enjoy all the city’s amenities.
When you’re getting ready to move away from York, one of the first things you’ll need to do is end your housing arrangement. If you’re renting, you may need to wait for your lease to expire and/or give your landlord notice that you don’t intend to continue letting their property. Check the terms of your lease to see what you’ll need to do to end that arrangement.
If you’ve bought a house, your situation may be a little more complex. You’ll need to list your house for sale, and you may want to work with an estate agent who can help guide you through the sale process. You may also want to get an energy performance certificate and “stage” your home for sale before you list it.
You’ll also need to find new housing wherever you intend to move before you start packing any boxes. Begin by deciding whether you want to buy or rent. If you plan to move on within the next few years, letting a place may be a smart choice, but if you want to stay for a long while, buying may be the better option.
Determine what your monthly budget for housing will be and look at the leasing and buying options in the area you’re moving to. Make a short list of possible properties and arrange a day to go out and tour the properties. When you find one you like, be sure to get any inspections or applications needed completing as soon as possible so you don’t have any delays in your move.
When you’re getting ready to move house, you may want to consider hiring a moving company to help out. For one thing, hiring professional movers helps to protect your property from damage. These professionals know how to keep furniture from getting scratched or broken during the move, and they carry insurance to cover any damage that does occur.
Professional movers also have the right equipment to handle moving large boxes, heavy furniture, and cumbersome fixtures. They can save you the hassle of throwing out your back while you’re trying to cram your wardrobe into a moving truck that’s a size too small. They will also take the hassle out of moving and remember you can have a house clearance if you have a lot of clutter to get rid of before you move into your new home—just give the company a call, sit back, and focus on starting life in your new home.
Before you start packing, check with your moving company about whether they offer a full-service option. When you use this option, your movers will pack everything for you, transport it to your new house, and unpack it for you. But you need to make sure you’re clear on whether that is a service your company offers before moving day arrives.
If you aren’t getting a full-service package, make sure to have everything in boxes and ready to go before the movers arrive. It’s a good idea to sort boxes by room and then by function so you know where to find everything when you’re unpacking at your new place. Make sure you label all the boxes clearly so the movers know what’s fragile and where everything needs to go in the new house.
On moving day, you’ll need to get an early start to make sure everything is ready when your movers arrive. Pack up any remaining items, including kitchen basics and your suitcase with a change of clothes and toiletries. Strip down the bed, pack up the bedding, and disassemble the bed as needed.
When the movers arrive, it’s best to stand back and let them do their job. You hired them to move your things, so don’t worry about helping them load the truck or carry heavy items. Stay around in case they have questions, but stay out of their way while they do their jobs.
Before you leave York for good, there are a few things you’ll need to take care of. Make sure you move your voting registration to your new home and set up any utilities in the new city. You may also want to cancel your library membership and let any organizations you’re involved with know you’re leaving.
Make one last sweep around your previous home before you head to the new place. Check in all the cabinets and drawers, even those ones above the refrigerator that you never look in. Look in all the closets, check any storage areas you have, and then close all the windows and lock all the doors before you leave to begin the next chapter of your life.
York is an amazing place to live, offering a beautiful blend of ancient history and sleek modernity. If you’re moving to York, be sure you dive in and take advantage of all the city has to offer. If you’re moving away, get your housing arrangements locked down then hire a team of professional movers to make the process easier.
If you’d like to work with the best movers in the York area, get in touch with us at 1 Van 1 Man Removals. We provide removals that remove the stress from your move. Get a free quote today and start arranging a better move day for yourself.