The UK moving house checklist: eight weeks to keys, stage by stage

Nothing else on this list works until a date exists. Removals diaries for Fridays and month-ends fill first, so this is the stage that decides whether you get a choice of crew or take what is left.

Stage 1 of 8 · typical effort: 2–3 hours

• Agree a target completion or tenancy-start date with your solicitor, agent or landlordCompletion dates move. Book on the date you have, and ask your remover what their date-change policy is.
• Get three removals quotes based on a video or in-person survey, not a guessA survey quote is binding on volume. A phone estimate is not, and that gap is where moving-day arguments start.
• Book the removal firm and confirm insurance cover in writingCheck goods-in-transit and liability limits per item — standard cover is often capped low per single object.
• Start the declutter room by room, beginning with the loft, garage and shedYou pay to move volume. Every cubic metre you clear before survey day comes straight off the quote.
• Request time off work for moving day and the day afterOne day is rarely enough — the day after is for meter accounts, beds and the first shop.
• If children are moving school, contact the new local authority about placesIn-year admissions can take weeks, and the offer follows the address, so start once the date looks firm.

This is the buying-and-booking stage. Order packing materials, arrange anything that will not go on a van, and flag the items that need a specialist before the calendar tightens.

Stage 2 of 8 · typical effort: 3–4 hours

• Order boxes, tape, bubble wrap, mattress bags and marker pensBudget roughly 30–60 boxes for a three-bed house, in two sizes: small for books, large for soft goods.
• Flag pianos, safes, aquariums, garden machinery, gym equipment and anything over 70kgSpecialist items need extra crew or kit and must be priced before the day, not on the doorstep.
• Book a clearance or bulky-waste collection for anything you are not takingCouncil bulky collections often run two to three weeks out, so this is the last comfortable moment.
• If completion dates might not align, price overnight or short-term storageSame-day chains slip. Knowing the storage cost in advance turns a crisis into a decision.
• Arrange care for pets and small children on the dayOpen doors and stacked boxes are the two biggest hazards of a move.
• Measure sofas, wardrobes and fridge-freezers against the new doorways and stairwellThe classic failure is a three-seater that cleared the old door but not the new turn on the landing.

The single most-skipped stage, and the one that generates bills months later. Work through it in one sitting with your account numbers in front of you.

Stage 3 of 8 · typical effort: Half a day

• Tell your energy, water and broadband suppliers your move dateBroadband is the long pole — installs at the new address routinely need two to four weeks.
• Close your council tax account with the old authority and open one with the newBoth authorities need telling separately; nobody passes it on for you.
• Set up Royal Mail redirection to start the day you moveThree, six or twelve months. Six is the sensible default — annual statements arrive slowly.
• Arrange buildings and contents insurance for the new address, live from completionBuildings cover on a purchase is usually needed from exchange, not from move-in.
• Update bank, DVLA licence and V5C, employer, GP, dentist, TV licence and subscriptionsDVLA changes are free and a licence with the wrong address can be a fixed-penalty matter.
• Apply for a parking suspension or dispensation at both ends if the street is controlledCouncils typically want five to ten working days' notice — and it is far cheaper than a long carry charge.

Start with the rooms and objects you can live without for a fortnight. Packing early is what keeps the last week calm.

Stage 4 of 8 · typical effort: 6–10 hours across the fortnight

• Pack books, DVDs, out-of-season clothes, spare bedding, décor and garage contentsBooks go in small boxes only — a large box of books is a back injury and a burst base.
• Label every box on two sides with room, contents summary and a priority numberPriority 1 gets unpacked on day one. It is the difference between unpacking and excavating.
• Photograph valuables and note serial numbers before they go in a boxThis is your evidence if you ever need to make a transit claim.
• Decide what stays: curtains, blinds, light fittings, appliances, garden potsThe fixtures and fittings form you signed is the contract — check it rather than guessing.
• Arrange disconnection of gas appliances and plumbed-in washing machinesRemovals crews will not disconnect gas — that needs a Gas Safe engineer.
• Book the end-of-tenancy or pre-sale clean for the day after the van leavesAn empty property cleans properly. A half-full one does not, and that is where deposits go.

Pack down to what you use daily, then re-confirm every booking in writing so no supplier surprises you at 8am.

Stage 5 of 8 · typical effort: 8–12 hours

• Pack room by room, finishing each one before opening the nextMixed boxes are the reason unpacking takes three weeks instead of three days.
• Re-confirm the removals crew, arrival time, access details and payment methodGet the crew leader's mobile number. On the day it is worth more than the office line.
• Run down and defrost the freezer, and empty the fridgeA wet freezer in the back of a van soaks everything around it. Defrost 24 hours before.
• Collect prescriptions, dry cleaning, borrowed items and anything in a lockerThese are the errands that get abandoned once the boxes take over.
• Agree the key handover plan and the backup if completion runs lateOn a purchase, keys release only when funds clear — often early afternoon, sometimes later.
• Sort payment for the crew and a small float for parking or tipsMany firms want the balance before unloading. Know which, in advance.

Everything today is about the first eighteen hours in the new place. Pack the box you will actually open first.

Stage 6 of 8 · typical effort: 3–4 hours

• Pack an essentials box: kettle, mugs, tea, loo roll, soap, towels, chargers, medication, toolsLoad it last so it comes off first — or better, carry it in your own car.
• Strip and dismantle beds, bagging bolts and fixings taped to the frameA bagged bolt kit taped to the headboard is a twenty-minute rebuild instead of a two-hour search.
• Charge phones, power banks and the drill or screwdriverAssume no power at the new address until you have checked.
• Empty the loft, shed and any outbuilding completelyCrews will not go into a loft, and the loft is where every move overruns.
• Photograph the old property's condition once it is nearly emptyFor renters, this is the deposit evidence. For sellers, it settles fixtures disputes.
• Check the route, any low bridge, width restriction or gated access for a 7.5t vanA van that cannot reach the door becomes a long-carry charge measured in metres.

The day itself is short on decisions and heavy on evidence. Take the readings and the photographs — they are what protect you afterwards.

Stage 7 of 8 · typical effort: 6–10 hours

• Photograph gas, electricity and water meter readings at the old property with a timestampThe single most valuable ten seconds of the whole move. It closes the account cleanly.
• Walk every room, cupboard, loft hatch and the garden after the van is loadedThe three usual leave-behinds: the airing cupboard, the shed and the back of the garage.
• Hand over keys, alarm codes, manuals and warranties to the agent or new ownerLeave a note with bin day, stopcock location and boiler service records. It costs nothing and is remembered.
• Take meter readings at the new property before you unload anythingYou are liable for supply from the moment you take possession, on whatever tariff is in place.
• Stand at the door and direct boxes to the right rooms as they come offTwo minutes of direction saves an hour of carrying boxes upstairs later.
• Check the inventory and note any damage on the paperwork before you signSigning a clean sheet closes most claims. Note it, photograph it, then sign.

The move is not finished when the van leaves. This week is about safety, registrations and catching anything that slipped.

Stage 8 of 8 · typical effort: A few hours, spread out

• Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and locate the stopcock, fuse box and gas valveDo this on night one, before the boxes bury the cupboards.
• Open utility accounts with your day-one readings and choose a tariffDeemed rates on the incumbent supplier are usually the most expensive option available.
• Register with a GP and dentist, and add yourself to the electoral rollThe electoral roll also feeds your credit file, which matters if you are remortgaging soon.
• Unpack in priority order: beds, bathroom, kitchen, then everything elseThree rooms working properly beats eight rooms half-done.
• Start a snag list: leaks, sticking doors, missing keys, blown bulbs, TV and shelves to mountOne handyman visit at the end of week one clears a list that otherwise takes six months.
• If renting, chase the check-out report and your deposit return in writingDeposit schemes have deadlines. A dated email is what wins a dispute.