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Moving House Checklist

Are you moving house? Congratulations! To ensure the move is a success and to keep your stress levels down, use this ‘Moving House Checklist’ which starts two months before the move date and gets you all organized until you’re settled into your new home.

Moving House Checklist – Two Months Before The Move Date

  • Find or purchase a folder for all the move information to be housed – an accordion file with several sections works best. Create a section for anything to do with selling your current house and buying your new home.
  • Get a floor plan of the new home including dimensions of the rooms and windows. (Note: you might have to go and to this yourself, but it’s worth having!)
  • Draw up a list of your larger possessions.
  • Decide what items you’ll take to your new home and where you will place larger items.
  • Write down what’s going to go in each room. You can also take pictures of the rooms at the new home, paste them into Word or print them out and paste onto a piece of paper.  Next to each image/room, note the items that are going to go there.
  • If you have items you don’t want to take, start considering how you’ll get rid of them.  You can sell them on Ebay, Craigslist, or through a Free-cycle type website (sites that allow you to give and take things for free). You can offer to give items to friends/family and also remember that charity shops will be very happy to receive donations. You can also have a garage sale if you’re moving during the spring/summer.
  • Start telling any friends/family members about the upcoming move to ensure they’re available to help when the move happens.
  • Start getting quotes for the move:
    • If moving yourself, do you need to hire a moving van? If yes, get three quotes.
    • If using a moving company, arrange for three companies to visit and offer quotes. Remember to ask them about insurance – how it works, what it covers and what the costs are.
    • If your company is helping with the move, find out what they are and are not paying for.
    • If you’re not cleaning the house after your possessions have been removed, get a quote for a cleaning service.
    • Any pets? If yes, consider putting them in kennel or getting a babysitter for them. Moves can be very unsetteling for a pet.

Moving House Checklist – Six Weeks Before The Move Date

  • Start cleaning and organizing cupboards, dressers, sideboards, closets, the attic and any spaces that you can’t see. By getting everything organised you can decide to get rid of unwanted items and prepare for easily boxing things up.
  • Start boxing things up if you know you won’t be using them for a few months. For example, if it’s summer there’s not harm in boxing up your winter clothes. Remember to put the name of the room that the box needs to go to! And once you start boxing things up, create a packing inventory list. Put a number on every box and then on a piece of paper or in an Excel sheet, enter the number and give an idea of what’s in the box.
  • Start making a list of all the people and companies that send you mail – you’ll have to eventually notify them of your change of address.
  • Find out what the current owners of the house are keeping and leaving (if there are current owners). This might impact what you keep or leave at your current house.

Moving House Checklist – One Month Before The Move Date

  • Finalize your move date so you can start organizing the move day.
  • Appoint a moving firm, hire a moving van and/or let your friends/family know of the moving date.
  • Schedule the cleaning service.
  • Request time off work if needed.
  • Get friends/family that are helping to request time off work.
  • Cancel any contracts that need one months notice (For example, nursery school).
  • Start using all the food in your cupboards and freezer – run your supplies down so that you don’t have to waste time and money moving them.
  • Keep packing and start to note the things you want to move personally (valuables, important documents, passports, etc) versus the things that others can move for you.
  • Notify the post office of your move date and put a automatic forward on your mail.

Moving House Checklist – Two Weeks Before The Move Date

  • If you take medications, make sure you have adequate prescription medicines to cover the moving period.
  • Safely dispose of all flammables e.g. Paints, Gas Bottles, Cleaning Fluids, etc.
  • Get rid of anything you don’t want to take – whether you give it away or take it to the dumps.
  • If you have children, consider finding a babysitter for the kids while you move.
  • Remind freinds/family that the move date is in two weeks.

Moving House Checklist – One Week Before The Move Date

  • Put all your important documents/valuables in one plain, sturdy box and place it where you can keep your eye on it – this should include passports, driving licenses, house deeds, wills, insurance papers,  jewelry and cash. Also – keep your cleaning items off to one side, you may need to use these before you move your items into the new house (vacuum, cleaning supplies, sponges, paper towel, window cleaner, etc).
  • Keep all  your moving-related documents near by.
  • Finish packing so you have everything boxed up and ready to go other than what is necessary to use for the next week. If it helps, pretend you and the family are going on vacation and you all have to pack your bags for a couple weeks. Include clothes, shoes, wash bag and all the things you and the family need on a daily basis. Put the packed bags to one side and pack  up the rest of the house.
  • Remind friends/family that the move is next week and firm up times, transporation and logistics.

Moving House Checklist – One Day Before The Move Date

  • Label one box “TOP BOX” and have it contain the absolute essentials: coffee and coffee pot, sugar, toilet paper, hand soap and towel, etc.
  • Make sure that every box has a destination room clearly noted.
  • Make sure your packing inventory list is up to date – all the boxes you’ve packed in addition to large furniture and possessions.
  • Ensure that everything is packed, taped and strongly contained.
  • Strip the beds and put the sheets/bedding to one side so that you can remake the beds once they’re set up in the new house.
  • Make arrangements to get the keys to your new home.
  • If you have children, make sure to set aside any special toys, blankets or items that will help them to feel more settled.
  • Make arrangements for food and drink to be available at the current house and new house – pack a cooler or make plans to stop at a grocery store to get food.

Moving House Checklist –  The Move Day

  • Record all utility meter readings (gas, electricity, and water).
  • Stay until your movers and/or helpers have finished.
  • Make sure everyone has driving directions to the new house.
  • Take one final look around to ensure everything has been packed.
  • Before leaving check that all windows are secure and water, gas and electricity supplies are switched off.
  • Clean the house.
  • Collect your valuables, cleaning items and anything that you personally want to move and head to your new home!

Moving House Checklist – Once You’re In Your New Home

  • Take a look at the house and make sure everything is in order.
  • Quickly vacuum the house and sponge down any cupboards before things start getting moved in.
  • Make sure you (or someone you appoint) is present when the moving company arrives so you can guide them around the house confirming what is to be moved and any special instructions.
  • Check the unloading of your items and account for each one on your packing inventory.
  • Check carefully for any damaged or missing items.
  • Place moving and other important documents in a safe place.
  • Put food and drink out for everyone.
  • Consider what’s most important and get that done first – if you have frozen food, sort out the freezer. If you want to sleep in your bed, get the beds put together, etc.

Moving House Checklist – After You’ve Moved In

  • Make the beds.
  • Plug in your telephones and large appliances.
  • Let older children organize their own rooms.
  • Settle younger children in one room with some toys and treats.
  • If possible, keep pets away until you are settled in.
  • Pat yourself on your back and realize that you just survived one of the most stressful things you can do in life!

Anything missing? Add it down below and I’ll update this checklist to make it even more amazing!

About Kim Brown

CheckListables Co-founder

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13 comments

  1. These are cool tips. Short but helpful checklists.

  2. Thank you for this information, I am going to move from my existing house to a new place.. This guide will help me a lot, really appreciate the way you have presented overall information about the same really in a well manner!! If you are looking same kind of valuable information, then can also visit Printstocknz.com.

  3. I do like a good list and these are cool

  4. This is a really informative share for me to read the whole blog and gain some lucrative pieces of moving ideas. How many times required to move the whole house? I think a moving estimate app can save time and cost.

  5. First of all thank you so much. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours these days. I truly appreciate individuals like you! Thank you for all the information on moving house Checklist.

  6. I really love your tip to do a quick clean of the new house before everything is moved in so you don’t have to work around everything. About a week ago, my sister informed the whole family that she is going to be moving out of the city. We are sad to see her moving farther away, but we are excited to have her start her own journey. I hope she looks for good movers to help her.

  7. I would highly recommend the Home Removals Company for their professionalism, efficiency and organisation. Peter the owner is very flexible and adaptable specifically regarding our ever changing moving date. Peter was able to accommodate me at very short notice. I would have no doubt in recommending this company for your future removal needs

  8. “Once YOUR in your house” section title should be written as “Once you’re in your house.”

  9. I am making my checklist for moving and your tips are very helpful to complete my list. Thank you for sharing

  10. @Lesa
    Thanks for the tip, I’ve added your suggestion into the moving house checklist – thanks very much! Hope you found this checklist useful.

  11. I would add: when packing, create a single box of essentials. I call this the “TOP BOX,” and it contains the absolute essentials: coffee and coffee pot, sugar, toilet paper, hand soap and towel, etc.

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