The moving home checklist
Moving day is the visible part; the six weeks before it are where the real work happens. This week-by-week checklist keeps the admin from swallowing your evenings.
6 weeks before
Get quotes from at least three removal firms. BAR (British Association of Removers) membership is a strong marker of accountability.
Start decluttering room by room. Every box you do not move is money and time saved.
Begin using up freezer and cupboard stock so you are not moving perishables.
4 weeks before
Book your removal firm and confirm parking and access at both ends. In central London you may need a parking suspension permit — allow 10 working days.
Notify schools, GP, dentist and any regular deliveries of your move date.
Order packing materials or ask your removals firm to include them.
2 weeks before
Set up a Royal Mail redirect (from £36 for three months).
Notify utility providers, broadband, council tax, DVLA, TV licence and your bank of the move date.
Take meter readings and photograph them on completion day.
Pack non-essentials — off-season clothes, books, spare bedding.
Moving day
Pack an 'essentials box' for the first night: kettle, mugs, tea, toilet roll, phone chargers, bedding, basic tools, a change of clothes.
Do a final walk-through of the old property with the meter readings noted.
On arrival, check the removals inventory as items come off the van and note any damage in writing before signing.
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