A Moving Timeline: What to Do and When

This is the point to request an in-home survey rather than a phone estimate. A surveyor who sees your staircase, your furniture dimensions and the pieces that need special handling can quote accurately, which means fewer surprises when the day arrives.

It is also worth deciding early what genuinely belongs in the new home. Give notice on a lease or to an employer if time off is needed, and sell, donate or pass on anything you no longer want well before packing starts, rather than deciding under pressure.

Four weeks out, confirm your date in writing and start the formal steps: registering your change of address, and arranging for utilities such as electricity, gas, water and internet to be transferred or switched off at both properties with no gap in service.

At the same time, draw up a list of items that need particular care: artwork, instruments, a wine collection, a safe. These often call for custom crating or separate insurance, and it is far better to raise this while planning than to mention it on the day.

Packing in earnest begins in this last week, whether you are doing it yourself or setting aside items for the crew to handle separately. It is worth putting together an essentials box with what you will need first, so it can be unpacked before anything else.

This is also the week to finalise parking or loading access at both addresses and to notify the building manager or concierge of the exact time. If either property requires booking a service lift, confirm it now rather than risk losing time on the day.

Start the day with a brief walk-through alongside the team leader, agreeing the order rooms will be cleared in and flagging anything that needs particular attention. An experienced crew will usually initiate this themselves, but it is worth being present and asking questions.

Once loading is complete, walk through the empty property once more, checking closets, the attic and any garden storage, before handing over the keys. This is the easiest moment to catch anything that was nearly left behind.

In the new home, start unpacking with the rooms you actually use, typically the kitchen and bedroom, rather than expecting every box to be emptied in a single day. Check each box as it arrives, and report any damage within this first week.

This is also the time to close out the administration: confirm that official correspondence is reaching the new address, and that nothing was left unresolved at the old one. A calm first week often matters more than a flawless moving day.