Moving house checklist
Working backwards from moving day rather than forwards from today. The tasks that have lead times are the ones that go wrong, and most of them are admin rather than boxes.
Work backwards from moving day. At eight weeks book the van and start decluttering. At four weeks begin packing non-essentials and notify utilities and councils. At one week pack an essentials box and confirm access and parking. On the day take meter readings, check every room and hand over keys.
Most moving checklists are written forwards, starting from today and listing things to do. That is the wrong shape, because the tasks that actually derail a move are the ones with lead times attached, and a forwards list buries them among tasks you could do at any point.
Redirecting post takes days to set up. Council tax closing accounts, broadband transfers and parking bay suspensions all have notice periods. Booking a van for a Friday at the end of the month, which is when most tenancies end and most completions happen, needs more warning than a Tuesday in the middle of February.
So this checklist runs backwards from moving day. Everything on it is placed at the point where it has to start, not the point where it becomes convenient.
One structural note about UK moves specifically. If you are buying, exchange and completion are frequently only a week or two apart and completion dates move. Anything you book before exchange carries the risk of a date change, so it is worth understanding the cancellation terms on the van, and worth knowing that most services allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
If you are renting, the risk is the opposite: your end date is fixed and inflexible, and going over it costs you. That makes the buffer on moving day more important than the cost saving of a tight booking.
One more thing worth planning for, because almost nobody does: the gap between the two properties. Very few UK moves hand over both sets of keys at a convenient moment. Completions often release keys in the early afternoon, which means a morning load and a wait. Knowing that in advance changes the shape of the day, and it is the reason experienced movers book the crew for a window rather than a precise hour.
The countdown at a glance
Timings assume a typical UK move. Buyers should treat anything before exchange as provisional, since completion dates move.
| When | Priority tasks | Why the timing matters |
|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Book the van, start decluttering, get quotes | Month-end and Friday slots go first. Decluttering shrinks the van you need. |
| 6 weeks | Sort what you are not taking, book any storage | Charity collections and tip trips both need lead time and reduce the load. |
| 4 weeks | Start packing non-essentials, notify council and utilities | Closing accounts has notice periods. Packing early removes the last-week panic. |
| 2 weeks | Redirect post, arrange broadband, confirm parking | Royal Mail redirection and broadband transfers both take days to activate. |
| 1 week | Pack all but essentials, confirm access at both ends | Access surprises on the day cost hours. Confirm floors, lifts and parking now. |
| Day before | Essentials box, defrost freezer, charge everything | A defrosting freezer on moving morning leaks into the van. |
| Moving day | Meter readings, final room check, keys | Meter readings are the single most commonly forgotten task. |
Step by step
Eight weeks: book the van
Month ends and Fridays are the busiest slots in the UK because tenancies and completions cluster there. If your date is fixed, book early. If you are buying and have not exchanged, check the cancellation terms rather than delaying the booking entirely.
Six weeks: decide what is not coming
Every item you do not take reduces the van size, the hours and the cost. Charity collections and tip visits both need booking, so this is the point to start rather than the week before.
Four weeks: start the admin
Council tax closing and opening accounts, water, gas, electricity, TV licence and any subscriptions tied to an address. These have notice periods and are the tasks most often left too late.
Two weeks: post, broadband and parking
Set up Royal Mail redirection, arrange the broadband transfer or new installation, and check whether either address needs a parking bay suspension from the council.
One week: pack down to essentials
Everything except what you need for the final week. Label boxes by destination room rather than contents, because that is what saves time at the other end.
Moving day: readings and a final sweep
Photograph every meter at both properties, walk every room including loft, garage and shed, and only then hand over keys.
The admin people forget
Boxes are visible and get done. Address-linked admin is invisible and gets missed. The recurring offenders are the DVLA, where both your driving licence and your vehicle log book need updating and failing to do so carries a penalty; the electoral roll, which affects your credit file; car and home insurance, where your address is a rating factor and a stale one can affect a claim; and anything with a physical delivery, including prescriptions and repeat orders. Royal Mail redirection buys you a safety net for post but it does not update anyone's records, so it is a cushion rather than a solution.
Meter readings, and why they matter more than they should
On moving day, photograph the gas, electricity and water meters at the property you are leaving and again at the one you are arriving at, with a timestamp. This is the single most commonly skipped task and the one most likely to cost money later. Without a reading, suppliers estimate, and estimates on a closing account frequently favour the supplier. A photograph takes ten seconds and settles any dispute. If the property has a smart meter it should report automatically, but photograph it anyway, because smart meters in a change-of-occupancy period are not always reliable.
Packing in the order that helps on arrival
Most people pack by room of origin, which is intuitive and unhelpful. Pack and label by destination room instead, because that is the decision the crew makes when unloading. A box marked kitchen goes straight to the kitchen regardless of where it was packed. Number the boxes and keep a simple list of what is in each, which turns finding the kettle from a search into a lookup. Keep an essentials box that travels with you rather than in the van: kettle, mugs, tea, phone chargers, medication, toilet roll, a towel each and basic tools. It is the difference between a bearable first evening and an unpleasant one.
Parking and access, the biggest avoidable cost
The most common way a move overruns is not packing; it is the van being unable to park near the door. In a controlled parking zone, on a red route or in a residents-only street, the options are a bay suspension from the council, which needs applying for in advance and typically has a notice period, or a long carry that adds hours to an hourly-rate job. Check both ends. A third-floor flat with no lift and parking fifty metres away is a fundamentally different job from a ground-floor house with a driveway, and the price difference is entirely in the hours.
Moving with children or pets
Both are best handled by removing them from the day entirely where that is possible. Moving day involves open doors, heavy items on stairs and strangers carrying furniture, which is neither safe nor calm for a small child or an anxious animal. If someone can take them for the day, that is worth more than any amount of packing efficiency. Where it is not possible, set aside one room at each end that stays closed and empty of boxes, with everything they need in it, and tell the crew that room is off limits until last. For pets specifically, update the microchip registration with your new address, which is a legal requirement in the UK and one of the most commonly missed pieces of moving admin.
What to know before you book
Book the crew, not just the van
An extra pair of hands at £12 an hour is the highest-value addition on any move involving stairs. Two people on a third-floor walk-up beats one person for twice as long, and it costs less.
Declutter before you get quotes
Getting rid of things first means you are pricing the move you are actually doing rather than the one including a wardrobe you were going to throw out anyway.
Photograph electronics before disconnecting
A quick photo of the back of the TV and router saves twenty minutes of guessing at the other end. It is the cheapest five seconds of the whole move.
Keep documents with you
Passports, birth certificates, deeds and anything irreplaceable should travel in your car, not the van. Not because vans are risky, but because a box you cannot find for a week is its own problem.
Defrost the freezer the day before
A freezer that is still defrosting on moving morning leaks into the van and onto everything near it. It needs a full day, so it goes in the day-before list rather than the moving-day one.
Plan the first night, not just the move
Beds assembled, one bathroom functional, kettle findable. Deciding this before you start unloading means the crew can prioritise the right boxes while they are still there.
Take a photo of the empty property
A quick photo of every room once cleared protects you in any dispute over condition, and for renters it is the cheapest deposit insurance there is.
Leave the manuals and keys
Boiler manual, spare keys, window keys and alarm codes left on the kitchen counter is the small courtesy that the next occupant remembers, and the one you will want at your new place.
The parts people get wrong
Completion dates move
If you are buying, do not treat a pre-exchange date as fixed. Book what you can cancel and understand the terms. Most services allow free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, with a fee inside that window.
Month ends are genuinely busier
Tenancies and completions cluster at month end and on Fridays, so those slots fill first and are the hardest to rebook if plans change. Mid-week and mid-month moves are easier to arrange and often cheaper.
Redirection is not notification
Royal Mail redirection forwards post; it does not tell anyone you have moved. Every organisation still needs updating individually, and some, including the DVLA, carry penalties for not doing so.
This is guidance, not legal advice
Notice periods, council processes and penalty rules vary by authority and change over time. Check specifics with your council, your suppliers and the DVLA rather than relying on a general timeline.
Common questions
How far in advance should I book a van?
Around eight weeks for a month-end or Friday slot, which is when UK tenancies and completions cluster. Mid-week and mid-month moves can often be booked with far less notice. If you are buying and have not exchanged, book what you can cancel rather than waiting.
What should I do first when moving house?
Book the van and start decluttering. Both have the longest lead times: the best slots go early, and every item you get rid of reduces the van size and the hours you pay for. Everything else can start later without penalty.
Who do I need to tell when I move house?
The council for council tax, your energy and water suppliers, the DVLA for both your licence and your vehicle log book, your bank, your employer, the electoral roll, your insurers, your GP and dentist, and any subscriptions tied to your address. Royal Mail redirection catches what you miss but does not replace telling them.
What goes in the essentials box?
Kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, phone chargers, medication, toilet roll, hand soap, a towel per person, a change of clothes, basic tools and scissors. Keep it in your car rather than the van so it does not end up at the bottom of the load.
When should I take meter readings?
On moving day itself, at both properties, photographed with a timestamp. It is the most commonly forgotten task and the one most likely to cost you, because without a reading suppliers estimate and estimates on a closing account rarely go in your favour.
How do I stop the move overrunning?
Sort access and parking in advance. The most common cause of overrun is the van being unable to park near the door, which turns a short carry into a long one on an hourly rate. Check floors, lifts, parking restrictions and whether either end needs a bay suspension.
Should I pack myself or pay for packing?
Packing yourself is cheaper if you have time; a packing service at £25 an hour is worth it if you are working around a job. If you do book it, book it for the day before the move rather than the same day, so the van and crew are not standing idle while boxes are filled.
What is the best day of the week to move?
Mid-week is easier to book, usually cheaper and less rushed. Fridays and month ends are the busiest because that is when tenancies end and completions happen. If your date is flexible, a Tuesday or Wednesday mid-month is the smoothest option.
Do I need to tell the DVLA when I move?
Yes, and it is one of the few moving tasks that carries a penalty for getting wrong. Both your driving licence and your vehicle log book need updating with the new address, and they are separate changes. Doing it online is free and takes a few minutes, which is worth knowing because the fine for failing to update the log book is considerably more than the effort involved.
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Mel Carrington - Head of Removals Operations
Mel ran national removal fleets at Pickfords for 15 years before joining TowManVan. She reviews van sizing, pricing and crew guidance on this page. Questions? Email mel@towmanvan.co.uk.
Last updated 19 August 2026. Figures are guidance, not a quote. Check current requirements with the relevant authority before acting on them.