Moving & Relocation Master Checklist

List everyone who must receive a change-of-address notice. Include banks, employers, schools, doctors, insurers, government offices, subscription services, professional associations, and close contacts. International movers should also list immigration offices, consulates, tax authorities, customs brokers, and overseas banks.

Create three labels in your inventory: take, sell or donate, and discard. Record large furniture measurements, fragile items, appliances, and boxes that require special handling. This information makes mover comparisons more accurate and prevents a last-minute truck-size problem.

Checklist Items

Eight Weeks Before Moving

☐ Confirm the moving date and access times.

☐ Review your lease, closing documents, or relocation agreement.

☐ Set the moving budget and add a 10 percent reserve.

☐ Measure doorways, stairwells, elevators, and large furniture.

☐ Create a room-by-room inventory spreadsheet.

☐ Request written quotes from at least three movers.

☐ Check mover licenses, insurance, reviews, and cancellation terms.

☐ Ask movers about packing, storage, stairs, elevators, and oversized items.

☐ Compare binding and nonbinding estimates.

☐ Reserve the mover after checking the contract carefully.

☐ Ask international movers about customs, prohibited goods, and delivery windows.

☐ Start a sell, donate, recycle, and discard list.

☐ Tell household members about the moving date and weekly tasks.

At this stage, compare complete services rather than headline prices. Ask each mover whether the estimate includes fuel, stairs, long carries, packing materials, shuttle service, storage, and valuation coverage. A low quote that excludes a second-floor carry can become the most expensive option.

For renters, check notice requirements and move-out cleaning rules. For homeowners, confirm closing, key release, and possession times. Families should identify school calendars, childcare arrangements, pet transport, and medication refills before the schedule becomes crowded.

Seven Weeks Before Moving

☐ Choose the mover and sign the written agreement.

☐ Confirm the mover’s arrival window and payment schedule.

☐ Schedule elevator, loading-zone, parking, or building access.

☐ Notify your landlord, buyer, seller, or property manager.

☐ Create a change-of-address checklist by organization.

☐ Research schools, childcare, healthcare, and transport near the new home.

☐ Check passport, visa, permit, and document expiration dates.

☐ Order certified copies of essential records.

☐ Arrange pet vaccinations, permits, carriers, and transport.

☐ Begin using food and supplies that should not move.

☐ Pack decorative items and rarely used seasonal belongings.

☐ Photograph valuable items before packing them.

☐ Label each inventory item with its destination room.

Book building access in writing. Some apartments require a certificate of insurance, a refundable elevator deposit, or a specific loading period. Ask for these rules now, not on moving morning.

International movers should verify document requirements directly with the destination government, airline, shipping company, or customs broker. Keep original passports and permits with you; never place them in a household shipment.

Six Weeks Before Moving

☐ Notify schools, childcare providers, and medical offices.

☐ Transfer prescriptions and request medical records.

☐ Schedule utility shutoff and connection dates.

☐ Arrange internet installation at the new address.

☐ Review home, renter, auto, health, and pet insurance.

☐ Update your employer with the new address and work location.

☐ Reserve storage if delivery timing is uncertain.

☐ Sell or donate unused furniture and appliances.

☐ Pack books, artwork, spare linens, and occasional kitchenware.

☐ Mark fragile boxes with contents and handling instructions.

☐ Create a valuables list with photos and replacement values.

☐ Confirm travel documents for every family member.

Utilities often need advance notice, especially electricity, gas, water, waste collection, and internet service. Schedule the old-home shutoff for after cleaning and the new-home connection before arrival. Record confirmation numbers in the moving folder.

Use a simple label format such as K-04, meaning kitchen box four. Write the destination room on two sides and the top. Avoid labels such as “miscellaneous,” which slow unloading and make essential items difficult to find.

Five Weeks Before Moving

☐ Confirm the mover’s insurance and valuation coverage.

☐ Review prohibited-item rules with the moving company.

☐ Arrange transport for plants, pets, vehicles, and fragile valuables.

☐ Schedule repairs, cleaning, painting, or required inspections.

☐ Notify banks, lenders, insurers, and professional contacts.

☐ Update delivery addresses for regular medications and supplies.

☐ Pack guest-room, storage-room, and garage items.

☐ Dispose of paint, chemicals, propane, and other restricted materials.

☐ Back up important computer and phone files.

☐ Separate jewelry, cash, passports, contracts, and medications.

☐ Measure appliances and confirm installation requirements.

☐ Confirm school transfer records and enrollment appointments.

Ask the mover for its restricted-items list. Common exclusions include fuel, gas cylinders, ammunition, some chemicals, perishable food, and plants. Dispose of these through local collection programs rather than placing them in an unmarked box.

Keep a personal valuables bag outside the moving shipment. Carry passports, birth certificates, immigration papers, medication, chargers, keys, financial records, and one change of clothes for each traveler.

Four Weeks Before Moving

☐ Confirm the moving contract, address, date, and contact numbers.

☐ Send formal change-of-address notices to key organizations.

☐ Submit postal forwarding through the official postal service website.

☐ Schedule final home repairs and professional cleaning.

☐ Pack most remaining nonessential belongings.

☐ Create an open-first box for each household area.

☐ Mark boxes containing liquids, glass, electronics, or food.

☐ Confirm international customs forms and packing declarations.

☐ Cancel local memberships and transfer eligible services.

☐ Arrange temporary care for children and pets on moving day.

☐ Check furniture plans against the new home’s room sizes.

☐ Order replacement filters, bulbs, batteries, and basic tools.

Send address updates individually for banks, insurers, government offices, and employers. Postal forwarding catches many letters, but it does not reliably update every account or prevent identity checks from using the old address.

Prepare open-first boxes with toilet paper, towels, bedding, basic dishes, snacks, water, soap, chargers, scissors, a small tool kit, and cleaning supplies. Label them clearly and load them last so they come off the truck first.

Three Weeks Before Moving

☐ Confirm utility start and stop orders in writing.

☐ Confirm building access and parking arrangements.

☐ Finish selling, donating, recycling, and discarding items.

☐ Pack clothing, kitchenware, and office supplies you rarely use.

☐ Photograph electronics and record serial numbers.

☐ Download offline maps and save important phone numbers.

☐ Confirm travel routes, tickets, parking, and overnight stays.

☐ Arrange currency, payment cards, and emergency funds abroad.

☐ Check international health coverage and required vaccinations.

☐ Notify neighbors about moving-day vehicle access.

☐ Confirm who holds keys, access cards, and alarm codes.

☐ Review the inventory against packed boxes.

For international moves, keep copies of passports, visas, prescriptions, insurance documents, and customs paperwork in encrypted cloud storage and on a secure phone or drive. Carry paper copies separately from the originals.

Two Weeks Before Moving

☐ Confirm the mover’s arrival window by phone or email.

☐ Pay only according to the signed contract.

☐ Pack daily-use items into clearly marked essentials bags.

☐ Defrost and clean the freezer if it is moving.

☐ Drain approved appliances and secure removable parts.

☐ Finish address changes for subscriptions and deliveries.

☐ Confirm final school, childcare, medical, and pet arrangements.

☐ Check weather forecasts for loading and travel dates.

☐ Prepare cash or approved payment for final charges.

☐ Review the move-out condition requirements.

☐ Schedule a final walkthrough with the landlord or agent.

☐ Charge phones, power banks, cameras, and laptops.

A final walkthrough protects renters and helps homeowners document the property’s condition. Photograph floors, walls, appliances, meters, and cleaned rooms with the date enabled. Keep the images with the lease or closing records.

Do not pack cleaning products, tools, or documents needed before departure. Place them in a clearly marked “last load” group, separate from the main shipment.

One Week Before Moving

☐ Finish packing everything except approved essentials.

☐ Number boxes and update the inventory spreadsheet.

☐ Weigh or measure international shipment cartons when required.

☐ Confirm customs declarations match packed contents.

☐ Clean the home and remove all personal property.

☐ Empty outdoor areas, storage lockers, mailboxes, and sheds.

☐ Confirm utility meter readings and shutoff appointments.

☐ Prepare keys, remotes, access cards, and instruction manuals.

☐ Pack a three-day essentials bag for each traveler.

☐ Separate documents, valuables, medication, and fragile personal items.

☐ Confirm the new home is ready for occupancy.

☐ Share the moving plan with every adult household member.

Use a single box-count system and update it after every packing session. If the inventory says 62 boxes, the mover, household, and receiving address should use the same number. This makes missing or delayed cartons easier to identify.

Moving Day

☐ Photograph the empty home before loading begins.

☐ Record utility meter readings and final conditions.

☐ Keep documents, valuables, medication, and essentials with you.

☐ Confirm the inventory and box count with the movers.

☐ Inspect furniture before loading and note existing damage.

☐ Review the bill of lading before signing.

☐ Keep keys and access instructions separate from shipment boxes.

☐ Check every room, cabinet, closet, attic, garage, and outdoor area.

☐ Confirm the destination address and delivery contact.

☐ Photograph the loaded truck or container seal.

☐ Secure the old property after the final walkthrough.

☐ Save receipts for moving, travel, storage, and temporary lodging.

At pickup, do not sign a blank document. Read the bill of lading, which records the shipment and transport terms, before signing. Note damage or missing items immediately, and keep a copy of every document.

Arrival and First Week

☐ Photograph the new home before unloading boxes.

☐ Record new utility meter readings and visible damage.

☐ Direct boxes to their labeled destination rooms.

☐ Check the inventory as items leave the truck.

☐ Report missing or damaged items using the mover’s process.

☐ Test electricity, water, heating, cooling, locks, and smoke alarms.

☐ Confirm internet installation and mobile service.

☐ Unpack bedding, toiletries, medication, food, and basic tools.

☐ Update local registration, licensing, or immigration records.

☐ Register children for school and pets with local authorities.

☐ Locate nearby clinics, pharmacies, grocery stores, and emergency services.

☐ Store contracts, receipts, warranties, and delivery records securely.

Pro Tips

Use the Countdown Ladder as a weekly reset, not a calendar you read once. Every Sunday, check the next seven days, move unfinished tasks forward, and identify one task that could block the move. A missing elevator booking or delayed visa document deserves priority over another neatly packed box.

Keep one master contact sheet with the mover, landlord or closing agent, utilities, building manager, school, insurer, customs broker, and emergency contacts. Add confirmation numbers beside each appointment. When the truck arrives, a single accurate sheet is faster than searching through email, text messages, and paper notes.

A controlled countdown reduces moving-day decisions. Each confirmed date, labeled box, and documented handoff carries the plan forward toward a smoother arrival and a home that becomes usable sooner.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters in the full book.