Moving House Checklist

Moving house can feel like a second full-time job, between the admin, the packing and the emotional weight of relocating. We'd recommend not doing it alone and getting as much help as you reasonably can, starting with a professional moving service to take the heavy lifting off your plate.

Once your move is booked, there are still plenty of smaller tasks to work through. This checklist covers everything stage by stage, starting six to eight weeks out. Pair it with our change of address checklist for the fuller list of exactly who to notify.

Start by locking in your move date with a moving service, then work through the early admin: insurance, schools, and getting a head start on decluttering.

• Book a mover
• Sort contents and household insurance for your new place
• Organise a change of schools if needed
• Make an inventory of everything you own, noting condition and any special care needs
• Sell, donate or throw out anything you no longer need

Now's the time to start notifying authorities of your move, our change of address checklist covers this in full, and to begin the practical side, like sourcing packing materials and booking any extra services.

• Notify the electoral office and transfer utilities
• Set up mail redirection and redirect subscriptions
• Acquire packing materials and start labelling boxes clearly
• Prepare a bag of essential items
• Arrange rubbish pickup, and confirm key collection with your agency if renting
• Pack precious items like jewellery, and dispose of flammable liquids
• Create a folder for important documents, and transfer bank, phone and internet accounts
• Organise storage if you need it

Start preliminary packing in your least-used rooms, the garage and under-house storage are good places to begin, and lock in the finer logistics for moving day itself.

• Arrange care for children and pets on moving day, and book the day off work
• Pack the garage, shed and under-house storage
• Fill any prescriptions and empty fuel from machinery like lawnmowers
• Schedule final gas and electricity meter readings, and cancel local memberships
• Pick up dry cleaning and return borrowed items
• Clear out the fridge and freezer, and clean the kitchen
• Book a locksmith if you'd like new locks or keys at your new place
• Schedule a deep clean of both homes
• Make a carton inventory, marking fragile items and noting existing damage
• Disassemble furniture, bagging small parts like screws separately
• Pack a utility bag with a hammer, allen keys and a screwdriver
• Notify regular services like babysitters, gardeners or cleaners

With a week to go, the pace picks up. A few tasks below echo Stage 2, that's deliberate: this is your chance to confirm mail redirection and your electoral roll update have actually gone through, not a duplicate step.

• Confirm mail redirection and your electoral roll transfer, and advise Inland Revenue
• Arrange home and contents insurance for your new address
• Advise the motor registry of your new address
• Confirm gas, water, electricity and wifi are set up at your new place, and sort your phone connection date
• Pack non-essential rooms like the office or guest bedroom
• Clean out the medicine cabinet, empty small appliances, and drain fuel from machinery
• Do a final garage clear-out, and dispose of flammables
• Pack the bedroom, bathroom and most of the kitchen, labelling every box by room and contents
• Pack everything remaining except your essentials bag, and tighten lids on any liquids
• Confirm your route to the new home, and pack pet bedding, toys and extra food

• Empty rubbish bins
• Defrost the fridge and freezer and remove any food
• Disconnect wifi and computer components that need packing (label cords where useful)
• If you have a long journey ahead, withhold your pet's food for a few hours beforehand to reduce the chance of travel sickness, but keep water available right up until you leave

• Carry valuables, cash and important papers with you
• Tighten all taps, and turn off the water heater, gas and electrical switches
• Lock up and return your house keys
• Do a final walk-through with our removal crew before they leave, to confirm everything's out

Around six to eight weeks out is a comfortable starting point for most moves, giving you time to work through admin, packing and logistics without last-minute stress.

This checklist covers the full moving timeline, from booking your move to unpacking day. The change of address checklist goes deeper on exactly who to notify, utilities, IRD, your bank, and more, so the two work well used together.

Your essentials bag, along with anything you use daily, like toiletries, chargers and a change of clothes, should be packed on the final day or two, and kept separate from the rest of your boxes.

If you have any questions about anything covered in this checklist, get in touch to speak with one of our friendly removal specialists on 0800 255 433 or via our online quote request form.