We know moving can be stressful, but we like to make sure our customers enjoy a hassle free move regardless. But what happens when the removal trucks have all gone and you’re left with boxes and the task of finding a home for all your stuff?
New research by us says that almost three quarters of Britons say they experienced relationship problems after moving home with a significant other. The figure increased to almost nine out of 10 for those moving in together for the first time, with more than one in 10 of those saying the house move contributed to their relationship breaking down permanently.
Just 2% of those moving together for the first time experienced no relationship issues – even temporary ones – at all, while that figure jumped to almost one in three for couples already cohabiting.
Disagreements over the pre-move clear out and what to throw away were the biggest source of conflict among couples moving home together, ahead of financial issues and general move-related stress. Adjusting to one another’s habits was the biggest cause of friction for couples moving in for the first time.
11% of people moving in with a significant other for the first time say the move contributed to the end of their relationship. 6% of already co-habiting couples say a house move contributed to the end of their relationship. 17.5% in total say they experienced “serious” relationship issues of some kind after moving house together.
However stressful house moves are though, it seems practice makes perfect. The research revealed that the more moves a couple did together, the less likely they were to experience relationship problems.
Fewer than half of couples who’d moved together more than twice already said they experienced relationship problems on subsequent moves and of those, just 10% were described as serious.
Top causes of conflict for couples moving in for the first time
- Adjusting to new habits
- Lack of personal space
- Financial disagreements
- Sharing chores
- Move-related stress
- Disagreement over what to keep and what to throw away
Top causes of conflict for already cohabiting couples
- Disagreement over what to keep and what to throw away
- Financial disagreements
- Move-related stress
- Sharing of chores
- Lack of personal space
- Adjusting to new habits
Less common sources of friction came up too:
One female respondent said she resented splitting the food bill because her boyfriend was an avid gym goer who ate everything in sight.
Another reported that having to share a bathroom with her boyfriend caused problems, having been used to sharing with girls before.
One male respondent reported that his expectations of how the relationship would progress were too high, reporting that he was disappointed that nothing much had changed at all.
Another said he found his significant other’s commitment to tidiness difficult, especially when he couldn’t find belongings that had been “tidied away.”
Relationship coach and author Annie Kaszina offered this advice for couples planning on taking the plunge together.
“Agree on your game-plan ahead of time. Work out together how you can make this work; together. Have a strategy for handling the issues that are likely to crop up, as well as an agreed method for resolving conflict (hint: pistols at dawn, sulks, and screaming matches are not the best methods of conflict resolution).
“Have a clear, shared policy on bills and money management, standards of cleanliness and hygiene, mutual support, and chore management.
“Be realistic. Don’t expect your partner to be a domestic god or goddess, especially if they showed no signs of that in their own place.
“Have a designated, shared bank account for shared expenses.”
Image credit – Wiki Commons
