Things to do when moving into a new home or room in Accra

The progress of Ghanaian economy will rely on the young professionals who are now at the early stages of their careers to drive the nation forward by providing the energy and entrepreneurial skills that all good economies require to grow. Yet most of these people find themselves living in deplorable conditions due to the lack of affordable accommodation.

The 2015 Ghana Government Housing Policy document states that affordable housing is when workers can afford 30 percent of their income as rent. So, let’s assume that a bank teller or clerk will have a take home salary of between GHS1000 – GHS4000 based on experience. This would mean that for their accommodation needs to be deemed as affordable, they could only spend between GHS300-GHS1200 per month on rent (30% of the above-mentioned incomes). The current Accra market makes it very difficult to find suitable accommodation within these limits.

To compound the situation further, most landlords are still seeking one-year minimum advance payments for their properties, which is well above the legal requirement of 6months set by the Rent Act of 1963. Nevertheless, enforcing the 6months rental advance laws is difficult in a market where demand far outstrips supply for affordable units. Landlords will simply tell you to look elsewhere if you cannot pay.

When you do find the house you want in Accra, the question now is how to move in.  Where do you find reliable moving companies such as Los Angeles movers in Accra? Moving can be nerve-wracking, exhausting, and overwhelming. So it is advised to contact a professional moving company such as Vector Movers NJ. Well, there’s just so much to do in one day, and that can be a recipe for disaster. Here is a guide to make it a little easy on you:

Get new locks

You don’t want a stranger running around with a key to your front door or room if you are renting just a room, so changing the locks at your home is a natural step. Do it before moving in. Plus, getting the locks changed before you move in your belongings prevents them from being exposed during that brief window while your locks are getting switched over.

Check for leaks

When you’re moving in and not yet using any water, check your water meter. Wait two hours, making sure no one uses any water, and then check your meter again. It should read exactly the same. If it doesn’t, you have a plumbing leak.  You don’t want to keep your Healthy Chews somewhere that leaks unknowingly.

Change the toilet seats

A simple toilet seat swap will help you feel like the home is really yours – and it will keep you from worrying about what happened in it before you got the keys. If you want to go the extra mile, consider choosing a detachable toilet seat. With a detachable seat, you can take the whole thing off and get every nook and cranny sparkling.

Clean the cabinets and closets

Before you unload your dishware and clothes, give everything a thorough wipedown. It will take you minutes if you do it now, but the task becomes much more onerous once it involves unloading everything off of each shelf.

Do all major maintenance tasks

First off, vacuum out the coils underneath or behind your fridge. Over time, these coils can get clogged with hair and dust. This makes it more difficult for them to release heat, ultimately forcing your fridge to work harder. After you vacuum, use a coil cleaning brush to get them thoroughly cleaned. While you’re at it, flush your water heater to clear out any sediment and check if your air filters need to be replaced. Getting all of these tasks handled makes it easy to set a maintenance calendar from your move-in date, rather than having to remember a bunch of miscellaneous dates when each task was last completed.

Now that you’ve tackled the chores that will make it easy to get settled in your new home!