Moving house is a big life event so it is easy to forget one of the many things you need to do before the big day. We have created the ultimate checklist for moving into a new home to help you out.
4-6 weeks before moving day
- Speak to your real estate agent so you know what day you will be picking up the keys to your new property
- Pick your desired moving date
- Get at least 3 quotes from different moving companies and check their availabilities
- Get quotes for packing and unpacking services and check their availabilities
- Think about the floor plan of your new home and measure to see if your existing furniture will have any issues getting into and fitting inside the new place
- Research local or mobile self storage facilities if required
- Get quotes for move out and move in cleaners
- Purchase boxes and packing supplies from your removalists, a local hardware store or local self storage facility
- Declutter your belongings and decide if you want to keep, sell, donate or trash each item
- Begin packing your belongings that you won’t need to use in the near future such as out of season clothes and spare bedding for guests
- Book in a council pick up for unwanted furniture that you want to dispose of
- Contact your local charity shop, The Salvation Army or St Vinnies for a collection of unwanted furniture that are in excellent condition with no stains, rips or tears
- Sell your unwanted items on Gumtree or eBay as one person’s trash is another person’s treasure
- Organise painters or tradies that may be required to spruce up your new home before you move in
- Get quotes for pet transport
- Get quotes for removalists insurance or check with your home and contents insurance to see if you are covered during the move
- Make an inventory list of all your items with notes regarding what items are fragile and need special attention when moving
2 – 4 weeks before moving day
- Book your removalists for your desired moving date
- Book your packers and unpackers
- Book your professional cleaners for your move in and move out
- Book your pet transportation
- Updated your address details for:
- Vehicle registration
- Electoral commission
- Water
- Tax department
- Medicare
- Magazine and box subscriptions
- Bank and credit card companies
- Superannuation company
- Vehicle insurance company
- Health insurance company
- Life insurance company
- Frequent Flyer
- Loyalty programs
- Research and connect your utilities
- Telephone
- Internet
- Gas
- Electricity
- Pay TV
- Water
- Arrange a final metre reading and disconnection of utilities
- Organise or update home and contents insurance
- Organise removalists insurance
- Organise parking for the truck on moving day
- Organise a plan for your children on moving day
- Organise a plan for your dog or cat on moving day
- Update friends and family with your new contact information
- Cancel any local memberships that you no longer require such as a local gym
- Arrange time off work for your moving day
- Continue packing and only leave out what you will need to use for the next few weeks until moving day
- Pack all your important documents and valuables in an easily identifiable box and move these yourself on moving day
- Return any borrowed items such as library books, toys or DVDs
- Start packing your pantry so you can try and finish as much food as you can before moving
- Throw out any expired food
- Look through your freezer and other perishable foods and start prepping recipes so you can use up these items
1 week before moving day
- Organise with Australia Post to redirect your mail
- Cancel or redirect other regular deliveries such as newspaper or groceries
- Pack your moving essentials box
- Contact your conveyancer to find out your settlement time
- Advise your removalists company of your settlement time and other final details for the move
- Dismantle infrequently used items so they are ready for the removalists
- Water your plants for the last time until the move and prepare your plants for moving day
- Get clippings from your favourite plants that are not able to be relocated
- Complete your packing and only leave out enough clothes for the week and the daily items you use
- Check the weather forecast for your move day and be prepared for it
- Take rubbish to the local tip
- Dispose of flammables as removalists are not able to move these items for you
- Clean out and consume as much pantry, fridge and freezer items to minimise the amount of food required to be moved or thrown out
- Prepare your fridge at least 24 hours before moving day
Day of the big move
- Make sure you have your moving essentials suitcase or box
- Make sure you have the box containing all the important documents and valuables
- Do a thorough check of the property to make sure nothing is left behind
- Lock all the doors and windows
- Turn off all the power at the switchboard
- Return all your keys including the spares to the real estate agent
