Moving house is one of the most stressful experiences that you can undertake. With all that stress and the countless worries you have whirling through your head, it’s easy to forget everything you have to do before moving.

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That’s why We Buy Any House have put together a comprehensive moving house checklist. Whether you’re looking to sell your house fast or just need a hand remembering everything you need to do before moving day, we’ve got you covered. Use the navigation below to jump to where you’re up to before the big move, or print this list off to make sure that you don’t forget a thing.

What you need to do 2 months before the move

The key to a stress-free move is starting early. We advise looking at starting the moving house process two months before moving day. Here’s what you should begin with:

• De-clutter: Begin systematically working through each room of your house and decide what can be thrown out and what you want to keep for your new house.

• If you’re renting: If you’re renting the property, make sure you confirm a moving date with your estate agent or landlord.

• Research: Get to know the place you’re moving to if you haven’t already. Research where local amenities are, the best routes to work so you’re fully prepared.

• Boxes: You’re going to need a lot of boxes. Start collecting them from supermarkets, charity shops, and wherever else you can get your hands on them.

• Selling your property: If your current property is still on the market and moving day is looming closer, look at quick sale companies like We Buy Any House to sell the property fast.

• Buy a file: You can use this to keep all documents related to the move. Paperwork, phone numbers, lists – they’re all too easy to lose, so keep them in one place.

What you need to do 1 month before the move

This is when the reality of the move really starts to set in. No need to panic though, there’s still plenty of time to get everything sorted and make the most of your moving house checklist. Here’s what you need to do 1 month before moving day:

• Removals company: Now’s the time to hunt down a reliable moving company and book in.

• Changing details: Start moving details over. Contact HMRC and your new local council to inform them of your new address. Don’t forget to check your new Council Tax Band, either.

• Address change: Contact friends, family, and any other companies that need to be alerted to your change of address.

• Mail redirection: You can set up mail redirection really easily online and it’s highly recommended.

• Inventory: Take an inventory of all the belongings you have that are going to the new house.

• What’s going where: Ask for a floor plan from your real estate agent and use this to plot out where each of the things on your inventory are going. It’ll make unpacking and moving day a lot easier.

• Cleaning: Arrange a cleaner for the period after you’ve left and before the new owners move in.

• The route: Look at the best route to take for the moving van to your new property. Also check if there are any parking restrictions at the new house, too.

Things to do 2 weeks before you move

There’s just a fortnight to go before you move house. This is when the all-important planning kicks in. Hopefully, the following moving checklist will help you stay on top of everything:

• Child & pet care: If you have children or pets, arrange care for them during moving day.

• Perishables: Start looking at eating/using any perishables frozen goods so that they won’t need to come with you on moving day.

• Settle bills: If you have any outstanding bills with window cleaners, gardeners or other local services, settle them now.

• GP/Dentist: Unregister from your current GP and dentist and look at signing up with a new one near your new house.

• School records: If you have children, request their school record from their current place of education and send onto their new school.

• Book a storage unit: If you believe that you’re going to have too many belongings for the new property or you don’t want to take items you no longer need to your new house, book a storage unit to use until they are sold.

What you need to do 1 week before moving day

Only one week left to go before you move! You’re probably getting super excited. But don’t get ahead of yourself. There’s lots still to do before moving day:

• Important documents: Gather all the important documents in the property including your passport, driving license etc, into folder so it’s all in one place for moving day.

• Contact a locksmith: You’ll want to arrange for a locksmith to visit your new property and change all locks.

• Begin packing: Start packing away all the items you can before moving day. Dispose of any plants you won’t take with you and don’t forget any outdoor furniture.

• Dismantle: If there’s any furniture you can dismantle do so now. Also, take any wall hangings like shelves or pictures down.

• Key handover: Arrange a time to give in the keys for your current property and collect the keys for your new one.

• Borrowed items: If you have any borrowed items from friends and family, now is a great time to return them.

What to do one day before the move

Tomorrow’s the big day! You’ve almost done everything that needs doing ahead of the move. There are just a few more little bits that need ironing out. Here’s what needs doing 24 hours ahead of the move:

• Defrost fridge & freezer: Empty out both the fridge and freezer and begin defrosting it before you move.

• Charge your phone: You might need to make some emergency calls on moving day, so make sure you have a fully charged phone before you begin the day.

• Pack a night bag: Get everything you’re going to want for the first night in your new home ready so that you don’t have to rummage through bags and boxes.

• Final packing: Finish off any packing that you haven’t yet completed. Systematically work through each room to ensure nothing gets left behind.

• Fragile!: Mark any boxes that require careful lifting and unloading as fragile. Label all other boxes assigning them to a room to make unloading and unpacking easier.

• A good night’s sleep: Make sure you have a decent night’s sleep. The moving day is going to be long and potentially stressful.

What you need to do on moving day

The big day is finally here. You’ve packed, prepared the moving van, and the kids are with friends. So what needs doing on the big day?

• Clear the bedding: Remove the bedding and pack away into the correct box.

• Do one last tour: Go through each room of the house to ensure you haven’t left anything behind.

• Secure windows: Make sure all windows are closed and locked. Make sure all utilities are switched off.

• Leave keys: Take all your keys for the current property and leave them for the new homeowners or estate agent.

• The movers: Give them a copy of your inventory, a map to the new property, and emergency contact details.

What to do once you’ve moved in

You’ve done it! The hardest part is out of the way, now all you really need to do is unpack and start enjoying your new house. But first, here are a few things to do once you’re in:

• Make your bed: Make your bed first. That way, once you’ve finished your long day of unpacking you don’t have to worry about doing it.

• Check the boiler: You’ll probably want a shower after a day of unpacking boxes. Make sure your boiler is on and functional!

• Check the removals van: Before you wave goodbye to your helpful movers, ask if you can do a go-over of the van to make sure nothing has been left.

• Relax: The house isn’t going to be sorted in one afternoon. Do what you can and then put your feet up in the evening; don’t worry about the rest of unpacking until the morning.

Who to contact before you move house:

• TV Licence

• Electoral Roll

• DVLA

• Banking Providers

• Pension Services

• Utility Suppliers (Gas, Electric, Water)

• Bills (Broadband, Mobile Phone)

• Doctor & Dentist

Apps that’ll make the move easier

There is a tonne of smartphone apps that’ll help make moving easier. We’ve whittled the wheat from the chaff to help you pick the best for your phone:

• Magic Plan: If you can’t get a floor plan from your real estate agent, take this app to the new place. It’ll let you create your own floor plans by just pointing the camera. That way you’ll know exactly how much space you have in each room and allow you to do that all-important furniture shopping.

• Dulux Trade Paint Expert: Decide on your new house’s colours before you even get there with this app. Test colour schemes and combinations to find your perfect match-up.

• Trello: Trello is a workflow app that’ll help you organise every, single, step of the move. From checklists to contact details you can keep it all here.

We hope you find this moving house checklist useful for your move! If you’re looking to move during the coronavirus lockdown, here’s more information.

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