They say moving is one of the most stressful things you can do in your life. A recent Which? survey put selling and buying a house at number 2 and 3 on the list of top 10 stressful things, just behind getting a divorce and ahead of having a child.

Throw valuable items into the mix, and the stress levels are cranked up even higher.

Over time, we develop personal attachments to items, especially family heirlooms, rare art works and favourite pieces of china or glass. So it can be hard to give control of these over to a bunch of strangers – even if they are professionals.

But there are a few steps you can take to help reduce your anxiety and give you the peace of mind that these much-loved treasures will make the move in one piece…

Research your removal firm

There hundreds of removal firms available ranging from the man-in-a-van type to high-quality specialists. If you have a number of expansive or personal items that you want moving, it’s worth going for a firm that specialise in such moves.

After that, check online reviews or ask for references. If someone else in your area has moved house recently, find out who they used. Also, ask how many men they will send and what their level of experience is.

Make sure you’re insured

Even with the best house movers in the world, accidents can happen. So it’s worth knowing the value of your goods so you can claim on insurance.

Don’t just guess the value of your goods, though – get them professionally valued before you move so you don’t get short-changed if something does go wrong.

Itemise your things

You’ll probably have more things to move than you imagine. Keeping an inventory of what’s going is vital, especially for the expensive items. When you’re getting a quote from a removal firm they often ask for an itemised list. Make sure it’s a comprehensive list of everything.

Also, don’t just list what’s going – you’ve also got to note the condition everything is in. Make sure you take note of every scratch and chip and get the firm to sign off – just like you would if you were hiring a car.

Take things yourself

If you’re not 100% happy, you can take smaller items yourself. But remember, you might not be insured if you break it. Gocompare.com found that 81% of home insurance providers do cover possessions during removal as standard - but only if you're using a professional to transport them.

Don’t do it on the cheap

You might think that you can do it all yourself – all you need is a van and some bubble wrap. But packing and transporting goods is a bit of an art form – expert removal firms know exactly how to stack items so they don’t move in transit, or that delicate items aren’t crushed by other household goods. Simply put, you get what you pay for.

Know where everything goes

Mark on the packaging where each item is going and keep a list of what goes where. This means you can tick things off at the other end when they arrive and will be able to spot missing items right away. If you find that something has been lost in transit, it’ll be harder to prove it weeks later.

Check condition on arrival

Once your valuable are all accounted for, check anything you think might be fragile or prone to accidents. Again, if you don’t do this until a few days or weeks after you’ve moved it’ll be hard to prove to both the moving company and insurance provider that the damage happened during the move and not while you were unpacking.