Moving Checklist: What to Do Week by Week

Six to eight weeks before the move

The early weeks are for the things that need booking or notice:

• Fix the moving date and book a removal company or a van
• If you rent, check how much notice your contract asks for
• Start a folder for contracts, quotes and receipts
• Make a rough inventory: what moves, what gets sold, what goes to charity
• Check whether any large furniture will fit in the new place
• If you have children, let their school or nursery know about the change

Four to five weeks before

• Declutter one room at a time: clothes, books, old cables, the kitchen drawer everyone avoids
• Sell, donate or recycle what you're not taking
• Collect boxes, tape, marker pens and wrapping
• Check your home insurance for the move and the new address
• Use up food from the freezer and the back of the cupboards

Two to three weeks before

• Arrange for electricity, gas, water and internet at the new address, and closing or moving the accounts at the old one
• Start packing things you won't need before the move: books, seasonal clothes, spare bedding, decorations
• Label every box with its room and a short note of what's inside
• Arrange someone to look after children or pets on moving day, if needed
• Ask your doctor, dentist and vet how to move your records

The last week

• Redirect your post through your post office
• Update your address with your bank, employer, insurers and other services (full list in the changing address checklist)
• Pack everything except the essentials
• Defrost and clean the fridge and freezer
• Pack an “open first” box (see below)
• Take meter readings and photos on the last day

Moving day

• Keep keys, documents, phone chargers and medicines with you, not in the van
• Do a final walk through every room, cupboard and the loft or shed
• Take meter readings at the new home
• Make the beds first, so the first night is easy

What to pack in the “open first” box

The most forgotten things on moving day are the small ones you need straight away. A box that travels with you and gets opened first usually holds: phone chargers, toilet roll, soap and towels, a kettle, mugs and tea or coffee, a few plates and cutlery, bin bags, basic tools and scissors, bedding for the first night, and any daily medicines.

Keep the moving checklist in one shared list

A move has two problems at once: the list is long, and it's shared between two or more people. A sheet of paper sits in one bag; a list in the family chat gets buried under photos of boxes. In Family Errands the whole checklist can live in one errand that everyone helping can see and tick.

1. Create the moving errand

   Add a new errand called “Moving” and put the date of the move on it. Each line of the timeline becomes a checklist item.

2. Paste a list you already have

   If the checklist is already in a chat or a notes app, copy it. The app offers to create a new errand from the copied text, and each line becomes a separate checklist item.

3. Share it

   Share the errand with your partner or the family members helping with the move by tapping their avatars. Everyone it's shared with can see it and edit it.

4. Split the list by sharing single items

   A single checklist item can be shared on its own too, so the person who's taking care of the internet sees exactly that item.

5. Tick off as you go

   Each person ticks their items separately, and the others see what's done on their own phones once the change syncs.

6. Add a reminder for the dates that matter

   Separate errands for the notice deadline, the van booking or the meter readings can each have their own reminders, and each person sets the reminder time that suits them.

A separate job such as “Book the van” can be transferred by the person it belongs to: it becomes the other person's and leaves their list.

Small tricks for a smoother move

• Jobs without a date. “Fix the wardrobe door before we leave” or “Find the spare keys” don't need a fixed day. Create them without a date: they're shown every day until you complete them.
• One list per room. For bigger homes, a separate errand per room (“Kitchen”, “Books”, “Kids' room”) keeps each checklist short, and two people can pack different rooms at the same time.
• Reuse your packing lists. Write the “open first” box once in a note with a checklist. Before the move, create an errand from the note and tick items off as they go in; the note stays for the next move or for a holiday.
• Reminders that keep coming back. For the one call you keep putting off, set a reminder that repeats every 5 to 60 minutes until you mark the errand complete.

Once you've moved in, the regular rhythm of the new home starts: bins, cleaning, bills. See Household chores list: daily, weekly and monthly to set those up as repeating errands, and List of household chores for couples for sharing them.

Questions