How to Plan a House Move: A Practical Timeline

Start a house move by deciding what will travel, when both properties are accessible and which tasks you need the moving team to handle. Put these decisions into one inventory and schedule before confirming a booking. The preparation time needed depends on the household, building arrangements and work still to be done.

Choose a workable date

Check your tenancy notice, new-home possession and any building moving slots. Share those constraints when asking about crew and vehicle availability. A date is useful only when the people and properties involved can support it.

If the old home must be vacated before the new one is ready, discuss the gap before booking. A revised delivery date, waiting arrangement or storage needs separate confirmation rather than an assumption that the goods can remain somewhere indefinitely.

Make a room-by-room inventory

Walk through the home and list furniture, appliances and groups of smaller belongings. Include lofts, balconies and storage spaces. Identify unusual dimensions, delicate pieces and furniture that may need dismantling.

For example, a living-room list might include a sofa, television, TV unit, bookshelf and estimated cartons of books or décor. Add photos that help the team understand size, condition or access. A bedroom count can start an enquiry, but it does not replace this inventory.

Decide what you will take

Separate items to move from those you will sell, donate or dispose of. Complete those decisions before the final survey where possible so the quote reflects the goods actually travelling.

Check appropriate disposal routes for paint, batteries, electronics and other materials requiring special handling. Do not put them into ordinary cartons or the moving load without the carrier assessing and accepting them.

Work backwards from collection

Begin with tasks that need another person or organisation: building permissions, access assessment, quotation, furniture work and any technical disconnection. Then plan packing for spare-room and seasonal belongings before items used every day.

Use the appliance manuals and agreed transport instructions to decide when equipment should be emptied, drained or prepared. Do not apply one general timetable to every fridge or washing machine.

If the crew is packing, confirm which materials, categories and unpacking tasks are included. Read our room-by-room packing guide for preparation that helps either a self-packed or crew-packed move.

Prepare both buildings

Show the path from the home to the loading point, including doorways, stairs, lifts and barriers. Ask each property for its own move instructions and identify the person who can authorise access. Our apartment checklist sets out the questions to ask.

At the destination, confirm keys, access and space to receive the goods. Use destination room names on carton labels so placement is clear to the receiver.

Keep moving day focused

Have an authorised adult available at collection and delivery. Keep the written quote, inventory, contact details and payment information accessible. Carry essential documents, valuables, medicines, chargers and keys personally where practical.

After collection, check the old home for anything left behind. At delivery, compare the inventory, record visible issues and contact the booking team promptly about any exception. Unpack essentials first and leave the rest for a manageable sequence.

Request a written moving quote once you have the addresses, inventory and preferred date. Check the accepted scope, payment milestones and cancellation terms before booking.