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Printable moving checklist
Everything worth doing before, during and after a move, organised by how far out you are. Work down it as it stands, or print your own version with only the lines that apply to you.
Want it on paper? The free label maker opens in checklist mode with tick-boxes ready. Paste any part of this list in, delete what does not apply, and print it — no signup, and nothing you type leaves your browser.
The checklist
Six weeks out
- Book the movers, or the van and someone to help you load it.
- Give notice to your landlord, or confirm the completion date.
- Walk through the loft, garage and any storage unit — these are where the surprises live.
- Start a list of what you will not be taking, and decide how it leaves: sold, donated, or thrown.
- Photograph anything valuable while it is still unwrapped and undamaged.
- Stop buying frozen food you cannot eat before you go.
Four weeks out
- Order boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap and a couple of thick marker pens.
- Start packing the room you use least. It is almost always a spare room or the loft.
- Label boxes as you seal them, never afterwards — see the note below on what to write.
- Register your change of address with your bank, employer, doctor and the electoral roll.
- Redirect your post from the day after the move, not the day of it.
- Book the time off. Moving takes longer than a day.
Two weeks out
- Confirm the movers, the address and the arrival time in writing.
- Arrange parking for the van at both ends, and a permit if you need one.
- Transfer or cancel electricity, gas, water, broadband, TV and contents insurance.
- Return anything you have borrowed, and collect anything you have lent out.
- Empty and defrost the freezer. It needs longer than you think.
- Arrange care for pets and small children on the day itself.
The week of the move
- Pack a first-night box and keep it in your own car, not the van.
- Set aside chargers, medication, documents and keys where they cannot be packed by accident.
- Take photographs of the meter readings at the old place.
- Confirm who is handing over which keys, and when.
- Keep back a cleaning kit for the final sweep.
- Charge every device and power bank the night before.
Moving day
- Photograph each box open, before you seal it. This is the single most useful thing on this list.
- Number the box and write the room it is going to, not the room it came from.
- Mark fragile on two sides, because only one side will be facing you.
- Load the first-night box last so it comes off first.
- Walk every room, cupboard and shelf one final time. Check behind doors.
- Take meter readings and a photograph of the empty rooms before you hand back the keys.
First night, and the week after
- Beds first, everything else second.
- Find the stopcock, the fuse box and the thermostat before you need them in a hurry.
- Check the boxes all arrived, using your numbering.
- Take meter readings at the new place on day one.
- Test the smoke alarms and change any locks you are not confident about.
- Unpack the kitchen next. It makes the place feel liveable faster than the living room does.
What to actually write on a box
Most moves go wrong at the same point: the boxes arrive, they are all beige, and nobody knows which one has the kettle in it. Three habits fix nearly all of that.
- Write the destination, not the origin. "Bedroom 2" tells the person carrying it where to put it. "Spare room" tells them where it used to live, which helps nobody at the other end.
- Number every box and keep the list. Numbering is what lets you notice that box 23 never arrived. A label alone cannot do that.
- List the contents, not a category. "Kitchen" is a guess. "Kettle, mugs, cutlery tray, tea towels" is an answer. A box contents sheet taped to the side does this properly, and takes about a minute per box.
Make your own version
This list is deliberately general, and your move is not. The checklist mode of the label maker takes any list you paste in, strips out bullets and numbering automatically, and prints it with tick-boxes in your choice of eight paper sizes — full A4 for the wall, or an A6 card for a pocket.