Why spring is the best time to move and throw a housewarming

We moved house in February once. The van got stuck on an icy ramp, the sofa got wet, and it was dark by half past four. The next move was in April and took half the time. If you have any say in when you move, spring is the season to pick, and it is also the easiest season to fill a new flat with people.

The weather does most of the work for you

April and May give you mild days and mostly dry ground. Nobody is carrying a mattress through snow, and nobody is sweating through a 30-degree afternoon in a stairwell. The longer daylight matters more than people expect. Sunrise before seven and sunset after eight buys you three extra hours of loading and unloading without a torch.

Boxes stay dry, the van does not need de-icing, and the neighbours are outside, which means you meet them on day one instead of in June.

Movers and houses are both easier to find

Summer is still the busiest moving season, because families wait for the school holidays. Spring sits just before that rush. Removal companies and van hire firms have open slots, and they are more willing to shift a date by a day if the completion slips. Try that in the last week of July.

The housing market opens up too. Sellers put homes on the market when the garden looks its best and the rooms get light, so there are more listings to choose from in March and April than in November. The same goes for rentals in most cities.

It is the obvious moment to clear things out

Spring cleaning and moving are the same job. Sorting the flat before you pack gives you a reason to get rid of the ski jacket you wore twice, the second fondue set and the box of cables nobody can identify. Arriving in the new place with less stuff means fewer boxes to pay for and fewer things to find a home for. Be ruthless. Anything you have not touched since last spring goes.

Housewarming parties are easier in spring

Once you are in, the weather that helped with the move helps with the party. Open the windows, put a few chairs on the balcony or in the garden, and nobody has to worry about guests slipping on the path or fainting in a heatwave. Thirty people in a two-bedroom flat is fine in May. In January it is a sauna.

People are also keen to go out after a winter indoors, and nobody has left for their summer holiday yet. Send the invitation three weeks ahead and you will get a proper turnout. Do it in July and half of them are in Portugal.

Gifts you can use straight away

A spring housewarming changes what people bring. Guests can turn up with a lemon tree, a set of terracotta pots, a decent garden hose or a pair of folding chairs for the balcony, and you will use all of it that same week. In winter those same gifts sit in a cupboard until May. Make it easy for them by creating a wishlist with the specific things the new place needs, so your guests stop guessing and you do not end up with three toasters. Be honest on the list, too. If you want a proper knife rather than a candle, say so.

Moving in spring also leaves you a whole summer to settle in, learn where the good bakery is and get the routines sorted before the dark evenings return. When you are ready to plan the party, set up a wishlist for the new house. It takes a few minutes and it saves your friends from buying the same houseplant twice.