Checklist
Moving house checklist: 8 weeks to moving day
Work through this list from about eight weeks before your move. Tick things off as you go - your ticks are saved in this browser - or print it and stick it on the fridge. Every move is different, so skip anything that doesn't apply.
Last reviewed
8 weeks before
- ☐ Settle on your moving date, or a date range, with your solicitor, landlord or letting agent
- ☐ Start decluttering: sell, donate or recycle anything you won't take with you
- ☐ List your items online so removal companies can quote without a home survey visit
- ☐ Compare removal companies: check their insurance, reviews and what each quote includes
- ☐ If you rent, check your tenancy's notice period and give notice in writing
- ☐ Start a moving folder for quotes, contracts, key dates and reference numbers
6 weeks before
- ☐ Book your removal company once your date is confirmed
- ☐ Ask about packing, dismantling and anything that needs special handling
- ☐ Get boxes, tape and packing paper, or check whether your mover supplies them
- ☐ Check parking at both homes and ask the council about reserving space for the van if you need it
- ☐ Book time off work for moving day
- ☐ Arrange broadband at your new home - installations can take a while
4 weeks before
- ☐ Start packing things you rarely use: the loft, the garage, spare rooms
- ☐ Set up Royal Mail redirection so your post follows you
- ☐ Tell the council tax office for your old home and your new one
- ☐ Arrange childcare or pet care for moving day
- ☐ Start using up frozen and tinned food
- ☐ Check how your belongings are insured while they're being moved
2 weeks before
- ☐ Confirm the date, times and both addresses with your removal company
- ☐ Start updating your address - our 'who to tell' checklist covers the usual list
- ☐ Tell your energy and water suppliers your moving date
- ☐ Return anything borrowed and collect repairs or dry-cleaning
- ☐ Agree how you'll get the new keys and where you'll leave the old ones
1 week before
- ☐ Pack most rooms, labelling each box with its room and what's in it
- ☐ Pack an open-first box: kettle, mugs, chargers, toilet roll, medication, bedding
- ☐ Defrost the freezer a day or two before the move if it's going with you
- ☐ Measure big furniture and the doorways and stairs at your new home
- ☐ Double-check parking arrangements at both addresses
The day before
- ☐ Finish packing, apart from the open-first box and an overnight bag
- ☐ Take apart any furniture you're dismantling yourself, and bag and label the screws
- ☐ Charge your phone and keep documents, keys and valuables with you, not in the van
- ☐ Check the time the crew is arriving and the route to your new home
Moving day
- ☐ Take meter readings at your old home and photograph them
- ☐ Check every room, cupboard, the loft and the garden before the van leaves
- ☐ Lock up and hand over or leave the keys as agreed
- ☐ Take meter readings at your new home and photograph them
Your first weeks in the new home
- ☐ Register with a new GP practice if you've moved out of your old one's area
- ☐ Register to vote at your new address
- ☐ Update your driving licence and vehicle log book (V5C) address
- ☐ Test the smoke alarms, and any carbon monoxide alarms
- ☐ Find the stopcock, the fuse box and the gas and electricity meters
- ☐ Leave a review of your removal company
Related guides
Compare removal companies - start with your postcode, then list what you're moving online. Prices can change until you book.