A moving checklist from the first plans to the last box

Moving produces a surprising number of jobs that have nothing to do with lifting a box. Someone needs to arrange the keys, find the broadband details and remember that the garden shed is part of the house.

Use this checklist as a working plan for a house or apartment move. The timing is a starting point; adapt it to your confirmed dates and the help available. For a move involving New York City, you can ask Keepsake about the move while the details are taking shape.

Start with the dates you can rely on

Write down when you must leave the old home, when you can enter the next one and who confirms each date. Keep a proposed date separate from a confirmed one.

Add any time restrictions on loading or delivery. Ask about keys, parking or loading access, stairs, elevators and permissions at both properties. Share the written requirements with your mover before booking around them.

If the dates leave a gap, decide where you and your belongings will be during it. Allow for supplies you will need while the main load is in storage. The guide to moving between leases walks through that problem.

Keep one task list with a responsible person and a due date beside each item. “Arrange utilities” is easier to finish when someone has the provider details and knows which address needs service first.

Around a month before: settle the scope

Start earlier if your dates, route or property access need more arranging. With less time available, work through these decisions first.

• List the furniture and contents that are coming, including items in lofts, sheds, storage units and borrowed spaces.
• Decide which belongings you can sell, give away or remove, and arrange actual collection dates.
• Ask movers to assess the same inventory, addresses and services so the quotes can be compared.
• Identify packing help, extra stops, storage and pieces that need individual assessment.
• Check the mover’s contact details and ask how changes should be reported.
• Put bookings, quotes and property instructions together somewhere you can access during the move.

Our quote-reading guide explains the information to compare. For a U.S. interstate move, also use the FMCSA moving checklist, which covers checking registration, pickup and delivery arrangements, and the documents to review.

Two to three weeks before: prepare each room

Walk through the home and group belongings by their packing needs. Buy or obtain suitable supplies after checking what your booked packing service includes. A room-by-room supplies list helps keep track of what is already on hand.

Begin with things you can live without until after the move. Label boxes for the room they will go to, with a short description of their contents. Keep an inventory that connects box labels to larger items and any photographs.

Measure furniture and its route into the new home before assuming it will fit. Get advice about awkward pieces before packing closes off access to them.

Arrange utility and internet changes with the providers, using the actual dates for each property. Make a separate list of organizations that need your new address, and check their own update processes. Don’t put passwords or access codes in a shared moving checklist.

Plan how children, pets and anyone needing assistance will travel and spend moving day. Ask the people involved what they need rather than assigning them a plan they have not seen.

In the final week: confirm the handoffs

Check the plan with the mover and the people responsible for both properties. Send changes to the inventory, access or dates while there is still time to review them.

• Confirm the agreed arrival arrangements and how to reach the people making decisions.
• Finish donation, sale and removal handoffs; tell the mover if something is now staying in the load.
• Check appliance preparation against manufacturer instructions and arrange qualified help where needed.
• Confirm cleaning, key return and any agreed property inspection.
• Plan the food and household supplies you need for the remaining days without packing them too early.
• Pack personal essentials for the time before the rest of your belongings will be available.

Keep documents, medicines, valuables and necessary work equipment under your own control. Put household bedding, towels and basic kitchen items in an identifiable first-night box, and agree how it will fit into delivery.

The day before: make the plan easy to follow

Separate anything that is staying behind or traveling with you. Tell anyone helping what the labels mean.

Keep routes to doors and exits clear. Leave space to reach meters, cupboards and items that still need a final check. Keep your phone charged and make the addresses and contact details available offline.

Review the room plan for the destination. A box labeled “bedroom” becomes less helpful when the new home has three of them; choose names everyone can follow.

Moving day: check both ends of the move

Walk through the old home with the crew and point out anything requiring attention. Review the inventory and the condition recorded for your belongings. Read documents before signing and raise questions while the relevant person is there.

Keep the mover informed about how to reach you. Before leaving, check cupboards, drawers, outdoor spaces and rooms that emptied early. Complete the agreed key handover.

At delivery, show the crew where things belong. Check the arriving belongings against the inventory and raise missing or damaged items promptly, following the mover’s documented process. Keep the paperwork with your own records.

After delivery: get the home working

Start with a usable bathroom, somewhere to sleep and the things needed for the next meal or working day. There is no prize for unpacking decorative bowls before finding the kettle.

Check boxes and wrapping for small belongings before clearing them. Keep useful packaging where it will not block access, and follow local rules for the rest.

Work through remaining address changes and appointments, then update your task list as each job is finished. Our unpacking guide gives the rooms a practical order.

If your move involves NYC, send us the addresses and dates. We can review the moving help you need alongside the plan you have made.