And finally…1 in 10 Britons split after house move

The figure increased to almost nine out of 10 (87 per cent) for those moving in together for the first time, with more than one in 10 (11 per cent) of those saying the house move contributed to their relationship breaking down permanently (8.5 per cent for co-habiting couples), according to research conducted by London removals firm Kiwi Movers.

The survey of British adults also revealed that 17.5 per cent in total experienced “serious” relationship issues after moving house together.

The pre-move clear out and arguments about what to throw away were the biggest source of conflict for couples moving home together, ahead of financial issues and general move-related stress, the survey found.

Adjusting to one another’s habits was the biggest cause of friction for couples moving in for the first time.

Just 2 per cent of those moving home together for the first time experienced no relationship issues at all - even temporary ones - while that figure jumped to almost one in three (32 per cent) for couples already cohabiting.

11 per cent of people moving in with a significant other for the first time say the move contributed to the end of their relationship.

Of those, more than half (58 per cent) had split within 6 months of moving in together, 80 per cent in total had split within a year

6 per cent of already co-habiting couples say a house move contributed to the end of their relationship.

Of those, 39 per cent had split within 6 months of moving in together, 52 per cent in total had split within a year

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 (47 per cent) of couples who’d moved together more than twice already said they experienced relationship problems on subsequent moves and of those, just 10 per cent were described as serious.

Relationship coach and author Annie Kaszina said planning was key: “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.”

Regan Mcmillan, director of Kiwi Movers said: “We see first hand the stresses couples deal with when moving. Aside from the obvious ones like getting their belongings safely to the new place and fitting furniture into new spaces, many are concerned about things they can’t control, like retrieving their deposits promptly and getting important mail delivered.

“It’s understandable that some stress and friction lingers after the move. Regarding the most common causes of friction, we advise clients to agree before the move what to throw out and what to keep, rather than adding it into the post-move mix.”