Moving House Checklist

All you need to know about moving homes

Moving into a new home is an exciting time! It’s a chance to make new memories, meet new people, and experiment with your interior style.

However, that’s not to say it doesn’t come with its stresses.

There’s a lot to do and organise. Whether it’s your first time moving or you’re basically a pro, it’s always useful to have an in-depth checklist of things to do, pack, and sort out before the big move.

Here’s our specialist moving house checklist to make your move as stress-free as possible.

Double-check your contract

If you’re renting, you need to be aware of your contract and how much notice you need to give before creating a moving home checklist and packing your bags.

Each landlord provides different notice periods for their tenants, so make sure you know the ins and outs of your contract, including how much time you’re entitled to, before handing over the keys.

If you can, organise a brief crossover between homes to make things easier, so you don’t feel as rushed moving everything out in just a few hours.

Declutter your belongings as soon as possible

Packing up your belongings is the perfect opportunity to get rid of what you don’t use or wear, reducing what you’re taking to your new home in the process.

Before committing to putting things into boxes, sort through everything in your home in chunks. This will make packing a lot less overwhelming and make your moving home checklist a lot shorter.

Donate things you no longer need, sell items that are still in good condition, and recycle bits that have seen better days. This won’t just make unpacking easier, but will also give you a definite answer when removal companies ask, ‘how many boxes will you be moving?’

Organise help for the removal

Moving heavy boxes from A to B is a tiresome task, and often requires the help of experts.

Adding ‘book a removals company’ to your moving house checklist will help the whole process to run smoothly, giving you one less thing to do on the day. They can get things in and out efficiently, so you can focus on setting up your new home.

Have the kids and pets been taken care of?

Young children and furry friends are a handful at the best of times, never mind when you’re moving house, but many forget about this when putting together a list of things to do when moving house.

It’s a good idea to enlist the help of kennels, babysitters, and willing grandparents to take care of them while you get settled, as well as keep them away from potential hazards such as chemicals, loose wires, and sharp corners.

Prioritise each item when making a moving-out checklist

Things like couches, washing machines, and dishwashers can’t be dismantled, so you don’t have to worry about these things until later on.

However, when it comes to furniture that can be taken down (previous flat-pack pieces), it’s wise to get this done as soon as possible. If you’re taking beds, wardrobes, and chests of drawers with you, dismantle them if and when you can, and keep the pieces together for when the removal company arrives.

Bits and bobs you need day-to-day should go last – imagine having to try and find your work uniform under a pile of summer clothes and kitchen utensils!

Do you need a storage unit?

Having a domestic storage unit to keep some of your items is a huge help, and can make the move-in process a lot less stressful.

Here at The Storage Team, we offer domestic storage units in a wide range of sizes that can be used for as long as you need – even just a few weeks!

You can keep everything from large items of furniture to boxes of clothing with us for prices you won’t find anywhere else.

Update your details

Create a list of places that have your details logged and make them aware of your change in address.

These include:

• Your employer
• The local council (for council tax)
• Utility companies
• Your bank(s)
• The DVLA
• Your GP & dentist
• Phone and internet providers
• TV license company
• HMRC
• The electoral roll
• Goods Protection providers (including home, pets, car, and travel)

Don’t forget to change your contact details on any subscription services and membership cards, too, so you don’t miss out on any updates.

Remember to tell your friends and family your new address as well. If you have relatives that send Christmas and birthday cards, we doubt you’ll want them being sent to the wrong house.

Add a test drive to your moving house checklist

Getting lost on moving day is the last thing you need, so we recommend doing a test drive to find the best route for you.

If it’s a long drive, cater your journey to include stop-offs at service stations to refuel (both you and the car).

Does your car have enough fuel? Has it been serviced recently? Getting your car ready and in working condition limits any issues from occurring mid-drive, giving you the confidence you can get there safely.

Put important documents to one side

Keeping valuables, important documents, and necessary paperwork to one side means you don’t have to rummage through boxes trying to find them.

These can include:

• Tax paperwork
• Marriage certificates
• Driving licenses
• Passports
• Birth certificates

Keep these in a plastic wallet and travel with them on moving day so you always know where they are.

The night before

Is your phone charged? Are all boxes labelled? Do you know what time you need to be ready for the removal team? These are all things you need to think about before getting a valuable night’s sleep.

Arguably one of the most important things to add to your moving home checklist is to organise a bag for the first day/night in your new home.

Having everything you need accessible for your first night can make you feel so much more relaxed – we doubt you want to be searching around for your toothbrush.

This is simply a guide – if you want your personal home comforts on your first night in a new place, add them to the list to tick off as and when you pack them.

When to start packing

The first things you need to pack up are items you don’t use day-to-day.

Christmas decorations, seasonal clothes, and books you’re not currently reading should get organised first.

Use your free time to sort through the loft and garage, so you can get on with the rest of the items in your home as soon as possible.

Box up those kitchen gadgets that don’t get much use, and package collectables or sentimental items carefully so you know they’re safe and sound.

These things can be done at your own pace as soon as you’re made aware of the moving date. However, we recommend getting them boxed up around two weeks before the big move to prevent any last-minute stress.

Label your boxes

Labelling everything is a useful step for both yourself and any removal companies you use.

Writing ‘bedroom’, ‘kitchen’, ‘bathroom’, and ‘garage’ on the relevant boxes gives them a helping hand when unloading their van.

This also makes things easier for you to unpack. If everything gets put in the right place, you won’t end up with boxes piled in every room with no rhyme or reason.

Load the van

Try to be logical when you load the van with boxes and furniture.

The things you need for your first night should be put in first. These will come out last, so you have easy access to them at the end of the day.

Even if you view your new home a number of times, it’s hard to truly gauge how much space you’ll have when you move larger pieces of furniture in like couches and kitchen tables.

We recommend putting larger items of furniture into the van last, so they’ll be taken out first, and you (or the movers) don’t have an obstacle course of boxes to tackle, allowing them to be positioned safely.

Check, check, and check again

The final step of your moving out checklist.

Having one last walkthrough in your home is vital before you hand over the keys and set off.

Make sure every area is clear from your belongings and you haven’t left anything behind.

It’s also a good idea to give the house or flat one last deep clean. Not only is it polite to prepare it for the new residents, but it’s often necessary if it’s a rental property to be entitled to your full deposit.

Secure and trustworthy storage with The Storage Team

The Storage Team is the go-to service for those in the need of a reliable unit to store everything from clothes to Christmas trees when moving house.

We have a range of unit sizes across the UK, with high security and 7-day access (with out of hours access available upon request), as well as FREE and plentiful parking and tea and coffee to help everything run as smoothly as possible.

Enquire about our domestic storage units today to complete your moving-out checklist.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch – simply select the closest site to you out of our list of locations, and give us a call or email for more information.