So you’ve made the decision to move house. Whether it be for work, retirement, or for your family, this is an exciting and life-changing experience. But it can also be a lot of work, and can come with its headaches.

Whether you’re moving across the UK or down the road, relocating your whole life is not always an easy task. Yet never fear, to take away the stress of moving, we’ve put together the ultimate moving checklist, allowing you to focus on planning the good times that lay ahead in your new home.

Thinking of relocating to the UK? Find out how much it'll cost you to ship your belongings there by popping a few details about your move into this short form. We’ll then put you in touch with our professional suppliers, who will contact you with free shipping quotes to compare.

Months before your move

  • If moving into a bought property, the first thing you want to do is sort out your mortgage. This may well involve organising a conveyance solicitor to help you transfer everything over. If renting, make sure you’ve set a move in date, the deposit is paid and you have your contract ready.
  • Likewise, if you’re currently living in rented property, make sure your landlord is aware of your moving out date, and you’ve both agreed the date you’ll stop paying rent. The last thing you want to be doing is paying two different rents at the same time – that money will be better spent on housewarming parties.
  • If you’re moving with kids, and to a different catchment area, remember to research and enroll them in their new school. It’s also a good idea to cushion the transition as much as possible for your children. For further advice, read our guide to moving with kids.
  • Organise a moving company to move your belongings. Get the best deal and compare up to 6 moving companies at the top of the page. It may be tempting to get friends and family to help you move, but consider that professional movers will not require feeding and they  tend not break your precious items.
  • If you can, book time off work for your move. It’ll pay off in the long run as moving companies charge less on a weekday during term time than they do during the school holidays or on the weekends.

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Weeks before your move

  • Decide how much of your stuff you want to bring with you. If you’re moving into a fully furnished or smaller property, it may be cheaper to leave some furniture. On the other hand, moving into a bigger place may require you to bring as many of your belongings as possible to fill the place. Naturally, you will know the size and space of your new home, but having floorplans can allow you to determine how much of your stuff will fit.
  • Figured out what to keep and what to discard? A good way to save money is to sell your unwanted items before your move, either online or at a car-boot sale. Check out our page for more affordable ways to move house.
  • For those precious items, it may be a good idea to invest in removals insurance, to make sure they’re covered during transit.
  • Set-up utilities at your new home. These include gas, electric, broadband and a TV license. There’s a lot to sort out after moving to a new place, and you probably don’t want your first point contact with the neighbours to be asking for the WiFi password.
  • Stop paying for utilities and subscriptions at your old place. Paying two sets of bills is no fun.
  • You may need to organise some storage facilities to store your belongings for a period time during your move. This is usually the case if you’re staying in a hotel in between your homes. Read MoveHub’s guide to storage here.

Days before your move

  • Invest in light stackable plastic boxes. As moving companies charge by volume, the more space you save the more money save.
  • Make sure everything is packed, the time of the removal company is on the calendar, and everybody’s at action stations.
  • Carry out one last check of your old home to make sure you haven’t forgot anything and everything is clean for the next tennents.

Tick these steps off your list and you can reduce some of the stress from your move, allowing you to focus on what really matters: the excitement of moving. One more tip: once you’ve moved house, write “Not known at this address” on all mail that comes for previous tenants and put it back in a postbox. Eventually you'll stop getting other people's post.