Moving House Checklist: A Week-by-Week Guide for London Moves

A house move goes smoothly when the jobs happen in the right order. This checklist sets them out week by week, from booking your movers to your first week in the new home. It is written for London, where parking, lifts and stairs shape the day, but almost all of it applies anywhere in the UK.

8 weeks before you move

• Fix your moving date, or the likely date if you are waiting to exchange contracts.
• Get removal quotes. A video survey gives a firmer price than a guess over the phone: ask us for a free quote.
• Book your movers as soon as you have a date. Fridays, the end of the month and school holidays fill up first.
• Start decluttering room by room. Sell, donate or recycle anything you will not take with you.
• Measure large furniture and check it will fit through the doors, stairs and lift at the new home.
• If you rent, give notice and check your tenancy for what the end-of-tenancy clean must cover.
• Start a moving folder, paper or digital, for quotes, contracts and receipts.

4 to 6 weeks before

• Check parking at both addresses. In much of London the van needs a council parking suspension, and councils need notice.
• If either home is a flat, ask the building manager about lift bookings, loading bays and permitted moving hours.
• Decide whether to pack yourself or book a packing service. If you are packing, order boxes, tape and paper now.
• Book the day off work, and arrange childcare and pet care for moving day.
• Check your home insurance covers your belongings during the move, and arrange cover for the new home from the day you get the keys.
• If you have children, sort out school or nursery places near the new home.
• Look up GP surgeries and dentists near the new home if you are moving out of the area.

2 to 3 weeks before

• Set up Royal Mail redirection for your post. Apply at least a week ahead.
• Tell the council for your old home and the council for your new one about the move, so council tax is billed correctly.
• Tell your energy and water suppliers your moving date. You will give final meter readings on the day.
• Book broadband at the new home. A new connection can take a couple of weeks.
• Update your address with the DVLA for your driving licence and vehicle log book. It is a legal requirement and it is free.
• Tell your bank, credit card providers, employer, pension provider and TV Licensing.
• Start packing the rooms you use least: the loft, the spare room, books and out-of-season clothes.
• Run down the freezer and food cupboards so there is less to move.

1 week before

• Confirm the date, arrival time and both addresses with your movers.
• Check the parking suspension is in place at both addresses.
• Pack everything except what you use every day. Label each box with its room and what is inside.
• Take down curtains, pictures, shelves and TV wall brackets.
• Back up your computer and phone, and keep chargers together.
• Return anything you have borrowed and collect anything you have lent out.
• Tell your movers about anything heavy, fragile or valuable, such as a piano, artwork or an American fridge freezer.

The day before

• Switch off and defrost the freezer, with towels underneath to catch the water.
• Disconnect the washing machine and fit its transit bolts if you still have them.
• Pack a first-night box: kettle, mugs, tea, snacks, toilet roll, phone chargers, medication, basic tools, towels, bedding and a change of clothes.
• Keep keys, documents, passports, medication and valuables with you. They should not travel in the van.
• Charge your phone and keep your movers’ number to hand.
• Clear a path through the house, and put aside anything that is not coming with you.

On moving day

• Take photos of the gas, electricity and water meters at both homes, and send the readings to your suppliers.
• Walk the crew through the house: what goes, what stays and what is fragile.
• Before the van leaves, check every room, cupboard, the loft, the shed and the garden.
• Close the windows, turn off the lights and leave the keys as agreed with the agent or landlord.
• At the new home, direct each box to its room by its label.
• Check furniture as it comes off the van, and tell the crew straight away if something is wrong.
• Make the beds first, so the first night is easy however much is left to unpack.

After you move

• Unpack the kitchen and bedrooms first, then one room at a time.
• Register to vote at your new address.
• Register with a GP and dentist if you have moved out of the area.
• Check your first council tax bill, and apply for any discount you are entitled to, such as the single person discount.
• Find out your bin and recycling collection days.
• Update everyone you missed: insurers, subscriptions, online shops and delivery apps.
• Flatten the boxes and recycle them, or keep a few for storage.

Moving in London: what to plan for

A London move has a few things a move elsewhere often does not. Parking comes first: on most residential streets a removal van needs a parking suspension, booked with the council in advance. Moving Que applies for the suspension for you; you pay the council’s fee.

Flats need more planning. Lifts may need booking, some buildings only allow moves at set times, and a top-floor flat with no lift takes longer to load. Tell us the floors, the lift and any narrow stairs when you ask for a quote, so the crew and the time are right on the day.

Low-emission rules apply to vans across London. Our van is ULEZ compliant, so there is no ULEZ charge on your move.

Need a hand with the move?

Moving Que plans and carries out house removals across London. We quote from a video survey, take no deposit and reply to every enquiry the same day. For a smaller move, our man and van service starts at £65 an hour, with a 2-hour minimum.

Wondering what your move will cost? Our guide to the cost of moving house explains what sets the price, or you can get a free quote for your own move.