According to Just Property, 295,989 residential properties changed hands in South Africa during 2023. If you include the old owners moving out and the new owners moving in, that’s 591,978 households that were potentially uninsured for at least a portion of their move.

King Price Insurance’s partner of client experience Wynand van Vuuren says that it’s easy to forget about the insurance implications during the stress of moving house, but keeping your insurance up to date should be at the top of your to-do list.

Here are Van Vuuren’s top insurance tips for consumers who’re planning a move:

Let your insurer know in advance that you’ll be moving so that they can update your address and check whether your premium will be impacted. “Aspects like the security at your new home, as well as its proximity to open pieces of land, building sites and informal settlements, and more, could change the premium you’re currently paying for both your buildings and home contents.” Talking to your insurer upfront also means they’ll be able to cancel the cover at your old home and switch it to your new home-sweet-home so there’s no double cover and no gap in cover.Use a professional moving company that has insurance in place to cover your home contents while they’re in transit. Accidents happen, and so does theft and, unfortunately, your home contents aren’t covered for either if they’re on the back of a private bakkie or trailer (or in any privately-owned vehicle) en route to your new home. When you’re getting quotes from movers, ask for proof of this insurance.If you move your things from one home to another in stages, you should remember to insure them at both addresses. You can speak to your insurer regularly and adjust the insured values at each address as you go, to ensure that your home contents are always covered, and never over- or under-insured at either address.Packing is the perfect time to update your home contents inventory. “Many people purge while they’re packing, using the opportunity to let go of things they no longer want or use. This is also a great time to compile an up to date home contents inventory, which is a list of everything that goes inside your home and its value. You can use it to make sure everything reaches its destination after being loaded into the moving truck, and it’s also invaluable in determining the correct insured value for your home contents.” You can download a handy home contents inventory form here.

Van Vuuren adds that if you’re building your new home from the ground up, or renovating it before you move in, you should check that the contractor/s have the correct commercial insurance for the building works, materials, and associated liability, for your property. The bonding bank may require proof of this insurance, but either way, it’s critical that the cover is in place before any work starts.

“Moving house is considered one of the five most stressful life events. Lean on your insurer to take care of the details, while you focus on the actual move knowing that your new home and all your treasured possessions are safely covered,” says Van Vuuren.