Moving house is a bit like hosting a very large dinner party where the guests are your furniture, your utility providers and, quite possibly, your cat. The good news is that most of the stress comes from doing things in the wrong order, not from the move itself. This checklist works for buyers, sellers, tenants and landlords alike, so pick the bits that apply to you.
Eight weeks to go: the big decisions
The earlier you start, the more choice you have, particularly on removal firms, which book up fast at the end of the month and on Fridays.
- Confirm your dates: If you are buying or selling, your moving date is not real until contracts are exchanged. Until then, treat any date as a hope rather than a plan. Our step-by-step conveyancing guide explains what happens between offer and keys.
- Check your notice period: Renters need to give notice correctly, and under the Renters' Rights Act that means following the new rules rather than the old fixed-term habits. Our guide on how to end your tenancy covers the details.
- Get removal quotes: Ask for at least three, and make sure each is based on a proper list of what you are moving. Check that the firm has goods-in-transit insurance.
- Decide what is coming with you: Every box you do not pack is a box you do not have to unpack. Be ruthless with the loft.
Six weeks to go: sort the paperwork
This is the stage most people skip, and then regret.
If you are buying
Make sure your mortgage offer is in place, your solicitor has everything they asked for, and your buildings insurance is lined up to start from exchange. Once contracts are exchanged, the property is your responsibility, even though you do not have the keys yet. It helps to understand the difference between exchange of contracts and completion, because they happen on different days and trigger different things.
If you are selling
Gather the guarantees, certificates and manuals your buyer will ask for: boiler servicing, electrical reports, any building regulation sign-offs. Having these ready can save days of back and forth.
If you are renting
Read your tenancy agreement and your deposit paperwork. Take dated photos of every room now, even if you already did at move-in. Our guide to getting your full deposit back is worth a read before you start scrubbing.
Four weeks to go: tell everyone you are leaving
Make a list and work through it in one sitting. Roughly, you need to tell:
- Utility providers: Gas, electricity, water and broadband. Ask about their notice periods, as broadband in particular can take a couple of weeks to move.
- Your local council: Council tax is billed by address, so you will need to close the old account and open the new one from the right date.
- Banks, employers and pension providers: Anyone who sends you something important in the post.
- DVLA and your vehicle insurer: Your driving licence and car details need your new address, and failing to update them can cause headaches later.
- GP, dentist and schools: Moving out of area may mean registering with new practices.
- TV Licensing and subscriptions: Easy to forget, and they all keep posting things to the wrong house.
Set up mail redirection with Royal Mail too. It is not a substitute for updating your address everywhere, but it catches the stragglers.
Two weeks to go: pack with a plan
- Start with rooms you rarely use: Spare rooms, books, out-of-season clothes and the dusty corners of the garage.
- Label by destination room, not by contents: "Kitchen" is more useful to the removal team than "assorted bits".
- Pack an essentials box: Kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, toilet roll, a basic toolkit, bedding and a change of clothes. You will be very glad of it on moving night.
- Book parking: If your removal van cannot park close to either door, you may need a council suspension or a friendly neighbour. Sort this early.
- Arrange childcare and pet care: Moving day is chaotic. A calm day with the grandparents beats a day dodging boxes. Pets need a quiet space with their things, and a microchip record with your new address.
The last week: the final stretch
- Read your meters: Take dated photos of gas, electricity and water meters at both properties. These photos settle disputes about bills.
- Defrost the freezer: Do it a day or two in advance and empty it of food you cannot take.
- Confirm everything: Call the removal firm, check your solicitor has the completion funds details, and confirm the key collection arrangements with your agent.
- Clean the old place: Sellers should leave it in the condition agreed in the contract. Tenants should aim for the standard they found it in, allowing for fair wear and tear.
Moving day: keep it simple
- Take final meter readings before you hand over keys.
- Walk round every room, cupboard and the loft one last time, and photograph the empty property.
- Hand over keys as agreed, and keep a record of who received them and when.
- At the new place, check before you unpack: Look over the property, test the heating and hot water, and note any damage. If you are a tenant, report issues to your landlord or agent in writing the same day, and check the property against the inventory.
- Take your first readings at the new address and send them to your suppliers.
Landlords: your move-in and move-out to do list
If you let out a property, a tenant move is your chance to get things right. Have a detailed inventory, current safety certificates and a protected deposit ready before keys change hands. Our property inventory guide for landlords and safety certificates checklist are good starting points.
The first week in your new home
Do not try to unpack everything at once. Make the beds, set up the kitchen, find the stopcock and fuse box, and learn where the boiler controls live. Change the locks if you are a new owner, since you cannot know who has spare keys. Introduce yourself to a neighbour, because a friendly wave helps when your delivery goes to the wrong door.
How Moovehub can help
Moving is much smoother when the property side is handled well. If you are a landlord looking to find a reliable tenant without paying a percentage of rent, take a look at our tenant find service, or hand over the day-to-day with our fully managed service. If you are thinking of selling and moving on, you can see how our flat-fee approach works on our sell your home page.
Happy moving, and may all your boxes arrive in the right rooms.
