Moving House Checklist

Moving to a new house is like having another full time job added onto your daily life temporarily. The numerous organisational tasks, administrative duties, hours of planning, days of packing, phone calls and emails notifying relevant authorities can quickly begin to feel like an endless mountain to climb. On top of all this you’re experiencing the intense emotions associated with the life changing process of relocation. This is why we strongly recommend that you don’t do this alone. In fact, we recommend seeking out as much help as you can.

A professional moving service can turn this mountain into a molehill. Rather than stressing about how you’re going to find time to pack and move everything, the assistance of a moving team can take the load off and allow you to focus on the best parts of moving. Give yourself permission to forget about packing and instead think about where you’d like the movers to put your furniture. Delegate the heavy lifting and spend that extra time scoping out the best cafes in your new neighbourhood.

Once you’ve booked yourself a moving service, don’t forget that there are still plenty of small but important tasks to get done before your move day. In this checklist for moving house, we provide a comprehensive list of all the jobs you need to complete to get yourself prepared for the move. To give yourself time to move through this list without stress, we recommend starting the first stage of the checklist approximately six to eight weeks before your moving day.

In this first stage of your moving process, we recommend starting with some of the crucial steps that will set you up for success down the line. First and foremost is scheduling your move date with a premium moving service. It’s important to start with this step so that you can guarantee availability on the day you want. This will also allow you to plan everything else around this date, giving you some concrete timelines from which to work.

Once you’ve got a date locked in, you can start completing some of the small, but important administrative tasks that could easily pile up if you don’t get on top of them early. These include sorting out your home and contents insurance policy for your new house. This early stage is also optimal for initiating some of the longer processes like organising a change of school for your children, purging your home of unwanted items and creating an inventory of everything that needs to be moved.

• Book a mover
• Contents and household insurance
• Organise change of schools
• Make an inventory of everything (note condition + special care instructions)
• Sell, donate or throw out all unnecessary/unwanted possessions

Stage two of the moving checklist is longer as you are starting to get into the gritty details of the move. This is the time to start notifying relevant authorities of your move, like the electoral office, postal office, utility services and other relevant agencies. In addition to these administrative tasks, this is the stage to start preparing for the practical aspects of the move like packing. If you plan to do your own packing, start sourcing all of the packing material that you will require. Make sure to get high quality packing boxes and other materials to ensure that your possessions will be secure during transit.

This stage also includes organising any other moving services that you will require. This includes things like storage or extra vehicle transportation. It’s important to schedule these extra services as early as possible to guarantee availability that suits your moving date.

• Notify electoral office
• Transfer utilities
• Setup mail redirection
• Redirect subscriptions (newspapers, magazines etc)
• Acquire packing materials
• Label everything clearly
• Prepare a bag of essential items
• Arrange rubbish pickup with local council
• Set date for key collection with real estate agency
• Pack precious items like jewelry
• Schedule property inspection and final clean if renting
• Dispose of flammable liquids (paint, cleaning fluids, bleach, garden chemicals etc)
• Create folder for all important documents
• Organise any necessary transfer of bank accounts, telephone, internet etc.
• Have your car serviced
• Arrange plans to move extra vehicles like boats, trailers, motorbikes etc.
• Organise storage if needed

Stage 3 of the moving home checklist kicks off some of the essential preliminary packing. It’s important when packing to start with your least-used rooms and items to avoid the frustrating process of unpacking things prior to your move. A good place to start is in your garage or storage spaces like under the house. Getting these nooks cleaned can free up a lot of time in the later stages and also gives you a good idea of the size of the packing task at hand.

This stage is also a good time to confirm some extra details for your move day. This includes getting the day off work, arranging for your children or pets to be looked after, booking in a locksmith for your new home if you need the locks changed or extra keys made. We also recommend disassembling any outdoor furniture or children’s equipment to start ticking off the big items from the checklist. Three weeks before the move you should also make sure that you have informed any regular services that you receive of your upcoming move. This includes babysitters, gardeners, cleaners and any other relevant regular services.

• Arrange for children and pets to be looked after on moving day
• Pack up everything in the garage/shed and under the house
• Fill out medical prescriptions needed
• Empty lawnmower/any machinery of fuel
• Schedule final readings of gas and electricity meters
• Cancel any local memberships and automated payments
• Pickup any dry cleaning or other items being serviced
• Return any borrowed items (library books, co-op tools etc)
• Finish off food from fridge and freezer/clean out kitchen
• Book a locksmith to change the keys at your new place on moving day
• Get the day off work for moving day
• Schedule deep clean of old and new home
• Make an inventory of cartons and their contents
  • Mark boxes with delicates as “fragile”
  • Note any dents and scratches before movers arrive
• Disassemble any furniture
  • Carefully store important pieces like screws into a clearly labelled ziplock bag
  • Take apart and pack any outdoor items and children’s equipment
• Pack a utility bag with a hammer, allen keys and screw drive for quick access
• Notify any regular services (babysitters, gardeners, cleaners)

With only a week to go before your move, there’s a lot to get done! We’ve broken it down day by day so you are ready for your relocation.

• Notify your post office to redirect your mail to your new address
• Arrange Electoral Roll transfer
• Advise Inland Revenue
• Arrange home and contents insurance for new address
• List unwanted items for sale or drop at relevant recycling or charity
• Take pets to the vet for a check-up and moving advice
• Organise babysitting or childcare for children

• Advise motor registry (your licence, motor vehicle registration etc)
• List essential items you will need on moving day (phone chargers, water, important documents etc)
• Pack books, decorations and other non-essential and seasonal items
• Sort through the pantry and fridge, dispose of, give away and use items where possible
• Stop purchasing groceries where possible, and start getting through existing food items

• Ask your move consultant about our free utility connection service that can take care of the below
• Contact your supplier regarding disconnection of your phone and billing. Arrange the new number and date of connection required
• Organise accounts for gas, water, electricity and wi-fi
• Pack non-essential rooms such as the office, guest bedrooms, etc

• Cancel any local arrangements, for example, lawn mowing and window cleaning services
• Check with manufacturers whether your washing machine and refrigerator motors need bolting down for transport
• Clean out medicine cabinet
• Do final clear-out of the garage and unwanted furniture
• Empty steam iron, toaster, griller etc
• Dispose of flammables (throw out or give to neighbours)
• Drain the fuel from your lawnmower and other machinery
• Wash and dry laundry
• Prepare any items requiring dismantling which are being moved, for example, trampolines, garden furniture, modular furniture etc

• Pack bedroom, bathroom and majority of kitchen items and small appliances
• Separate items that belong to the house, eg, appliance instruction manuals, kitchen items, including roasting dishes and baking trays
• Clearly label all boxes with room and brief contents description - you’ll thank yourself later
• Service vehicle/s in preparation for the move

• Pack everything remaining, keeping your essential bag separate
• Pack pet items such as bedding, toys, and excess food
• Tighten lids on all jars containing liquids
• Identify the route you’ll be taking to the new home

• Empty rubbish bins
• Dismantle TV aerial if you’re taking this
• Defrost fridge and freezer and remove food
• Wash out interior of white goods
• Disconnect all Wi-Fi and Computer components that will require packing (label cords where necessary)
• Prepare pets for move, minimising food if you’ve got a long journey ahead

• You should be just about organised
• Carry all valuables, cash and important papers with you
• Tighten all taps
• Turn off water heater
• Turn off gas, electric switches and lights
• Lock doors and windows and return house keys
• Make sure you complete the “walk through” with our Removal Crew prior to their departure to ensure that all goods have been removed

If you have any questions about any of the topics covered in the Moving House Checklist, get in touch with us to speak with one of our friendly removal specialists. You can contact us via phone on 0800 255 433 or by filling out the online quote request form.