The Ultimate Moving House Checklist

Moving house and no idea where to start? Here is your ultimate moving house checklist with everything you need to do when moving.

Moving house can be a lengthy process. It can also feel very overwhelming given how much there is to do. That's why it's essential to stay organised with a moving house checklist and tick off stuff as you go.

When it comes to moving house, there is a lot of planning and scheduling involved, in addition to the physical part of packing up your house. We'll cover everything you need to do:

3 Months Before Moving Day
2 Months Before Moving Day
6 Weeks Before Moving Day
4 Weeks Before Moving Day
2 Weeks Before Moving Day
1 Week Before Moving Day
2 Days Before Moving Day
1 Day Before Moving Day
Moving Day

Remember, everyone's moving timeline will be different depending on their circumstances. Some people may also be selling their existing home, whilst others may be moving out for the first time and looking to find somewhere very quickly. Whatever your situation, this checklist will give you an idea of when you need to be getting stuff done.

This post is all about the ultimate moving house checklist.

At Least 3 Months Before Moving Day

Decide to move

Weight up the pros and cons of moving
Decide if you want to buy or rent
Make sure you know all the costs of buying a house

Plan and organise

Get a notebook and moving folder to keep all your important documents in one place. This includes invoices, quotations, contracts, receipts etc
Get your budget in order and know how much you can afford
Find a mortgage lender if you need to get a mortgage
Get your documentation ready (see below)

Remember throughout the moving process to put things in writing via email and create a paper trail of your move.

If you have a phone call, follow up in an email to document the conversation so all arrangements are clear. This way you can avoid misunderstandings. It is also vital to have things in writing, so if things go wrong later down the line, you've covered yourself.

If selling your house

(Jump straight below to the next section in the moving house checklist if you're not selling)

Make your property presentable
Find an estate agent
Get your Energy Performance Certificate ready
If you've had any extensions or building work done, make sure you have your planning application approval certificate and building control certificate
Engage a solicitor to help you sell your house
Start preparing your house for sale and for house viewings
Negotiate and accept an offer
Complete the relevant forms when selling a house (TA10, TA6 and TA7 form)
Sign the contract on the exchange date

The length of time it takes to sell your house will depend on many factors, such as how much you're asking for, the condition of your property and the housing market etc. That's why you should put your house on the market as soon as you decide you want to sell.

You can find the details of the forms you need to complete when selling a house on our 11 simple steps to selling a house post.

Start house hunting

Start looking for properties online using websites such as Zoopla and Rightmove
Go for house viewings and ask the correct house viewing questions
Contact nurseries/schools (if applicable) about moving. Look for new schools in the area you are moving to
Put in an offer for a property via the estate agent and negotiate
Find a surveyor on The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors if buying a property
Find a solicitor. You'll need to give contact/personal details, proof of ID and details of the property you're intending to buy
Renegotiate if needed once the surveyor's report comes back
Understand your contract and check the TA10 form (fixtures and fittings form)
Pay the deposit and sign the contract on the exchange date

2 Months Before Moving Day

Check availability of services

Find a removals company, check their availability and pencil in a rough date. Get at least 3 different quotations from 3 different companies
Phone around to find the best house insurance quotes
If you need temporary storage or accommodation, start looking early. Here are 5 things you must know about storage when moving house
Ask the buyer through your estate agent if you can go round to the property to measure the new house so you can plan for furniture and how everything will fit in. You can do this after the exchange date
Have your car serviced/get an MOT test especially if this date coincides with the move

There will be so much to do and as you will need your car during the move, it is best to make sure you are up to date with your car insurance, MOT and service.

Once the contracts have been exchanged (i.e signed), you can go full speed ahead with making your plans as you are now locked into the contract. However, it's still worth checking the availability of services as soon as you can, even if you just pencil in a rough date and confirm later.

Have a sort out

Set aside space in a room and start moving items to that area for moving day which you can gradually build up over time
Start ordering storage boxes and packaging materials (bubble wrap/tissue paper/tape/scissors etc)
Declutter your home
Purge your possessions
Order a skip if you need one. Here are 5 things you must know before hiring a skip when moving house
Organise a car boot sale if you have extra stuff to get rid of

It is never too early to start having a sort out and decluttering. This can be a long process, so it's best to start as early as you can to avoid feeling overwhelmed. The more stuff you declutter and get rid of, the less you will have to transport to your new home.

6 Weeks Before Moving Day

Confirm booking dates

Confirm moving date with removal company
Book time off work for the move
Book storage place if needed. It's best to book in advance as they can very easily get booked up

Start packing

Print off labels (colour coding is useful) to put on boxes/marker pens colour coded
Make an inventory of everything in your house. This is good for the insurance company or if you are putting any items in to storage. Also a good idea even if just for yourself to know what you have
Start photographing some of your possessions – again helpful for yourself, insurance company and removal company if items go missing
Make a packing plan and start packing non-essential items slowly. Pace yourself if you're not using a removals company
Dispose of old appliances. You can either do this through your local council or arrange for a private company to dispose of your old appliances

4 Weeks Before Moving Day

Arrangements for moving day

Arrange internet provider for new property
Arrange child care for moving day if necessary
Arrange pet care for moving day if necessary
Arrange for any special dismantling of furniture that yourself or removals company will not be able to do.
Organise parking for removals van if necessary – any parking permits needed
Start reducing down (using up) food supplies and freezer items, as less to transport
Continue packing non-essential items

Informing others

Start informing people of your change of address. You can use our ultimate change of address checklist
Set up re-direction of postal service online via Royal Mail’s re-direction service
Cancel subscriptions – most usually need a months’ notice
Cancel any garden maintenance company, cleaners, window cleaners arrangements that you have regularly

2 Weeks Before Moving Day

Check for any obvious quick fix repairs that need to be done to your house
Continue packing boxes

At this stage, you should have made good progress on your moving house checklist before you enter the final count down...

1 Week Before Moving Day

Drain water pipe for garden hose
Remove fuel from lawnmower
Defrost freezer – must be completely dry before moving
Dismantle any furniture that you can yourselves
Food shop for the week bearing in mind your routine might be different
Shop for refreshments and snacks for moving day
Contact locksmith to arrange change of new locks on moving day at new property
Make sure all important contact details are in your phone

Most items should be packed up by now (unless you are getting your house professional packed).

2 Days Before Moving Day

Pay your solicitor one lump sum, which includes remaining cash for the house, solicitor's fees and disbursements, stamp duty payment

Specifically instruct the solicitor (in writing!) to hold off sending any payment to the seller’s solicitor until you've given the ok

Completion date is where the property’s ownership is transferred to the buyer. The seller will have to move out by this date and you will receive the keys.

We recommend paying your solicitor a couple days before completion date just in case there are any delays in transferring the funds.

You should always go to the property and check everything is ok on completion date. The seller may agree to leave certain items/carpets etc, but you might show up to the property only to find they’ve all been ripped out !

1 Day Before Moving Day

Final calls

Call removals company to see what time they will be arriving tomorrow
Call estate agent just to check any last minute details and check about handing over the keys
Call your solicitor to see if everything is in order
Confirm any child care or pet care arrangements
Any last minutes conversations with neighbours about tomorrow E.g arriving of removals truck, any cars that have to be removed. Make sure there is space for the removals van on the road etc

Final checks

Make sure there is fuel in your car(s)
Take out some cash to tip the removals team
Check re-direction of mail has been actioned
Any last minute trip to the shop to buy any necessities for tomorrow or the next few days
Clean any rooms quickly that you can
Make sure all boxes labelled
Pack up any dry food
Get your moving day essentials and personal box ready (as much as you can). Leave out any items you'll need for last night in the house. View our moving day checklist to see what you should include in these boxes
Put toiletries in a separate box that you will need for your first few nights in your new property
Put bed linen in a separate box which you will need for your first few nights in your new property
Line up garden plants in the garden. Put house plants in a separate box or container
Make sure all the plants are well watered before the move but that the soil has time to dry before the move takes place

Moving Day

In the morning

Get up early and eat, and wear sensible clothing
Walk the removals men through the entire house and point out any items that are staying, any items that are particularly fragile or items that need dismantling
Place stickers on the appliances or items that are staying behind in the house to ensure the removals men don't take these by mistake
Photograph the back of electronics (computers/TV) to see where all the cables go before dismantling, so you'll know where each of the cables go in your new home.
Tell the removals team the essential boxes that you will need when you arrive at the house, so they can be kept separate and put in the van last.

Leave your house in good condition

Turn off any appliances that are being left in the house. Make sure all the taps are turned off.
Close any windows and the curtains
Check nothing has been left behind. Check cupboards, draws, behind doors, under bed etc
Take all the rubbish away
Leave any old paints/tiles that belong to the house, as the new owners may use these
Leave any mail for the new owners and instruction booklets
Label the different keys that you're leaving behind, so the new owners know which key opens the correct door
Photograph the empty house if you have time just for your memory, and to show the house is empty and left in a tidy state
Take a final picture of your meter readings (i.e. gas, electric and water), as you will need to give these to your utility suppliers for a final bill
Lock up the house if the new owner has not arrived yet so your house is secure

When you arrive at your new home

Let the solicitor know they can release the money to the seller’s solicitor once you've checked the property is in the correct condition
Collect the keys from owners or estate agent will give you the keys to your new home.
Take pictures of the meter readings in your new home
Put large labels/pieces of paper on each room, so the removals team can place the boxes in the correct room.
Guide the removals team when placing furniture down
Change the locks

And that's it ! You've reached the end of your moving house checklist.

This post was all about the ultimate moving house checklist.

If you found this helpful, you can view our upcoming content on our coming soon page to see what's next !