Your Moving Home Checklist

Start with dates, keys and access

A calmer move begins with knowing when you can leave the old home and enter the new one. Confirm possession, key collection and any building arrangements before committing to a mover. A booked vehicle is little help if the lift is unavailable or the new home is not ready to receive furniture.

Make one moving record with dates, addresses, contacts, costs and outstanding tasks. Assign an owner to each task if several people are involved. Keep important confirmations together so nobody has to search through separate conversations on moving day.

The timeline below is a planning template. Compress or extend it to suit your circumstances, while keeping access, essential services and safe handling ahead of decorative purchases and non-urgent changes.

Work backwards from moving day

Leave some time between major dependencies where practical. If a purchase, tenancy or repair is not yet confirmed, discuss the mover's rescheduling terms rather than assuming the date cannot change. Identify a fallback for temporary storage or a delayed handover before it becomes urgent.

Move what you need, and check that it will fit

Work room by room and separate items to keep, donate, sell or dispose of appropriately. Set deadlines for anything that must leave before the move. Packing unwanted belongings creates extra handling at both ends and can make the new home harder to organise.

Measure large furniture and the route it must take: doorways, stair turns, lift openings and the final room. Ask whether dismantling and reassembly are required and who will do them. Do not assume an item will fit because it entered your current home several years ago.

Photograph complicated furniture or cable arrangements before taking them apart. Put labelled fittings in a secure bag and keep them with the relevant item or in a clearly marked hardware box. Arrange suitable specialists for appliances or fittings that need professional disconnection or installation.

Give movers the same information before comparing quotes

Share the pickup and delivery addresses, approximate inventory, large or fragile items, stairs, lift access, parking and preferred dates. Tell the mover about anything requiring special handling. If the volume or access is difficult to assess remotely, request an appropriate inspection or detailed review before relying on the price.

Ask what is included: crew, vehicle, packing materials, dismantling, loading, unloading and reassembly. Clarify extra trips, waiting, difficult access, storage and whether quoted charges include applicable taxes. Confirm the process and terms for loss or damage, including exclusions and reporting deadlines, rather than assuming comprehensive cover.

Save the accepted quote and inventory, arrival window, contact details and payment schedule. Ask how a date change or cancellation affects your payment. Agree who can authorise additional work on the day and how its cost will be confirmed.

Plan building access and the whole moving budget

Contact both buildings where management arrangements apply. Check permitted moving hours, lift reservations, loading space, protective coverings, access passes and any deposits or charges. Establish who will meet the vehicle and how the crew will reach the correct entrance.

Allow separately for packing supplies, cleaning, specialist installations, temporary storage and meals during the move. Keep refundable deposits separate from permanent costs and record when and how they should be returned under the agreed terms.

Pack by room and label for the person unloading

Pack items you rarely use first. Use manageable boxes, protect fragile contents and follow the packaging guidance for valuable or delicate equipment. Avoid making a box too heavy simply because it has space left. Tell the mover about contents requiring special handling before loading.

Label each box with its destination room, a short contents description and whether it should be opened early. Numbering boxes makes it easier to check an inventory without listing private details on the outside. Mark fragile items clearly, while still packing them appropriately.

Ask the mover what it will not carry and arrange a suitable alternative. Prepare appliances according to manufacturer instructions, including any draining, securing or waiting requirements. Do not improvise disconnection of gas, fixed electrical equipment or other installations that require competent help.

• Keep important documents, medication, valuables and essential devices with you.
• Back up important device data before equipment is moved.
• Separate cleaning products and other items that could leak or damage contents.
• Keep keys, access cards and small furniture fittings clearly labelled.
• Prepare a room plan so the crew can place large items correctly the first time.

Arrange utilities and update the right contacts

List the services you need at the new address: electricity, water, internet and any building access arrangements. Contact the relevant providers about account changes, lead times, documents and final billing. Confirm service availability before assuming equipment or an account can simply be transferred.

Record meter readings and dates at both properties when appropriate, with clear photographs and any agreed handover acknowledgement. Keep account numbers and final statements. Readings help document the transition but do not replace the provider's account-transfer or closure process.

Prepare an address-update list for your bank, employer, insurers, schools, regular deliveries and other organisations relevant to your household. Use each organisation's official process and avoid posting personal address details publicly. Cancel or redirect scheduled deliveries that could otherwise reach the old home.

Use a simple sequence on moving day

Keep access routes clear and avoid rushing the crew into unsafe handling. If a large item cannot pass through an opening, pause and agree a suitable method rather than forcing it. For changes to the job, confirm the scope and charge before proceeding where practical.

Review the final account against the quote and approved additions. Retain receipts and describe any unresolved issue in writing. Follow the agreed payment and dispute terms; do not assume a signature or verbal comment adequately records a detailed problem.

• Keep the essentials bag and items travelling with you separate from the load.
• Walk through the agreed inventory and handling requirements with the crew.
• Record relevant condition before loading and note any existing damage.
• Keep children and pets away from loading routes, with a responsible person assigned to them.
• Check cupboards, drawers, storage areas, balconies and agreed outdoor spaces before leaving.
• Record final readings, complete agreed cleaning and document the old-home key handover.
• At the new home, direct items to the intended rooms and check deliveries against the inventory.
• Record missing items, new damage or unfinished work promptly and follow the agreed reporting process.

Pack one bag for the first night

Assume you will not want to search through boxes after unloading. Pack enough to wash, eat simply, charge devices and sleep. Keep anything needed during the journey separate from items you only need once inside the new home.

Set up sleeping space and basic bathroom supplies before opening decorative or occasional-use items. Check essential services and make sure exits remain clear. Postpone non-urgent assembly if everyone is tired.

Finish the move in the first week

Check the inventory, test appliances in line with their instructions and report delivery issues within the agreed process and time limits. Keep packaging or other evidence where relevant until a problem has been reviewed. Confirm outstanding installation and repair appointments.

After possession, arrange authorised lock or access changes where appropriate, learn the location of water and electricity isolation points, and save building or maintenance contacts. Check who is responsible for any issue before commissioning work in a rented or shared building.

Complete address updates, follow up on final bills and agreed deposits, and dispose of packaging appropriately. Unpack one useful room at a time. A successful move is not an empty pile of boxes on the first evening; it is a home that works, with the important handover tasks completed.