Moving house goes most smoothly when it's broken into small jobs spread over a couple of months. This checklist counts down from eight weeks out. If you're working to a shorter deadline, start at the top anyway and squeeze the steps together.

8 weeks before: get removal quotes and declutter

  • Request removal quotes from several local companies, and book surveys.
  • Go room by room and decide what you're not taking. Sell, donate or recycle it now.
  • Measure large furniture and check it will fit through the doors and stairs of your new home.
  • If you rent, check your notice period and how to get your deposit back.
  • Start a moving folder, paper or digital, for quotes, contracts and receipts.

6 weeks before: book your removal company

  • Compare your removal quotes like for like, using our guide to comparing quotes, and book.
  • Confirm the date in writing, with what's included and the cancellation terms.
  • Order boxes, tape and wrapping, or check whether your removal company supplies them.
  • Start packing things you won't need before the move: books, spare bedding, out-of-season clothes.
  • If you need storage, book it now. See removals and storage.

4 weeks before: tell people you're moving

  • Notify your bank, employer, HMRC, DVLA, GP, dentist and insurers. Our who to tell when you move list covers everything.
  • Set up Royal Mail redirection so post follows you for the first few months.
  • Contact gas, electricity, water and broadband providers with your moving date. Broadband installs can take weeks.
  • Arrange parking permits or bay suspensions at both properties if the van needs them.

2 weeks before: confirm and pack in earnest

  • Call your removal company to confirm the date, arrival time and access details.
  • Pack room by room, labelling each box with its contents and destination room.
  • Run down the freezer and plan meals around what's left.
  • Arrange childcare or pet care for moving day.
  • Return anything borrowed and collect anything lent out.

1 week before: the essentials box

  • Pack an essentials box: kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, phone chargers, toiletries, toilet roll, basic tools, light bulbs, a first night's bedding and a change of clothes.
  • Put important documents, valuables and medication in a bag that travels with you, never on the removals van.
  • Defrost the fridge and freezer the day before if they're being moved.
  • Agree key handover arrangements with your estate agent or landlord.

Moving day

  • Take meter readings and photos of the meters before you leave.
  • Walk the crew through the house and point out fragile or heavy items.
  • Do a final check of every room, cupboard, the loft and the garden.
  • Lock windows, leave keys as agreed, and take readings at the new property on arrival.
  • Get beds built first so you can rest that evening.

For the day itself in more detail, read our moving day survival guide.