Moving into a new property is a big deal.
Most people will have spent months – searching, viewing, negotiating, applying, waiting. By the time they actually get the keys, they’re exhausted, slightly anxious, and carrying the particular kind of hope that comes with a fresh start somewhere new.
That moment – key in hand, standing in a flat or house that’s about to become home – is the most emotionally charged moment in the entire client relationship. And it’s the moment most letting agents, homebuilders, and mortgage brokers do absolutely nothing with.
A new home welcome pack changes that. Done well, it transforms move-in day from a transaction into an experience. And experiences are what people remember, talk about, and base decisions on when they need an agency, broker, or developer again – or when a friend asks them for a recommendation.
What is a new home welcome pack?
A new home welcome pack is a curated collection of gifts and practical items sent to a tenant, buyer, or client at or around their move-in or completion date. Unlike a standard welcome letter, information folder, or completion email, a welcome pack is a physical, tangible gesture – something the recipient can open, use, and remember.
For letting agents, it’s the first meaningful touchpoint in the tenant relationship. For homebuilders, it’s the warm finish to a long sales journey that often ends with little more than a key drop. For mortgage and finance brokers, it’s a way of marking the moment your client’s approval actually becomes a home – long after the paperwork is done.
In every case, it serves the same purpose: a way of saying we know today is a lot, and we’re glad you’re here.
The best welcome packs combine practical items for the first few days in a new home with something more celebratory – treats, wellbeing touches, and branded elements that keep your name front of mind long after the boxes are unpacked.
Why welcome packs matter for property professionals
Before getting into the contents, it’s worth being clear about what a welcome pack is actually doing for your business – because it’s doing several things at once.
It sets the emotional tone for the entire relationship
The feeling someone has on move-in day tends to stick. A letting agent who made a tenant feel welcomed and valued at the start is one they associate with being treated well – which makes every subsequent interaction warmer, and every frustration easier to absorb. The same applies to a homebuilder remembered for a thoughtful handover, or a broker remembered for marking the milestone after the deal closed. Research consistently shows that customers who have a positive emotional experience early in a relationship are significantly more likely to stay long-term – and to come back next time.
It differentiates you from every other competitor
Most letting agents are difficult to distinguish at the point of move-in. Most homebuilders hand over a set of keys and a manual. Most brokers send a “congratulations on your approval” email and move on to the next file. A physical welcome pack is something tangible – something that proves the promise rather than just making it. In markets where everyone competes heavily on price and speed, a thoughtful gesture at the handover is a genuine differentiator.
It generates word-of-mouth referrals
A well-presented welcome pack gets photographed. It gets mentioned. When a friend asks “who’s your letting agent?”, “which developer did you buy from?”, or “who arranged your mortgage?” – it gets brought up. Word of mouth is the highest-quality lead source any property business has, and a memorable move-in experience is one of the most reliable ways to generate it without ever having to ask.
It increases the likelihood of renewal, repeat business, and referrals
Tenants who feel valued from day one are tenants who think twice before handing in notice. Buyers who feel looked after by their developer are the ones who recommend the brand to family and friends. Clients who feel remembered by their broker are the ones who come back when they remortgage or move. The investment you make at move-in compounds over time – showing up in higher renewal rates, longer tenancies, repeat instructions, and a portfolio of relationships that’s easier and cheaper to grow.
What to include in a new home welcome pack
Getting the contents right is everything. A welcome pack that feels generic or hastily assembled doesn’t achieve any of the above – it’s just a box of stuff. Here’s what actually works.
Practical essentials
Moving into a new home means living out of boxes for at least a few days. A welcome pack that acknowledges that reality – and makes those first few days a little easier – lands with far more warmth than one that’s purely indulgent.
Think about what someone genuinely needs in the first 24 to 48 hours: laundry capsules for the first wash, washing up liquid for the kitchen that isn’t quite unpacked yet, hand wash for the bathroom, toilet roll, because nobody ever remembers to pack toilet roll. Small things make thoughtful gestures.
Something celebratory
A move is a milestone – a fresh start, a new chapter – and a welcome pack should acknowledge that with something worth celebrating. A good bottle of prosecco or a quality non-alcoholic alternative covers all bases and feels genuinely generous. A packet of proper biscuits or something from an independent bakery adds warmth. The treats don’t need to be expensive. They need to feel considered.
Wellbeing touches
The first few nights in a new property can feel unsettled. Something that helps the recipient relax and feel at home – bath salts, a fragrance diffuser, a scented candle – turns a functional new house into somewhere that already feels like home. These tend to be the items recipients notice most, because they address the emotional side of the move rather than just the practical one.
Branded packaging and a tote bag
Your company’s name should be on the packaging – but tastefully. A sticker on a supermarket bag is forgettable. Custom-branded packaging that looks intentional and premium keeps your name present in the recipient’s home without feeling like an advert.
A branded tote bag is one of the most effective items you can include. It leaves the box on day one and goes out into the world – to the shop, to the gym, to a friend’s house. That’s passive brand awareness that costs you nothing after the initial order.
A personalised message
This is the element that separates a welcome pack from a gift box, and it costs almost nothing extra. A personalised printed card – not a template with a first name dropped in, but something that references the property, welcomes them to the area, or simply says something genuine – makes the whole thing feel like it came from a person rather than a process.
Two or three sentences is enough. The message doesn’t need to be long. It needs to feel human.
A charitable element
If your gifting partner donates to charity with every order, include that in the message. A recipient who knows their welcome gift also helped someone in need has a richer story to tell about your business – and a stronger emotional connection to the gesture. In a market where values increasingly matter to renters and buyers alike, this kind of detail counts.
What to avoid in a new home welcome pack
Welcome packs fail for a few predictable reasons. Here’s what not to do.
Generic supermarket products. A bottle of wine from a supermarket meal deal and a box of branded chocolates communicate one thing: this was grabbed in a hurry. The items themselves aren’t the problem – the signal they send is.
Overly corporate branding. A welcome pack plastered with your logo, your strapline, and a leaflet about your services isn’t a gift – it’s a marketing pack. Recipients can tell the difference, and they appreciate one considerably more than the other.
Non-inclusive contents. A welcome pack that includes alcohol for someone who doesn’t drink, or products containing allergens, doesn’t feel thoughtful – it feels careless. Choose a curated pack that caters to different dietary preferences and lifestyles as a default, so every recipient feels considered.
Poor packaging. Presentation matters enormously. A beautifully curated selection of products in a carrier bag communicates a very different message from the same products in a quality, branded gift box. The packaging is part of the experience.
Three new home welcome packs done properly
To give you concrete examples of what all of this looks like in practice, here are three of our most popular new home gifts – each designed for a different scale of business, deal size, and audience. They share the same DNA: practical essentials and indulgent treats, sustainable packaging, dietary-inclusive options, free UK delivery, a personalised message, and a charitable meal donation with every gift.
Dwell — £14.95
Best for: Single-occupancy lets, agencies sending at scale, brokers marking client approvals, and any business that wants to send consistently across a high volume of moves.
A simple, considered welcome gift focused on the small comforts that make the first day easier. Inside you’ll find a Lusso peppermint tea pack for that first cuppa, Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate, Border biscuits, Tiboo bamboo toilet roll, and Baylis & Harding luxury hand wash for the bathroom that hasn’t been unpacked yet.
At under £15, Dwell is the kind of welcome pack you can send to every move-in or every client approval without thinking twice about the budget – and it still feels like a real gift, not a token.
Abode — £29.95
Best for: Standard letting handovers, mid-range new build completions, and broker clients you want to mark properly.
Abode hits the sweet spot of the £25–£40 range that works best for most welcome packs – generous enough to feel considered, proportionate enough to scale across a portfolio. Inside the premium reusable keepsake box, recipients find Artisan Coffee Co coffee sachets, NEMI sustainable whole leaf tea, Tony’s Chocolonely chocolate, Miller’s cookies, and Love Corn – alongside the practical essentials that save them a trip to the shop on day one: Method anti-bac cleaner, Fairy washing up liquid, Tiboo bamboo toilet roll, and Baylis & Harding hand wash.
It’s the workhorse welcome pack – substantial, inclusive, and the kind that gets photographed and mentioned to a friend.
Home — £69.95
Best for: Premium lets, completed property sales, high-value mortgage completions, and the moves where the relationship really matters.
Home is the flagship, designed specifically for the move-in moment and the relationships you most want to invest in. It arrives in a sustainable, reusable keepsake gift box (the kind people keep rather than bin), and inside you’ll find a considered mix of the practical and the celebratory:
- Rituals Mini Fragrance Sticks — for those first settling-in evenings
- Prosecco DOC Extra Dry 75cl (or a quality 75cl non-alcoholic alternative) – to mark the occasion properly
- Shuzen Himalayan Bath Salts – for the first proper wind-down at home
- Lusso Breakfast Tea — for the first morning in the new place
- Northern Crumb Ginger Bakes / Miller’s Cookie Pouch – a little indulgence for the unpacking phase
- Smol Non-Bio Laundry Capsules – practical, eco-friendly, immediately useful
- Tiboo Premium Bamboo Toilet Roll – because nobody ever packs toilet roll
- Miniml Eco-Friendly Washing Up Liquid – for that first kitchen session
- Willow Home Printed Tote Bag – wearable, and genuinely useful beyond move-in day
- Serene Postcard – chosen during setup, adding a personal visual touch
- Personalised printed message from your business to the recipient
- 1 meal donated to a local person in need through our charity partners
- Free UK delivery to your office, the recipient’s new address, or wherever suits your process best
Home is the kind of welcome pack that gets photographed on move-in day. The kind that gets mentioned to a friend. The kind that makes a recipient think: this company actually cares.
How to make welcome packs part of your process
The businesses that get the most out of welcome packs aren’t treating each one as a separate task to organise. They’ve built it into their handover process – the same way the inventory check, key collection, or completion call is – so it happens consistently without adding to an already full plate.
With a gifting platform that allows you to order in bulk, schedule sends in advance, and manage your full client list in one place, the admin is minimal. You set the gift, set the message, and let the platform handle delivery. The recipient gets a beautifully presented welcome pack on move-in day without anyone in your team having to think about it twice.
That consistency is what builds a reputation. Not one great welcome pack for the client who happens to mention it – but a great welcome pack for every move, every time, that gradually becomes what your business is known for.
Frequently asked questions
What should I put in a new home welcome pack? The best welcome packs combine practical items for the first few days in a new home – laundry capsules, washing up liquid, toilet roll – with something celebratory like prosecco or quality biscuits, a wellbeing touch such as bath salts or a fragrance diffuser, branded packaging, and a personalised message card. The key is balancing thoughtfulness with practicality, and making sure the contents are inclusive of different dietary preferences and lifestyles.
How much should a welcome pack cost? For most letting agents, homebuilders, and brokers, a welcome pack in the £25–£40 range is the sweet spot – enough to feel genuinely generous and well-curated without being disproportionate to the value of the deal. For higher-volume sends, options around £15 still feel meaningful when curated well; for premium lets, completed sales, and significant client milestones, a £70 flagship gift can be the right call. When you consider that a single void period costs landlords an average of over £1,000 in lost rent, the ROI case for a £30 gift that increases the likelihood of renewal or referral is straightforward.
Should I brand my welcome pack? Yes – but subtly. Branded outer packaging and a branded tote bag keep your name in the recipient’s home naturally, without the welcome pack feeling like a marketing exercise. Avoid filling the box with leaflets, business cards, or promotional material. The gift itself is the brand statement.
Do welcome packs actually improve retention and referrals? Retention and referrals are influenced by multiple factors, but the emotional connection a client forms with your business early in the relationship is one of the most significant. A thoughtful welcome pack at move-in sets a positive tone for the entire relationship – which directly impacts how a tenant feels when renewal comes around, how a buyer talks about their developer, and how a client describes their broker to a friend. People who feel valued are people who come back, stay longer, and recommend you.
Can I send welcome packs directly to the recipient’s new address? Yes. A good gifting platform will handle delivery directly to the recipient’s new address, your office, or in bulk if you’re managing multiple moves in the same period. You can also schedule sends in advance so the gift arrives on or around move-in day without requiring manual coordination each time.
What is the best new home welcome gift? The best welcome gift is one that feels curated and personal rather than generic. Look for a gift that includes a mix of practical and indulgent items, caters to different dietary preferences, arrives in quality branded packaging, includes a personalised message, and – ideally – includes a charitable element that adds meaning to the gesture. Our Dwell, Abode, and Home gifts were all designed with exactly these criteria in mind and are used by letting agents, homebuilders, and brokers across the UK.
Do I need to send a welcome pack for every move? Consistency is what turns a welcome pack from a nice gesture into a competitive advantage. Sending one for some moves but not others creates an uneven experience and misses the compounding effect of a reputation built over time. With a bulk ordering and scheduling platform, the cost of consistency is minimal – and the return is significantly greater than a one-off gesture.
The bottom line
A new home welcome pack is one of the most cost-effective tools letting agents, homebuilders, and mortgage brokers have for building the kind of client relationships that lead to longer tenancies, repeat instructions, completed referrals, and a steady stream of word-of-mouth growth.
The cost of getting it right is small. The cost of doing nothing shows up quietly – in the form of tenants who drift away at renewal, buyers who don’t recommend the development to a friend, and clients who go elsewhere when they remortgage.
Make move-in day count. Your clients will remember it.
