Checklist for Moving House: a Chronological Break-Down

Two Months Before Moving

• Make a moving binder; it will not only help to track everything but will also save you a lot of time.
• Sort your stuff to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. Also, find out which items are fragile and will require extra care during handling and transport.
• Give notice to your landlord if you have rented the place.
• Search for a moving company should commence well before moving day. Make sure you explore all options and get estimates from them. Choose a company that is certified and insured.
• Organise the school records of your children and get them ready to be transferred to the new school.

Six Weeks Before Moving

• Start procuring all the supplies that you are going to need for moving, for example:

• Bubble wrap
• Tape
• Ropes
• Ratchet straps
• Permanent markers
• Boxes
• Special containers
• Start using all the stuff you don’t want to move, such as frozen food and cleaning supplies.
• Measure the rooms and doors at your new house to verify that all the big furniture can pass through the doors and fit in the house. This will save you from any difficulties that might arise after the transportation.

One Month Before Moving

• Choose the moving company and confirm all the arrangements like time, date and cost etc.
• Start packing all the stuff that you are not going to need for the next month, like seasoned clothes. Make sure to mark all the valuable and fragile items that require extra care during the handling and transportation.
• Label all the boxes with their contents and the room it is intended for. This will help you in organising and unpacking your stuff after you have moved.
• All the valuable items, such as jewellery and business files, should be put in a safe box. Make sure you transport this safe box personally in your car.
• Change your address at your local post office so that all your mail can be transferred to your new address. Do not forget this step because mail sometimes contains sensitive information like credit card and bank account details. So, you don’t want them to be misplaced at your old house.
• Notify all important companies and services that you have subscribed to, such as:
• Insurance company
• Your office
• Bank
• Magazine and newspapers
• Utility services.
• Libraries
• House cleaning services
• Arrange all your medical records and get them ready to be transferred to your new healthcare providers.

Two Weeks Before Moving

• Apply for leave at your office and inform them about your moving plan.
• Clean your safe deposit box if you are changing your bank. Put all of its contents in the safe box that you are taking with you on a moving day.
• Tune up your car and get it ready because next month is going to be very busy, and you may not get enough time for your car then.

2 Days Before Moving:

• Refill all the prescriptions that you are going to need for the next few weeks.
• Aim to finish all the packing well before the moving day. Leaving a few essential things that you are going to need for the next two days.
• Defrost the freezer, empty it and clean it properly. Make sure you get it ready at least one day before moving.
• Confirm all the details with your moving company, including their time of arrival and all other services that you require.

On the Moving Day

• Make sure you arrange all the boxes in the moving van strategically because you have labelled all of them, and you know which box contains fragile items and cannot be stacked at the bottom.
• Give your house a last-minute go-around and check all the rooms and garages to make sure you are not leaving anything behind.
• Clean the house properly after moving all the stuff to the moving vehicle.
• Lock and secure all the doors and windows properly.
• Return the house keys to the landlord or new owner once you have moved into your new house.