Moving house is consistently rated as one of life’s most stressful events, second only to divorce and mourning a death. Most of us find the process draining, exhausting and chaotic. Yet Australians remain frequent movers, relocating roughly 13 times in a lifetime. If you’re going to put yourself through a move, you may as well have a moving house checklist timeline to better navigate the process.
As you already know, there are a few decisions that are more dangerous than leaving things to the last minute, especially as far as an endeavour as big as moving house goes. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be such a stressful affair. With a timeline for moving house, you can prepare yourself well in advance of your moving date and enjoy your new home before you know it.
Here’s the Ready Movers guide to how to put together a checklist for a moving house timeline, with key milestones and deadlines. You may want to swap and add to this list depending on your own needs.
Packing To Move House Deadlines To Meet
The sooner you start preparing, the better off you’ll be when the moving date rolls around. If packing seems overwhelming, some packing tips can help make the process smoother and easier.
Here’s a moving house packing timeline to help you.
Two months before
- Sort, purge, and declutter. Go through your whole house and decide what you need to keep and what you can throw out.
- Create a moving budget that includes the costs for removalists, packing supplies and deposits.
- Research a range of moving companies. Look at their testimonials, get prices, and find out about their availability and flexibility. Make sure you choose an AFRA-accredited moving company to ensure the highest quality and most thorough training of employees.
- Arrange insurance (if your removalist of choice doesn’t cover it) and storage for any stuff that won’t fit into your new house.
- Notify your workplace, gym, children’s school etc. of your plans and arrange for your kids’ school records to be transferred.
- If you need to take time off work during the move, arrange this with your employer well in advance.
Six weeks before
- Order moving supplies like tape, bubble wrap, permanent markers, and any specialty containers you need.
- Begin packing non-essentials and things you don’t use frequently, like seasonal clothing and décor.
- Begin making travel arrangements for the move, especially if it’s a long way from your current area.
A month before
- Let your electricity, gas etc, suppliers know the date you’re moving and what your very last date in the house is going to be.
- Book your removalist or rental truck and confirm the dates.
- Start updating your address with banks, subscription services, etc.
A week before
- This is the time to get serious about packing and make sure your whole house is ready to go before the moving date. Pack up your entire place room by room and label your box according to the room and its contents so it’s easier to unpack at the other end.
- Empty, clean, and defrost your refrigerator at least 24 hours before moving day. Make sure you eat all the food that won’t survive the move in advance.
- Pack enough suitcases and clothing so everyone in the family has enough to wear for a few days while you move.
- Touch base with your movers and make sure they have all the right details. Reconfirm the time, pick-up address, etc.
Moving House Deadlines
So, the big day has arrived. You get the keys to your new home and begin moving your furniture and possessions in. If you’re lucky, you might be able to get it done in a day. But there’s a real possibility you’ll need the whole weekend or even longer. Here are some deadlines and milestones you’ll need to meet during the process of moving house:
- Before you collect the keys, ensure amenities like electricity and gas have been connected to your new address.
- Undertake a final walkthrough of your old address, making sure nothing has been left behind. Keep track of all your possessions as they’re loaded on the truck.
- Collect the keys to your new house if you haven’t already done so.
- Check that all the cupboards are empty, that the lights are turned off, and so on at your old address.
- Check the cupboards at your new house are clean before you start putting items away, starting with glassware and other kitchen items.
- You’ll need to organise a professional clean of your old address. If you’re renting, this is essential to getting your bond back in full.
Key Milestones to Not Miss When Moving House
There are some key milestones you just can’t shirk when you’re moving house. You ignore these at your peril!
Setting a moving date
First things first, you need to plan a moving date before things can progress. Without a set date in mind, you’ll struggle with coordinating removalists, utilities and other pieces of the puzzle.
Creating a moving budget
Without a carefully planned moving budget to stick to, unexpected expenses can drain your finances and make an already stressful move feel even more chaotic.
Researching and booking movers
Not doing enough research into the range of removalists available can lead to booking an inferior option or paying a lot more than you need to.
Decluttering
If you don’t scale back on your possessions in time, you may move with a lot of extra stuff you don’t really need and have to pay for it. If you’re stuck on what to get rid of, start by reading some advice for decluttering your home.
Transferring utilities
Neglecting to make sure your utilities are set up before you move can result in being without essentials like power and water for days at your new home.
Make Your Move Hassle-Free With Ready Movers
There’s a lot to remember when packing and moving house, even with a moving house checklist timeline to guide you. That’s why Ready Movers makes it easy for you with our home removalist services.
As local and interstate removalists, we go the extra mile in everything we do in order to help you through this major change in your life. AFRA-accredited, our services come with a written no-damage guarantee on local moves that ensures we repair or replace anything that gets broken during the move.
Packing is one of the most important tasks involved in any move. Our packing services will ease the process and remove the stress of having to do it all yourself. We can pack or unpack everything from a single room to your entire home, assembling and disassembling furniture and providing special assistance with large, fragile and bulky items. We can put together a packing plan that meets your needs and includes packing at your old address and unpacking in your new location.
Ready Movers is a trusted name around Australia, providing a full pack and move service along with your own dedicated move manager for long-distance moves.
Contact the Ready Movers team to find out more and to get your own moving quote.
