Moving house checklist

We put this moving checklist together with input from Chris Nguyen, Head of King's Cross Lettings at Knight Frank, Paul Westcott, founder of Relōku Removals, and Liz Aitken, professional declutterer and APDO member, and our very own Fred de Ryckman de Betz, founder of HOLD and former Chair of the Self Storage Association UK.

Between them they've helped hundreds of Londoners through every stage of a house move.

Most people start planning their move as soon as it becomes likely, even before dates are confirmed. Starting 8 to 12 weeks out gives you time to handle the things that can't be rushed.

As soon as your offer is accepted, get a conveyancer in place. Legal delays are the most common reason house moves overrun their timeline, and instructing early means you're not scrambling when exchange approaches.

It's also worth creating a folder or binder at this stage to keep all your moving paperwork together: estimates, receipts, inventory lists, and contracts. Having everything in one place will save a lot of time as the moving date gets closer.

Once you've exchanged contracts, you'll have a completion date to plan around. A few things worth considering:

• Avoid Fridays and end-of-month dates if you have any flexibility. These are the busiest days for removal companies and prices are higher across the board.
• School holidays are worth factoring in if you have children. Moving in the holidays gives them time to settle before starting at a new school.
• Confirm the date with your estate agent. If you're renting, check your tenancy agreement for the required notice period and hold off serving it until exchange is confirmed, not before.

Completion dates shift, sometimes by weeks, and handing your notice in too early can leave you in a genuinely difficult position. "Wait until you've exchanged," says Chris. "It's the one thing I'd tell every renting buyer."

Removal costs vary considerably depending on the size of your home and the distance involved. Beyond the removals company, budget for:

• Packing materials: boxes, bubble wrap, packing tape, and bin bags
• Buildings insurance from the date of exchange (more on this below)
• Storage if there's a gap between leaving your old property and moving into your new one
• Any overlap on rent or mortgage if completion is delayed

The hidden costs of moving are almost always the ones people leave until last. Parking suspensions, short-term storage, and cleaning requirements on rental properties can add several hundred pounds to a move that seemed straightforward on paper.

Buildings insurance is required from the moment you exchange contracts, not from completion. It covers the cost of repairing or rebuilding the structure of your home in case of major damage, so there shouldn't be any gap in cover between exchange and moving day.

If you're buying a leasehold flat in London, the picture is slightly different. Buildings insurance for the block is almost always handled by the freeholder or management company and recovered through the service charge.

"What buyers need to do is confirm it's actually in place before exchange," Chris told us. "I've seen people assume it's covered when it wasn't. Ask your solicitor for written confirmation, don't take it on trust."

If you're buying, it's also worth looking at Home Buyer's Protection Insurance. This covers you against financial loss if the purchase falls through before completion, including costs like conveyancing fees and survey costs. It's relatively low cost and offers useful protection during the uncertain period between offer and exchange.

Check your contents insurance policy too. Many policies are only valid during a move if it's carried out by a professional removals company rather than a DIY van hire. Worth confirming with your insurer before you book.

Hiring professional movers takes the logistics, packing, and heavy lifting off your plate entirely. Get quotes from at least two or three removal companies before committing. Before you sign anything, ask whether the quote is fixed or hourly.

"People fixate on the headline number, but it's the structure that matters," says Paul. "An hourly rate that looks fine at 9am can easily double by 3pm once you factor in parking delays, a slow lift, or a sofa that won't go round the stairs."

Don't leave booking late, especially for moves in London. Popular moving dates fill quickly and removal costs rise as availability drops. When comparing removal firms:

• Check whether they're a member of the British Association of Removers. BAR membership means they meet a recognised standard for insurance and conduct.
• Ask whether a packing service is available. It's worth considering for fragile items or if your schedule is tight in the weeks before the move. Confirm what their insurance covers, particularly for high-value items.
• If you're moving within London, ask about parking suspension requirements. Most London boroughs need advance notice to suspend bays outside your property for the removal van. A good removal firm will handle this, but make sure it's being done.

The earlier you start decluttering, the less you'll pay to move, and the easier you'll find settling in at the other end. It helps to reframe the question: rather than asking "do I want this?", ask "is this worth paying to move, and worth finding a home for on the other side?"

Liz says most things that feel hard to let go of get considerably easier once you frame it that way. Go room by room and separate everything into four categories: keep, sell, donate, discard. Selling unwanted items online or donating to charity shops before the move is a straightforward way to reduce removal costs.

The kitchen and garage are typically the hardest rooms to clear. Start there.

If there's a gap between leaving your old property and moving into your new one, or if you're downsizing and not sure everything will fit, short-term storage takes the pressure off.

The gap between completing and actually moving in catches more buyers off guard than you'd expect. "You might get your keys on a Tuesday but the previous owner isn't out until Thursday," says Fred. "Having storage sorted in advance turns what would be a stressful scramble into something completely manageable."

HOLD offers flexible London storage with no fixed contracts. Free move-in van hire, 24-hour access, 50% off your first eight weeks, and a price match within 3 miles.

Set up a Royal Mail redirection before you move. For a small fee, it'll forward your post from your old address to your new one for between three and twelve months. This gives you a buffer while you work through your full change of address notifications. Don't rely on the new occupants forwarding your mail.

Start packing non-essential items at least two to three weeks before your moving date. A practical rule: if you won't need it in the next seven days, pack it now. Begin with seasonal clothing, books, ornaments, and spare linen.

Packing tips:

• Label every box with its contents and the destination room. Use waterproof markers and label at least two sides of each box.
• Pack heavier items in smaller packing boxes. Pack lighter, bulky items in larger ones.
• Wrap fragile items individually in bubble wrap or packing paper rather than grouping them loose.
• Pack your essentials box last and keep it separate from the removal van (more on this below).

Your address checklist is one of the most time-consuming parts of moving house. Start it now rather than leaving it until after the move. Your bank, employer, GP, insurance providers, and subscription services are the most important to update first: these are the organisations most likely to send time-sensitive correspondence that you can't afford to miss.

Each government body needs to be notified separately. The DVLA alone requires two separate updates: one for your driving licence and one for your V5C. Neither happens automatically when you notify HMRC.

If you have a workplace pension through an employer, your employer update may not carry it over. Check directly with your pension provider.

Check whether your broadband provider can actually transfer to your new address before you notify them. Some can't serve certain postcodes, and finding that out two weeks before moving gives you time to arrange an alternative without a gap.

If you're changing GP, ask your current surgery for a summary of your medical records before you leave rather than waiting for them to transfer automatically. It's faster and means your new GP has your history from day one.

Give your gas, electricity, and water suppliers at least 48 hours notice before your moving date. Provide your new address and let them know when to issue your final bills. Take final meter readings on moving day and submit them immediately to avoid any disputes over charges after you've left.

A few days before the move, confirm:

• Arrival time and access at both properties
• Parking suspension status if you're in London
• Which items are going into storage versus directly to the new property
• Your mobile phone number so the removal team can reach you easily

Paul stresses the importance of confirming who's actually leading the crew. "The person you booked with isn't always the one who turns up," he told us. "Make sure whoever's running the job has seen the notes."

Pack one box or bag that travels with you separately from the removal van. It should contain everything you'll need for the first 24 hours in your new home, without opening a single box from the van.

The non-negotiables are cleaning supplies, a kettle, and toiletries, but a full kit covers:

• Bedding and towels
• Toiletries, medications, and any important documents
• Phone charger and laptop
• Kettle, mugs, and tea or coffee
• Cleaning products and bin bags
• A change of clothes for everyone in the household
• Pet food, bowls, and any pet medications
• Children's comfort items if needed

Label it clearly. You won't want to open forty boxes at 9pm to find the toilet roll.

Before you leave your old property, take final meter readings for gas and electricity. Photograph the meters for your records and submit the readings to your utility suppliers the same day. Before you close the door for the last time, make sure all utilities are turned off: check taps, gas, and any appliances left behind.

Fred's observation is that the loft and garage are where moving days fall apart. "People leave them until last and then realise at 7am that they've got twice as much stuff as they thought," he told us. "It's almost always where the extra hour comes from." Before the removal team leaves, go through everything:

• Check every room, cupboard, loft, and outbuilding
• Check the garden and any external storage
• Collect all the keys: front door, back door, garage, any spare keys
• Leave details for the new occupants: location of the fuse box, stopcock, boiler, gas and electricity meters, and any appliance instructions

If you're selling, your solicitor will confirm when to hand over the keys. If you're renting, agree a handover time with your landlord and make sure the property's cleaned to the standard your tenancy agreement specifies.

Take meter readings for gas and electricity as soon as you arrive. Submit them to your new utility suppliers straight away to establish your baseline and avoid being billed for the previous occupant's usage.

Before the removal team leaves the new property:

• Locate the fuse box, stopcock, and boiler
• Test the central heating and hot water
• Check that all keys work, including any spare set
• Confirm where the gas and electricity meters are

You don't know how many spare keys the previous owners handed out. Changing the locks shortly after moving in is a straightforward step that gives you peace of mind from day one.

Moving house rarely goes exactly to plan, especially in London. But working through it stage by stage makes it a lot more manageable. From the customers we see at HOLD, the ones who find moving day least stressful almost always started planning earlier than felt necessary.

Trust us, nobody has ever looked back on a house move and thought they packed too early. Eight weeks may feel like a long time until exchange is confirmed and the clock starts.

If you're at the beginning of the process, now is the right time. Not when moving day is three weeks away.