How to use this template
Print the page, or copy the lists into a document and delete what does not apply. The stages are counted backwards from move day, so a move booked three weeks out starts at the four week block and compresses the rest.
For the reasoning behind each stage, and the state by state arrival tasks, read the moving checklist guides. This page is the artifact; that section is the explanation.
Eight weeks before the move
- Decide the moving date, and a fallback date either side of it
- Get written estimates from at least three licensed movers
- Check each mover's USDOT number and operating authority on the federal record
- Ask each mover for its valuation options in writing
- Book the mover, container or truck once the estimates are in
- Start the room by room inventory list
- Sort what is being sold, donated or thrown out
- Request time off work for packing days and move day
- Tell the landlord or agent in writing if notice is required
- Research schools and register children if the move crosses districts
Four weeks before the move
- Order boxes, tape, paper and markers
- Start packing the rooms you do not use daily
- Label every box with the destination room and a number
- File the change of address with the postal service
- Notify the bank, insurer, employer and any subscription deliveries
- Arrange transfer or cancellation of gas, electricity, water and internet
- Book a lift or loading bay if the building requires one
- Arrange care for pets and small children on move day
- Use up freezer food rather than moving it
- Collect medical, dental and veterinary records
Two weeks before the move
- Confirm the date, arrival window and address with the mover in writing
- Confirm the valuation option chosen and that it is on the estimate
- Finish the inventory list and total the declared value
- Service or drain the lawn equipment and dispose of fuel and paint
- Return library books, borrowed items and rental equipment
- Take photographs of electronics, serial numbers and existing damage
- Book parking for the truck if the street needs a permit
- Set aside items the mover will not carry, including flammables
- Plan the route and overnight stops if you are driving
The last week
- Pack everything except the essentials box
- Fill the essentials box: medication, chargers, documents, tools, kettle, bedding
- Defrost and dry the fridge and freezer at least a day ahead
- Confirm payment method and what is due at delivery
- Charge phones, torches and power banks
- Withdraw cash for tips or parking if needed
- Do a final walk through of cupboards, the loft and the garage
- Keep passports, deeds, birth certificates and jewellery with you, not on the truck
Moving day
- Read the meters and photograph them before you leave
- Walk the crew through the home and point out fragile items
- Check the inventory tags against your own list as items load
- Dispute any condition code you disagree with before signing
- Keep the bill of lading and the estimate with you, not in a box
- Walk every room, cupboard and the loft one last time
- Lock up, leave the keys as agreed, and confirm the delivery window
- At delivery, tick items off the inventory as they come off the truck
- Note any damage on the delivery paperwork before the crew leaves
What to keep after the move
Keep the estimate, the bill of lading, the inventory and the delivery paperwork together. Claims run on those four documents. Carrier liability on an interstate move is 60 cents per pound per article under 49 CFR 375.701 unless you bought full value protection, and a claim without the paperwork is difficult to run at either level.
Photograph anything that arrived damaged before you move it or unpack around it, and note the damage on the paperwork while the crew is still there.