A person is packing canned food into a cardboard box labeled "Britannia" in a modern kitchen. The kitchen cabinets are open, revealing various pantry items. A container of strawberry crisps is on the counter beside the box.
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Moving House Checklist

Moving house can be stressful and there’s so much to think about, this is why it’s important to get a head start and start planning in advance to ensure that everything is taken care of and the move can go as smoothly as possible.

So, you’ve exchanged contracts and have decided on a moving date now it’s time to prepare for the big day. We’ve created a moving house timeline checklist starting from 6 weeks before your moving date to help you get ready for moving day.

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5-6 Weeks Before You Move
  • Have a clear out and declutter
  • Get your hands on packing materials and boxes
  • Start ordering furniture for your new home
  • Arrange a survey with your removals company
  • Research your new area
Top Tip

Ask around at local supermarkets or shops to see if they have any spare boxes.

Top Tip
Look into booking some temporary storage if there are any items that you won’t be taking with you straight away.
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3-4 Weeks Before You Move
  • Book your removal company
  • Arrange childcare or pet care for moving day
  • Organise home insurance for your new home
  • Start to run down your fridge and freezer
  • Make sure there’s parking for your removals company at your new home
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2 Weeks Before You Move
  • Notify your essential service providers of your move
  • Transfer your phone number
  • Arrange for post to be redirected
  • Decide how you’re going to transport valuable items
  • If you have arranged to pack yourself – arrange delivery of materials with your removal company
  • Plan the moving day in detail
Top Tip

Write notes for the new occupants if there are any details you feel they should know.

Top Tip
Pack a moving day survival kit including all the essential things you will need on the day.
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1 Week Before You Move
  • Finish packing (if you’ve arranged to do it yourself) and clean the house thoroughly
  • Make sure all vital documents are together and safe for moving
  • Defrost and clean the fridge and freezer
  • Check attic, garage, basement, and areas of the house for any items you might have forgotten
  • Confirm all details with your moving company
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The Day Before You Move
  • Prepare for professional packing service if you have arranged one
  • Empty all the bins
  • Gather all your essentials, jewellery and important documents and mark as ‘do not remove’ so you can transport yourself
  • Confirm child and pet care arrangements if required
  • Do final house check
Top Tip
Ask around at local supermarkets or shops to see if they have any spare boxes
Top Tip
Unpack your moving day survival kit but leave all other unpacking until the next day – don’t overdo it.
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The Day of The Move
  • Greet and instruct the movers when they arrive
  • Take final meter readings and submit to utility suppliers
  • Once the crew have finished walk through the property to confirm nothing has been left behind
  • Collect your keys and arrive at your new home ahead of the removals company
  • On completion of the removals delivery check all items have been unloaded and sign any removals paperwork
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Who Do I Need to Notify When Moving to a New House?

When moving house it’s important to update or inform services and utilities and others that you will be moving.

Here are a few people that you must inform prior to moving house:

  • Water, gas, electricity companies
  • Telephone provider
  • The Post Office
  • Internet provider
  • TV licensing
  • Your bank and/or building society
  • Council tax department
  • Your workplace/employer
  • Insurance company
  • HMRC
  • Doctors, dentist and opticians
  • DVLA
  • Car insurance company
  • Schools, colleges, universities
  • Any companies with which you have subscriptions
  • Credit card company
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Frequently Asked Moving House Questions
Ideally, as soon as you have found a buyer for your property and at the same time as appointing a conveyancer to start the process of selling and purchasing your new home, it would be wise to at this point book a survey so that we can provide you with a quote ready for when you need to move. The earlier you have a survey completed the easier it will be to ensure we can help you move on the dates you require.
We can offer a packing service as part of your removal, either as a full packing service where we pack everything for you, or a partial packing service depending on what suits your requirements. Also if you do decide to pack everything yourself, we can also just undertake the collection and delivery only. Packing materials can also be purchased through us.
We can offer a dismantling and reassembling service for your furniture, please speak to your surveyor about the items you would want us to dismantle and reassemble. Items such as bed frames and wardrobes are quite commonly dismantled to ensure we can move them to and from their location. However, it’s worth noting that certain brands of flat pack furniture are not designed to be dismantled and reassembled multiple times. There are occasions therefore where Britannia will discuss the options available based on the limitations of the manufacturer’s design.
The short answer is ‘the earlier, the better’. During the busy periods, such as end of the month, the summer or around bank holiday weekends, our diaries fill up very fast, so to avoid disappointment you are best to book your move as soon as you are given a move date that’s been agreed with your solicitors, and with as much notice as possible. During the quieter months the amount of notice can become shorter, though to be on the safe side it is always recommended to book as soon as you know your move date. Just keep in contact with your local Britannia office and they will help you throughout the process and can also identify how busy their diaries are getting at each point in the year.
Yes, you can leave all non-fragile items in a chest of drawers. We may need to remove the drawers when carrying the chest to and from the van.

We accept all major credit cards and debit cards with the exception of American Express.

Moving house can be stressful and to ensure that everything goes smoothly it’s important to prepare in advance. Start preparing by booking your removals company as soon as you can, decluttering your belongings, create a list/inventory and start packing as early as possible.
Self-storage is an extremely handy solution for those moving house and that need to temporarily store possessions in a secure facility. You can rent a self-storage unit on a short-term basis and have complete control of your stuff.

When it comes to packing it’s difficult to know where to start. We always suggest packing items in storage, out of season clothes and any possessions that are never/rarely used first. Just make sure you don’t leave the kitchen until the end.

Not redirecting your mail or updating your address when you move house can cause serious problems. If you fail to notify the DVLA of your address change you could be fined up to £1000. Also not notifying or informing services and utilities could result in you being late in paying a bill leading to further complications.
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Downloads

Please download our useful guides to help your move go smoothly

Moving Guide Checklist
Download
Domestic Removals Brochure
Download