The Ultimate Moving
House Checklist

Moving isn’t as simple as packing all of your belongings and driving over to your new apartment. In fact, it can take several weeks of careful planning and preparation, especially if you live in a busy city like Sydney or Melbourne.

Off the back of our Ultimate End of Lease Cleaning Checklist, we’re following up with the “Ultimate Moving House Checklist”, a 6-week guide to help you meticulously plan your next move. We’ve covered everything from preparation to packing, moving out to settling in. Follow along as we share years of industry experience helping customers make the big move.

Moving preparation (1-2 weeks)

Let the right people know

After you’ve made the big decision to uproot your life, there are many important people to notify about your upcoming move. Start with your real estate agent or landlord to ensure you’re not paying for another month’s rent. Updating your address will ensure that none of your services are interrupted and that you continue to receive all of your bills and subscriptions. Don’t forget to disconnect your utilities, cable, and internet, and arrange to have them set up in your new home.

• Inform your landlord or real estate agent
• Update your address
• Banks
• Credit cards
• Cell phone companies
• Subscription services
• Friends and family
• Disconnect or transfer your service providers
• Utilities (electricity, water)
• Cable
• Internet
• Let your landlord and strata know your booking date
• Elevator padding/protection
• Reserved parking spot

Don’t forget to check for COVID-19 restrictions

It’s unfortunate that we’ve become all too accustomed to “circuit breakers” and “travel restrictions”. Government regulations are constantly changing to adapt to the ever-evolving situation with regards to COVID-19. Because of this, we always recommend to double check with official guidelines as to what activities are allowed or restricted. You can stay up-to-date by visiting the Homes and Property section of Victoria’s Coronavirus website or NSW’s list of Reasonable Excuses to Leave Home.

Hire in advance

Removalists and cleaning companies can book up quite quickly, so we recommend arranging these services well in advance. The same goes for hiring a handyman to make repairs or renting out a storage locker for all the things your partner won’t let you keep in the new living room. To find the best rates, we recommend getting quotes from several companies, comparing the scope of work offered with estimates regarding cost. For example, online booking platforms like Find A Mover can help you find removalists in a single step. Answer just a few questions about your delivery locations and the contents of your move and they’ll provide with up to 10 quotes instantly.

• Hire a removalist company
• Book in a move out cleaning service
• Hire a handyman
• Rent a storage locker
• Purchase moving insurance

Clear your calendar

Many people underestimate the stress that comes on moving day. Set yourself up for success by clearing your schedule. If possible, plan to take the day or even the whole week off from work. We have an entire article on How to Move with Pets but if you have one that needs looking after, schedule in a pet-sitter. With your sole focus on the move, there’ll be fewer opportunities for unexpected setbacks to arise. This is even more crucial if you’re moving interstate or overseas where dates will be much less flexible. Confirm your travel plans,

• Schedule time off of work
• Schedule a babysitter
• Schedule a pet-sitter
• Confirm travel plans

Packing (2-4 weeks)

Now that you’ve let the right people know and cleared up your calendar, it’s time to figure out how to pack for your move.

Declutter your life

Moving house is an excellent opportunity to take a good look at your belongings and determine whether they are serving you. It might be a little philosophical for moving checklist, but Marie Kondo shares this amazing insight on the subject, “The question of what you want to own is actually the question of how you want to live your life”.

If you’re still holding on to that chipped mug or those jeans that haven’t fit you in years, it may be time to let go. The same thinking applies to your new home. Take stock of your furniture and make sure it will fit your, physically as well as aesthetically. If you know there won’t be room for an item, now is the time to donate or sell it.

• Remove unnecessary items from your house
• Hold a garage sale
• Post onto an online marketplace such as Gumtree or Facebook
• Donate to a local charity
• Create a floor plan
• Measure spaces in new home
• Ensure furniture fits in an allocated area

Get supplies

Make sure you don’t skimp on the packing supplies! Stocking up on everything now will save you from hectic trips to Bunnings on moving day. Once you have them, you can start the packing process early by boxing up infrequently-used items.

• Moving boxes
• Packing tape
• Fragile warning tape
• Packing paper
• Sharpies
• Newspapers
• Bubble wrap
• Label boxes
• Dolly

Start packing

To be a successful packer, you have to understand the power of labelling. Designating where your items belong will make a huge difference for both you and your movers. If you haven’t already, assign which items will go in which rooms and label the boxes accordingly. When it comes to breakable items, pack carefully using paper and/or bubble wrap, and clearly label them as fragile so there’s no confusion. Note that some things, like furniture and appliances, have special instructions and may take extra time to prepare or disassemble.

• Label boxes based on room or category
• By Rooms
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Bedroom
• Study
• Laundry
• Garage
•  By Category
• Valuables
• Fragiles
• Day Pack
• Toiletries
• Clothes
• Toolkit
• Medication
• Documents
• Cell phone charger
• Cash
• Prepare appliances for moving
• Defrost freezer and remove items in the fridge
• Drain liquid from the dishwasher
• Remove glass from microwave
• Disassemble furniture
• Place removable hardware (e.g. screens, bolts) in a small clear plastic bags and secure to furniture

Moving day

Have a backup plan

It’s not uncommon to run into trouble on moving day. Whether if it’s previous tenants who haven’t vacated, your moving truck breaking down, or the power not being connected in the new flat, there’s always bound to be a couple of surprises. You can’t control everything, but you can be prepared. Designate a place to stay if things don’t go according to plan and consider having secondary transportation for backup. Remember that “day pack” in our moving house checklist? Well, that’ll come in handy for when things go wrong. You should have your valuables, medication, and necessary paperwork you can’t move into your new place just quite yet.

• Arrange for backup accomodations (hotel, family, friends)
• Plan for secondary transportation
• Keep your “day pack” on you

Let professionals handle the rest

It’s often best to leave things to the professionals. This means letting them know in advance what time to arrive and arranging parking for each service. You should also provide a walkthrough to let movers, cleaners, handymen, or anyone else know your specific needs or requests. Try to have all payments sorted ahead of time, but if necessary make sure to have cash available on hand.

• Ensure parking is available for all services
• Schedule services at appropriate times throughout the day
• Have cash payments ready
• Provide a walk-through for each service
• Movers
• Vacate Cleaning
• Handyman

Settle in (1-2 weeks)

Final inspection

As part of the moving process, it’s important to schedule an inspection with your real estate agent at your previous residence. Ensure that there are no damages and that you’ll receive your full bond back. After the inspection, return your old keys and breathe a sigh of relief.

• Arrange final inspection with Real Estate Agent
• Return keys

Unpacking

Before you even begin unpacking, you’ll first want to make sure you’re happy with the placement of the furniture. You won’t want to start unpacking, only to realise that the “feng shui” is all off, having to move your furniture over again. Now comes the fun part: unboxing all of your belongings and settling into your new home. If you’ve labelled well, this should be a natural process. Unpack your most frequently used items first, starting with rooms that get used most often, like your kitchen and bathroom. When everything’s said and done, take a mental tally and be sure that none of your items are missing or damaged.

• Assemble and place your furniture in their respective places
• Start unpacking on a room by room basis
• Unpack frequently used items first
• Check that appliances are running smoothly and aren’t damaged by the move
• Ensure that nothing is missing
• File any receipts and documentation relating to the move

Get acquainted with your new neighborhood

Moving, even within your own city, can be a little unnerving. You’ll most likely wake up to an entirely new routine. Unless you’re moving next door, you’ll need to find a new grocery store, a new go-to neighbourhood restaurant, and a new place to take your dry cleaning to. You’ll also need recommendations for doctors, dentists, schools, and more. This is an excellent time to get friendly with neighbours for tricks and tips on your new ‘hood’.

• Get to know the neighbours
• Ask for recommendations
• Explore the areas

Refurnish and decorate

It may take a few months to finally settle in, but now comes the fun part of making your house your home. Furniture shopping has come a long way in the digital age, and whether you have the perfect bathtub in mind from a local Australian retailer or need help from a professional interior designer, you can now do it all online from the comforts of your home.

• Find inspiration
• Create a mood board
• Go furniture shopping

Wrapping up

And there you have it, everything you’ll need to plan your big move. As an end of lease cleaning service, we know that moving occurs during times of transition. People are getting married, quitting jobs, or moving out of their parent’s home for the first time. With this moving checklist, we just want to reassure our readers that everything’s going to be okay. You’ll be moved before you know it.