The final hurdle is just in sight, moving day is nearly here.
It would be easy to let your foot off the gas too soon, so here we have a moving day checklist to ensure you know what to expect and how to plan your day to avoid all the common moving day problems.
Moving Day Morning
- Set an early alarm
- Have breakfast
- Dress for comfort and safety
- Pack last-minute items
- Move out kids and pets
Moving Day
- Keep Moving day box close
- Protect your Home
- Walk through with movers
- Clean as each room is emptied
- Final walkthrough
- Instruct movers about new home
- Ensure everything is safe
- Take readings
- Photograph
- Secure old home
- Return keys
- Quick route check
Arrival at new home
- Collect keys
- Walkthrough
- Identify each room for unloaders
- Final walk-through with the removal team
- Check the removal van
- Set up bathroom and bedrooms
What to Do On Moving Day
Moving Day Morning
Set an early alarm
The last thing you need on moving day is to oversleep or be rushing around because you are running late.
Have breakfast
A nutritious breakfast will set you up for the day – you are going to need all the energy you can get.
Dress for comfort and safety
You should choose an outfit that is both comfortable and safe. Avoid loose items of clothing that may be caught on door handles for example. Wearing layers allows you to adjust your body temperature throughout the day.
Your shoes should be sturdy, flat, and comfortable.
You may also like to read: What to Wear on Moving Day. In this guide, we suggest the type of clothing and safety gear that it would be best to have available on moving day.
Pack last-minute items
Once everybody is out of bed, washed, dressed, and eaten you can finish the last of the packing.
Move out kids and pets
Before the removal team arrives be sure that the kids and pets are safely out of harm’s way.
Moving Day
Keep Moving day box close
Ensure that you keep your moving day essentials box somewhere safe so that it is not loaded onto the removal van.
You may also like to read: How to Pack a Moving Day Essentials Box. In this guide, we suggest things that you might like to pack in your moving day essentials box.
Protect your Home
If you are moving yourself then you need to protect the walls and flooring of your old home from damage as you move furniture and boxes in and out.
If you have hired a removal firm then they should bring the protectors with them and will do this for you.
You may also like to read: How to Protect Your Home When Moving. In this guide, we show you how to protect your home from damage when moving in or out furniture and boxes.
Walk through with the removal team
When the removal team arrives take them on a walk-through of the home so that they know exactly where everything is and what is to be loaded onto the lorry.
Ensure that you include any outbuildings like garages and sheds.
Clean as each room is emptied
As the removal team finishes clearing each room you can go in and give the room a final clean
You may also like to read: How to Clean a Home When Moving. In this guide, we share the best ways to give a home a thorough clean and also include recipes for eco-friendly cleaning products.
Final walkthrough
Before the removal lorry leaves walk through each room, including outbuildings, to ensure that nothing is left behind.
We are so used to seeing pictures or mirrors on the wall that they are easily forgotten and be sure to check behind the doors too.
You may also like to read: Can You Leave Stuff When You Move Out? In this guide, we explain what you can and cannot leave when you move out and the consequences of not following the rules.
Instruct movers about new home
If it is a local move then you should arrive at your new home at the same time as your removal team.
If not relay any special instructions to the team now so that they know what is happening when they arrive at the new place.
Ensure everything is safe
Walk through your old home ensuring that all windows are locked, doors are secure, and that any appliances left have been unplugged.
Take readings
Take your final meter readings
Photograph
Photograph the empty rooms so that you have evidence of how you left the place should you ever need it – you never know.
Secure old home
It’s time to lock up and say goodbye to your old home.
Don’t set the alarm unless you have already left the alarm code for the people moving in.
You may also like to read: How to Create The Ultimate Home Moving Binder. A home moving binder contains all the useful information that the new occupiers of your old home could need. From alarm codes to appliance guarantees, from the best local chippy to when bin day is.
Return keys
Drop the keys off at the estate agent, solicitors, or landlord
Quick route check
Do a quick route check to your new home to ensure that there are no unexpected delays or if you need to find an alternative route for whatever reason.
Arrival at new home
Collect keys
In an ideal world, the keys will be ready for you to collect but that is rarely the case.
It is common that the removal firm will have allowed some time in their schedule for a delay in the release of keys but in other cases, you could end up paying for any time the removal team is hanging around waiting.
Be sure you know what the removal company policy is regarding this.
You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance – Do I Need it? In this guide, we explain the different types of insurance policies that are available to protect each element of your home move, such as a key delay waiver.
Walkthrough
Before any unloading take a walk through your new home. Check that what is supposed to be left has been and that nothing is left that was supposed to have been taken.
You may also like to read: What to do When You Arrive at Your New Home. In this guide, we look at what you should do when you arrive at your new place in more depth.
Identify each room for unloaders
Identify each room so that the unloaders know what goes into each room using coloured tape on the door frame that corresponds with the colour you used on the packing boxes.
Be within earshot of the removal team but keep out from under their feet.
Final walk-through with the removal team
Once the removal team has unloaded take a walk through each room checking that they have put the right furniture and boxes in the right rooms.
This is also the opportunity to ensure that they have reassembled things correctly if you paid them to do that.
Ensure that nothing is missing, that any damage is recorded on any paperwork you sign, and that photographs are taken of any damage caused.
Don’t sign anything until you are 100% happy.
Check the removal van
Take one last look in the removal van to ensure that it is empty and that you are sure you have all your possessions.
If you’re happy, now is the time to sign off any paperwork and even give your removal team a tip if you think they have earned it.
Set up bathroom and bedrooms
Now it is time to set up the bedrooms and bathroom so that you are ready for a well-earned, good night’s rest.
Congratulations on a successful home move!
Of course, all perfect plans are only perfect until the first enemy contact.
There is plenty that can go wrong on moving day and your plan will just have to be fluid to deal with that.
You may also like to read: Things That Could Go Wrong on Moving Day and How to Avoid Them. In this guide, we reveal the things that are most likely to grow wrong on moving day and how you can avoid them.
The guides in this checklist will help you create a plan b and be as prepared as possible, the removal team will have seen it all before and will likely have the answer, and then there will be things that nobody has any control over and will just be.
Moving day is just a day and 9 times out of 10 for all anybody’s worry, anger, or upset, you will still get to move into your new home.
Maybe just not according to the plan.
Be sure to visit our home moving blog which is packed with guides to help you settle into your new home and neighbourhood quickly and easily.
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