Moving guide
Moving House Checklist: An 8-Week Plan
A useful checklist does more than say ‘pack boxes’. It puts decisions in the order they become expensive to fix. Use this plan as a working document: add the confirmed move date, name the person responsible for each task and keep the essentials box separate from the load.
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Eight to six weeks before
Confirm the moving window with everyone in the chain, then shortlist removal options. Make a room-by-room inventory before requesting a quote; photographs help with unusual or high-value pieces. Measure large furniture and the narrowest doors, lifts and stair turns at both addresses. Ask the building manager or council about loading restrictions, permits and bay suspensions. Decide what will be sold, donated, recycled or stored so it is not priced, packed and carried unnecessarily. If you rent, read the checkout instructions now rather than on the final day.
Five to three weeks before
Book the move only when the inventory, access and service scope are clear. Confirm who is arranging parking and whether the price includes packing, materials, dismantling, reassembly, storage or additional stops. Start with lofts, sheds, books and seasonal belongings. Label each box with its destination room and a short contents description; number boxes if you want a quick count at delivery. Notify schools, employers and service providers, and arrange care for children or pets if a busy loading area would be unsafe.
Two weeks to two days before
Run down frozen food, return borrowed items and assemble documents, medicines, chargers, keys and valuables that will travel with you. Photograph meter readings and the condition of both properties. Disconnect only appliances you are competent and authorised to handle; gas work must be done by an appropriate professional. Confirm the arrival window, contact number, parking plan and address details with the mover. Check that every item added since the quote is declared, because an undeclared wardrobe or garden load changes space and handling time.
Moving day and the first night
Keep exits clear and tell the team about fragile, heavy or do-not-move items before loading begins. Walk through cupboards, lofts, outbuildings and behind doors before the vehicle leaves. At delivery, direct boxes to labelled rooms and report visible damage promptly rather than waiting until packaging is discarded. Check utilities, locks, smoke alarms and essential beds first. Keep proof of payment, inventory photographs and move documents together until everything is unpacked and any issue is resolved.