Moving house checklist: everything you need for a hassle-free house move

You’ve found the house of your dreams, gone through the legal motions, and have exchanged contracts. And while moving house is extremely exciting, there are a lot of tasks to tick off your to-do list before (and even after) the day you move.

Planning and organisation are essential for curbing stress and keeping track of the many moving parts. And Rob Houghton, CEO of reallymoving, says, ‘Starting early is the key to being organised when moving home. Create a moving file for all your quotes, schedules, action lists and reminders relating to the move – and create a spreadsheet to record contact numbers, order numbers, and keep track of costs and deadlines.’

And if you’re in the process of buying a house and have a move on the horizon, heed this expert advice to keep the stress to a minimum. Plus, it’ll make your move as seamless as possible, so you can start enjoying your new home quicker.

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1. Confirm the date of your move

When you exchange contracts, the completion/move-in date will be agreed between the buyer and seller, and any other buyers in the chain.

‘Buying or selling a home normally takes around two to three months to complete, but can take much longer if there is a chain,’ says Stephen Thorp of the British Association of Removers. The exact move-in date will be shared by your conveyancing solicitor, and the average time from exchange to completion is typically 1-2 weeks.

It’s important that you’re available all day on moving day, so you’ll need to book the day off work and make arrangements for young children and pets to be looked after.

2. Book your removal company/van hire

Ideally, you should start getting removal or van hire quotes before you exchange on your home. This gives you time to get multiple quotes and compare them to save money when moving house. Once you have the removal date, you can lock in your chosen company.

Stephen suggests talking to local removals companies that are members of the British Association of Removers (BAR) and getting three quotes.

‘Ask for the removal company to carry out a survey. More often, this is done via video link, but many prefer a face-to-face survey. If it’s a video survey, be open and honest about access issues, such as narrow streets or parking restrictions and always make sure you include everything you want moving in the survey.’

Ask for a written quote so you can see what’s included in the move (including the insurance they offer). Most quotes are only valid for a month, so if a quote expires, ask the removals company for a requote.

3. Start decluttering

There’s no point in bringing things you no longer want or need with you into your new home. Not only will unwanted items end up gathering dust in your new property, but you’ll be paying to move them unnecessarily. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons why decluttering can help you cut moving costs.

When you price up the moving process by room, you can save a lot of money. Dave Sayce, from Compare My Move, explains, ‘If you clear out half a wardrobe, cut down your books, or remove unwanted furniture, you could realistically reduce your load by the equivalent of half a bedroom, potentially saving around £225.’

Think about what you want in your new home, and pick a decluttering method that works best for you and your tidying style. And for those items you know you definitely don’t want or need, there are so many ways to get rid of items after a declutter – from simply throwing away, donating to friends, family or charity, or selling on resale sites such as Facebook, Vinted and Gumtree.

With most completion dates occurring less than two weeks after the exchange of contracts, it’s also a good idea to start decluttering your fridge, freezer and food cupboards. You can just eat that, though!

4. Contact utility providers

It varies by supplier, but most allow you to notify them of your move, either by phone or online, up to 28 days in advance. You’ll need to provide them with your new address and moving date so they know where to forward final bills.

Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com, says, ‘There’s a huge amount to remember amid the stress of moving home, but taking meter readings should be high on your to-do list. Make a note of your gas and electricity meter readings before you lock the door to your old home. This way, you can update your supplier on your final usage and ensure you are not billed for the next occupant’s energy use.’

‘Be sure to keep these readings for your own records to compare against your final bill. The same applies when you walk into your new home. You should take a meter reading at your new property as soon as possible to ensure your first bill is accurate.’

Moving house is also a good time to switch energy, phone and broadband deals to ensure you’re getting the best price. So, it’s worth setting aside some time to compare deals and find the best options for you and your new home.

5. Pack and label boxes

While you may have started packing when offers were accepted, the time between the exchange of contracts and completion is the time to fully pack up the house – unless you’re paying your removals company for a packing service to do it for you.

So, grab some boxes and start packing. Carefully wrap breakables in bubble wrap or newspapers, and don’t overload the packing boxes to make the process as seamless (and safe) as possible. Label everything clearly so you or your movers know where to put it in your new house.

It’s also important to take stock of what you’ll need on moving day – and immediately after, too. Rob says, ‘Preparing a moving day survival kit can really help the process run smoothly by ensuring important items are close at hand when you need them. This might include your wallet and phone charger, mugs, teaspoons and coffee/tea for you and the removals team, a takeaway menu, toilet paper, essential toiletries, a first aid kit, a screwdriver, bin liners, pet food and pens/paper.’

It might be a good idea to keep some clothes and towels separate, too. This will help if you have to go back to work immediately after moving, so there’s no pressure to unpack all your boxes right away to find the essentials you need.

6. Let people know you’re moving

When you know that you’re definitely moving and the completion date has been confirmed, you should then contact any relevant institution, authority, or provider to let them know that your address has changed. This will avoid missed bills, service lapses, or potential identity fraud. Moving house can be stressful enough, you don’t want to worry about not paying your council tax when moving house too.

• GP
• Dental surgery
• Schools
• Workplace
• Banks
• Insurance companies
• Pension and credit card companies
• The council
• Electoral roll
• TV Licensing
• DVLA
• National insurance
• Subscription services such as the gym and Netflix
• Friends and family

It’s also advisable to set up Royal Mail redirection service. This costs around £56 for three months, £79 for six months or £109 for a year. Concessions are available if you’re on benefits and you can pay monthly or in one lump sum. It takes a minimum of five working days to process an application and you can apply to redirect your post six months before or after your moving date.

7. Ask for essential info about your new house

Although you may have already seen them while viewing the property, an essential addition to your moving house checklist is to find out where all the important bits of your new house are. This includes things like the water meter (if there is one), gas and electric meter, stopcock and fuse box.

Sarah says, ‘Ask the previous owner or landlord where the stopcock and fuse box are in your next home, as you never know when you might need to use them. If you forget to ask, or they do not know the answer, you may need to do a bit of exploring around the property. In most cases, the stopcock is located under the kitchen sink, and fuse boxes are commonly found in utility rooms, porches or cupboards under the stairs.’

Hopefully, the previous owners will have left instructions for all appliances; otherwise, search for them on the manufacturer’s website.

8. Start deep cleaning

You wouldn’t want to move into a house that was dirty and grimy, so while you’re packing and ticking tasks off your to-do list, it’s well worth starting to deep-clean your home. This is best done in tandem with packing, as you can dust and wipe down surfaces every time you empty a cupboard or drawer.

Make sure you also vacuum and mop all of the floors, and wipe down walls if they’re looking a little scuffed or marked. When you move into your new house, it might be worth doing the same – just in case the previous owners didn’t offer you the same courtesy.

If you have the funds available, you could book professional cleaners to arrive ahead of your removal company, so they can make a head start before all the boxes and furniture arrive. If you’re doing it yourself, try not to become overwhelmed by the task at hand.

9. Once moved, start unpacking boxes

When moving day finally arrives, and you pack your old house onto a removals van and hand over the keys, you can get started on unpacking. Hopefully, if you labelled up the boxes correctly, they should have been put in the correct rooms by your removal company.

And while this part of the moving house checklist can be daunting, breaking it down into chunks can help you manage the overwhelm. Generally, bathrooms are an easy place to start, as the furniture is usually already installed.

For other rooms, it’s advisable to plan where the furniture will go before you move in. For the kitchen, decide where portable appliances such as the kettle and microwave will go first, and then decide where everything else will go. For example, you’ll want your mugs near the coffee machine.

10. Order essentials for your new home

If you visited your new home prior to completion to measure up, you may have already been able to buy curtains or even a new dishwasher. This could be for things you know that you can’t do without – a bed for a good night’s sleep or curtains to block out the sunlight and provide privacy. These things can often be ordered in advance.

If you do end up ordering in advance, though, make sure the items are delivered straight to your new home on or after your completion date to avoid paying for delivery twice. But if you haven’t ordered in advance – or you just wanted to wait until you’d officially moved – it’s advisable to buy big-ticket items for your new home after you have moved in.

This allows you to get a feel for the size and flow of each room, and you’ll need to measure up before you order to ensure everything fits through doors and in the room itself.

Moving house is stressful, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic!