Moving House Checklist UK: An 8-Week Countdown

Moving house is easier when the jobs are done in a sensible order. This checklist starts eight weeks before completion and works through planning, paperwork, packing, moving day and the first week in your new home. If your move is closer than eight weeks away, start at the stage that matches your timeline and work forward.

Use the timings as a planning framework rather than fixed deadlines: availability and notice periods vary between removal firms, councils, insurers, schools and other providers. Confirm anything time-sensitive directly with the organisation involved.

8 weeks before move day: the big-picture decisions

Eight weeks out gives you useful breathing room to compare removal quotes, start decluttering and identify anything that could complicate access or timing.

• Decide your move date, or at least a target window. If you have flexibility, compare availability before committing to a particularly busy period.
• Get written removal quotes based on a clear description or survey of what is moving, the access at both properties and any packing, storage or specialist items you may need.
• Ask what insurance or liability cover applies to your move and read the mover's terms so you understand any limits, exclusions or packing requirements.
• If your completion dates may not line up, consider whether temporary storage needs to be part of the moving plan and price it at the same time.
• If children are changing schools, check the admissions process and timescales with the relevant local authority or school as early as practical.
• Start the 'keep / donate / dump / sell' walkthrough, one room at a time, ten minutes a day. Not a marathon weekend.

6 weeks before move day: paperwork and logistics

The middle stretch. Less visible work; more important. This is where the moves that go wrong start to go wrong, because nobody's done the paperwork.

• Confirm your removal booking in writing and check the payment schedule, cancellation terms and expected arrival arrangements.
• Tell your buildings and contents insurer about the move and ask when they need the new address and moving date.
• Order packing materials if you are self-packing. The quantity varies enormously by household, so estimate room by room and keep a few spare boxes rather than relying on a fixed bedroom-based total.
• Make a list of banks, lenders, pension providers and other financial organisations that will need your new address, then update each one using its own process.
• Add HMRC, council tax and the electoral register to your change-of-address list, along with any other government records that apply to you.
• If you need time away from work, book it early enough to cover the moving day and any unpacking or admin time you expect to need.

Flag awkward access, stairs, narrow lanes, restricted parking, listed-property constraints or unusually large items to the removal team before the move so they can plan appropriately.

4 weeks before move day: declutter, donate, decide

This is a useful point to reduce what you are taking with you. Work room by room so decisions are manageable and the final moving volume is clearer.

• Walk through every room and decide what to keep, donate, sell, recycle or dispose of. Set uncertain items aside rather than forcing every decision at once.
• For furniture or household items you want to donate, contact suitable charities early and check what they currently accept and whether collection is available in your area.
• List sellable items early enough that collections are finished before the final few days of the move.
• If you need a skip or other waste collection, check local rules and any permit requirements before booking, particularly if it will be placed on the highway.
• Contact your energy, water and broadband providers to confirm their moving-home process and the notice they need.
• Start using up the freezer. Awkward to transport, expensive to defrost-and-refreeze, easy to plan meals around.

2 weeks before move day: packing properly starts now

If you are packing yourself, start with things you will not need before the move and leave everyday essentials until later. Kitchens, books, lofts and garages often take longer than expected.

• Pack room-by-room, not category-by-category. Label every box with the room it's GOING to (not the room it came from) and three words on the contents.
• Books in small boxes, bedding in large, kitchen breakables in medium with tissue between every item. Don't mix.
• Photograph anything fragile or valuable before it goes in a box (insurance evidence if anything's damaged in transit).
• Ask your mover whether wardrobe cartons or other specialist packing materials are included or available if you need them.
• If you want your post redirected, arrange Royal Mail redirection early enough for it to be active from your chosen start date and follow Royal Mail's current application guidance.
• Set up a 'do not pack' shelf for the first-night box (kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, toiletries, fresh clothes, paperwork, kids' / pets' essentials). Mark the shelf clearly.

If the packing volume is becoming difficult to manage, decide which rooms or fragile items you would most benefit from having professionally packed.

1 week before move day: the home stretch

This is when the move stops being abstract and starts being a thing happening on a specific Tuesday. Tighten the screws.

• Confirm parking and access at both addresses. If a suspension, waiver or other council arrangement may be needed, check the relevant council's current process and lead time rather than leaving it until moving day.
• Take meter readings now AND on move day. Photograph both with the date visible.
• Prepare washing machines, dishwashers and other appliances according to the manufacturer's instructions and confirm with your mover what must be disconnected or drained before collection.
• Prepare the fridge and freezer in line with the appliance manufacturer's guidance and your mover's requirements, allowing enough time for any defrosting and drying needed.
• Pack the first-night box and put it OBVIOUSLY in a different spot. It goes in your car, not the van.
• Once rooms and cupboards are empty, do a final clean to the standard agreed for the property and check anything your conveyancer, landlord or agent has asked you to leave.
• Keep a small bag with last-minute essentials, chargers, paperwork and anything you do not want loaded onto the removal vehicle.

48 hours before: last-minute prep

• Strip the beds. Bag the bedding into clearly-labelled bags so it goes straight back on at the new place.
• Pack a 'kettle and breakfast' bag separate from the first-night box (you'll want tea before you can find anything).
• Charge every phone, every battery pack, every Bluetooth speaker. Move day eats batteries.
• Make a plan for children and pets that keeps them safely away from busy loading areas and works for your household.
• Tell at least one neighbour what time the van's arriving. Saves the awkward parking dispute.
• Check when the removal balance is due and make sure your chosen payment method is ready.

Move day: the actual day

Moving day is much easier when access, parking, essential paperwork and the items travelling separately have already been agreed.

Morning

• Be ready for the crew at the arrival time agreed with your mover and keep the access route clear.
• Walk the crew lead through the house. Point out anything fragile, anything the kids made that you can't replace, anything you DON'T want loaded.
• Take final meter readings, photograph them with the date.
• Hand over the first-night box (and the kettle bag). These go IN YOUR CAR, not the van.
• Final walkthrough once the van is loaded: every cupboard, every drawer, the loft hatch, the garage. Twice if you've got time.
• Lock up. Drop the keys at the estate agent or buyer's address as agreed.

Afternoon / evening

• At the new place: walk the crew lead through, agree where the van parks, confirm where the big furniture goes (mark rooms upstairs with sticky notes, which saves a lot of 'where's this go?').
• Take meter readings at the new place straight away. Photograph them.
• Boxes go to the right rooms first time if labelled properly (which is why you labelled them; see Week 2).
• Prioritise beds and essential furniture so the first evening is comfortable. Confirm in advance whether your mover is dismantling or reassembling any furniture.
• Walk-through with the crew lead. Anything missing, anything damaged, flag it now while the paperwork's open.
• Before the crew leaves, walk through the property, raise any immediate concerns and keep the relevant paperwork or receipt.
• Order takeaway. Don't try to cook. The kettle is enough.

The week after: settling in + admin

The first week is mainly about finishing address changes, checking the new home and unpacking the things you need first.

• Update your address with: bank, credit cards, mortgage, pension, employer payroll, HMRC, doctor, dentist, vet, car insurance, home insurance, V5C log book, driving licence, electoral roll, online retailers (Amazon, Tesco, etc.).
• Check that smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms are present where required and working; if you are unsure about the requirements for your property, use current government or local fire-service guidance.
• Find the stopcock, the fuse box, the gas-meter cut-off. Photograph each location and put the photos somewhere you'll find them at 11pm in November when something leaks.
• Locate the boiler manual / service certificate. Book a service if it's overdue.
• If the move takes you out of your current practice area, check how to register with a new GP and dentist and transfer any records or ongoing care you need.
• Consider photographing the condition of the new property and any meter readings before unpacking, so you have a useful record.

If belongings went into temporary storage, plan the redelivery around when the new home is ready rather than rushing everything back on day one.

Turn this checklist into your moving house plan

Turn the countdown into your own written plan by adding real dates, assigning jobs to the people involved and keeping the list somewhere everyone can see it. Work backwards from completion day and move any unfinished priority task to the top of the next stage.

A final word from Connor

Few moves follow a checklist perfectly. If you fall behind, focus first on anything that affects the moving date, access, essential paperwork or the safe packing of fragile belongings.

If the workload becomes too much, decide which part you want help with — packing, storage, specialist items or the full move — and ask for those options to be included clearly in the written quote.

If you want Marley Moves to price the move, request a written quote with the services you need included.