Moving checklist

Moving house


Months before you move

  • Give written notice to your landlord
  • Start getting quotes from removal firms or van hire companies

One month before moving

  • Find out the proposed completion date
  • Book a few days off work for moving
  • Tell your phone provider when to stop and restart your account
  • Give your bank, employer, doctor, insurance company (and all those other important people) your new address
  • Redirect your post
  • Arrange a meter reading and tell all utility companies of your move
  • Confirm a separate date for taking over utilities at your new address
  • Packing yourself? Start collecting boxes
  • Have a good clear out. Be ruthless, and don't forget the loft
  • Start packing things you don't use regularly
  • Start using your freezer contents

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Two weeks before moving

  • Start emptying the garage and the shed
  • Arrange a child and pet minder for the big day

One week before moving

  • Finish packing - and remember to write the contents on each box
  • Keep any valuable documents separate and safe
  • Pay the milkman and cancel the papers
  • Empty and defrost the fridge and freezer
  • Confirm the moving date and time with the removal company
  • Tell all your friends and family your new address and when you will move in

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One day before moving

  • Finish the last bit of packing
  • Keep your valuables and documents in a safe place
  • Keep your wallet handy
  • Make a box of moving essentials including: coffee, tea, milk and biscuits (don't forget a kettle), screwdrivers, Stanley knife, light bulbs, toilet paper, address book, bin liners and maybe even a radio

The day of the move

  • Start filling the van
  • Do one last walk through your old house to check you've got everything
  • Disconnect everything and write down all meter readings