The Domestically Challenged Desi Wife is officially playing house again! It was bound to happen after my Domestically Challenged Desi Bride series and now that we’re relocating within Bandra after two years of living at “The Favorite” I figured I’d create a little relocation 101 guide for anyone who’s moving in (or out) in Mumbai this year. You’re welcome :)

1. The Broker.

The broker is key really, because aside from showing you a variety of flats within your budget, the broker will negotiate with your new landlord, do all your paperwork and draw up the agreement. He’s also your go-to guy if anything goes down in your new flat that requires your landlords attention. I have a few brokers we’ve come to know and love and if you give them my reference they’ll take extra special care of you :) just drop me a comment below or email info@missmalini.com and I’ll connect you to them.

2. Cleaning Up!

It helps a great deal if you send in a cleaning crew before you move in your furniture (and also before you do your pest control.) I’m using Hammer and Mop that I discovered via Luxury Limo, these guys will spend 6 hours scrubbing every surface till it sparkles and they’ll do it with a smile :)

Hammer & Mop +919223544599
email: support@hammerandmop.com

3. Pest Control.

I like knowing my new house is going to be pest free, for the most part, and I’ve used Godrej’s Pest Control services twice now. Most pest control guys use an odorless un-invasive procedure which means you’re not killing yourself in the process! They charge 1500rs for an annual service which involves 4 visits, or 700rs for just one time. I’d go with the 4x to be safe. (Oh and avoid feeding in your number online for a free quote, I did and have now been getting non-stop call backs saying “madame pest control?” for the last 4 hours, super annoying.)

Pest Control +919029591244 (not sure if he’s Godrej but he did a good job!)

4. Movers & Packers…

You’d be surprised how much STUFF we’ve accumulated in the past two years, the upside of moving is that you tend to toss out a lot of old junk. I’m also giving my closet it a Keep It/Toss It once over before I move (heart-wrenching stuff.) Anything I haven’t worn in over a year is going bye-bye. I called several movers & packers who gave me wildly varying cost assessments (all upwards of 13k-16k to pack and move the same stuff within Bandra) then @Bombayed tweeted me the info for packersmoversbandra.com and I discovered www.royalpacker.com who were super efficient, labeled everything packed AND unpacked all of it at half that price. Sold!

Firoz Khan +919820027762
email: royalrelocations@gmail.com 

5. Furniture for Rent

If you’re an expat than you can join the Bombay Expats Yahoo mail group where people often post listings of furniture up for sale and I’d highly recommend a visit to Batliwala & Co. furniture hirerers in Fort. They have everything you could possibly imagine up for rent and they deliver!

D. C. Batliwala and Co. 12, Homi Modi Street, Fort
Razia +91 022 2204 2128
Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to 7pm. Sundays closed.
www.detailsdecor.in

6. The AC Rental Guy.

Bombay (or Mumbai if you prefer) gets hot. Real hot. And unless you’re planning on sweating it out, I’d recommend buying or renting your ACs. Depending on whether you go for split or regular you should be able to manage in 500rs-1000rs per month with a 2000rs deposit and 400rs per AC transport/installation charges.

AC Guy +91 9819021925

*You’ll probably need an electrician, plumber and carpenter to come fix up your place and help you hang up your art! I’ll add their numbers here as I find them and once I suss them out :)

7. Treat Yourself!

Now that you’re all set up and moved out. The carpenters been, so has the plumber and electrician. You’ve moved your furniture around, and then around again till it’s where you want it. You’ve unpacked what feels like a zillion cardboard boxes and lovingly arranged all your books on the bookshelf…. I do believe you have earned yourself a little something something! I’ve discovered an at home foot spa service called Wat Pho Foot Spa. Call and book yourself a foot spa, back rub, mani pedi, you name it they’ve got it and they’re super reasonable. Bonus: the lovely Thai crew that turns up is super polite and professional too!

Panchami Ghavri +919833570685
email: panchamighavri@gmail.com

Welcome home, home sweet home :) xoxo

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Posted on: Thursday, August 16th, 2012 at 10:48 pm Filed under: Lifestyle, missmalini Exclusives, Spa, Beauty and Fitness, The Domestically Challenged Desi Bride. Follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback from your own site.