A first-time mover's checklist: what to do and when

Your first move is mostly a list of small jobs. None of them are hard on their own — the stress comes from remembering them all at the right time. This checklist breaks a UK house move into stages, so you always know what to do next.

Want something you can tick off as you go? Our interactive movers guide saves your progress.

8 weeks before: plan the move

• Set your moving date — or a rough window, if you're waiting on a tenancy or completion date.
• Work out what's coming with you. Go room by room and decide what to keep, sell, donate or recycle. Every item you don't move is one less thing to pack and pay for.
• Start a moving folder (paper or digital) for quotes, contracts, receipts and reference numbers.
• Measure big furniture and check it will fit through doors and stairwells at the new place.

6 weeks before: get quotes

• Request moving quotes. Give accurate details — your floor, whether there's a lift, parking and any bulky items — so the quotes you get are realistic. With AnQ you describe your move once and compare quotes from vetted Moving Partners in one place.
• Note anything special: a piano, antiques, items that need dismantling, or things that need storage.
• Book time off work for moving day, and the day after if you can.

4 weeks before: book and confirm

• Choose your Moving Partner and confirm your booking. Read our guide to comparing moving quotes before you decide.
• Arrange parking at both properties. In some areas you may need a parking suspension from the council, which can take time to arrange.
• Get packing materials — or confirm that packing is included in your quote.
• Book broadband for your new home. Installation can take a while, so book early.
• Sort contents insurance for the new address from your moving date.

2 weeks before: pack and update your address

• Start packing the things you use least: books, spare bedding, out-of-season clothes, decorations. Our guide to packing fragile items covers the tricky bits.
• Label every box with the room it's going to.
• Tell people you're moving:
  • your bank, credit card providers and pension provider
  • your employer
  • HMRC, if you're self-employed or have other tax affairs to update
  • DVLA, to update your driving licence and vehicle log book
  • your TV Licensing account
  • insurers, phone provider and subscriptions
• Consider Royal Mail Redirection to catch any post you've missed.

1 week before: final preparations

• Confirm the details with your Moving Partner — date, arrival time, both addresses, access and parking.
• Tell your energy and water suppliers your moving date at both properties.
• Run down the freezer and plan to defrost it the day before.
• Return keys you have for other people, and collect anything you've lent out.

Moving day

• Take meter readings (gas, electricity, water) at the old property before you leave — photograph them with the date.
• Keep your essentials with you, not in the van: documents, chargers, medication, keys.
• Do a final walkthrough: every cupboard, the loft, the shed and behind doors.
• At the new home, take meter readings again and check the boiler, fuse box and stopcock locations.

Your first week in the new home

• Register for council tax with your new council, and let your old council know you've left.
• Register to vote at your new address on the electoral register.
• Register with a GP and dentist if you've moved to a new area.
• Update your pet's microchip details with your new address.
• Unpack room by room, starting with the kitchen and bedrooms.

The short version

Decide what's coming, get accurate quotes early, book your mover about a month ahead, pack the least-used things first, and spread your address changes over a couple of weeks rather than one evening. If you'd rather not chase several moving companies, see how AnQ works — tell us once, then compare quotes in one place.