Planning your move with a timeline

Planning your move using our timeline couldn’t be easier. Make an action plan for your move!

Four weeks before your move

Research your movers and your building.  If there is a building manager and you live in an apartment, talk to him or her about booking the lift and loading dock.  This will make your move a lot faster and easier.  Search Google and other websites such as True local, Service Seeking, One flare or Find a mover to post your job and get a range of quotes.  Research your movers by looking at reviews.  Ask for a fixed quote if possible.

Start the declutter!  You won’t want to move everything into your new home.  Start selling or giving items away.  Your fridge, freezer and pantry will probably have food that you don’t want to travel, start eating all of that and reduce your food shopping to fresh fruit, veg and meat that must be eaten within a few days.

A lot of internet, electricity, gas and other providers have a policy of transferring or finalising accounts within a 4-week period.  Contact and arrange for the transfer of these accounts.  You may also want to consider getting rid of the providers and replacing them with better ones!  Now is the time to shop.

Three to two weeks before your move

It’s time to choose your mover! After researching your removalists by asking important questions, identify which mover is a good one. Book the move!

Furniture and appliances that are difficult to sell or are not in a good enough condition to sell can be picked up by your local council.  If you need storage, now is the time to arrange this.  Give them a call to organise this.  Start collecting your packing materials and such as boxes, tape and pack non-essentials.  As you pack, consider writing an inventory of the most valuable items; later, you can check against this to make sure you haven’t lost anything.

Now is the time to also review your subscriptions and who to notify of your change of address: news and magazines, gym memberships, employers, and government agencies.  Here is a comprehensive checklist: change of address notification list

Of course, to make life easier, you could always just pay for notification of change of address and mail redirection services through Australia Post.

A week before your move

You should be almost done packing!  Set three boxes aside: one for cleaning materials, one for important documents such as ID and lease or property settlement docs, and lastly for day 1 essentials at your new home (toiletries, sheets, snacks).

Everything else should be packed and sealed before the move.

A day before the move

Defrost your freezer and fridge, and make sure you put a towel to soak up the melted ice.  Clean the areas that need soaking: the oven, encrusted burnt bits on the stove, grout and tiles.  Withdraw cash for your move day: account for the removalists or truck and cleaners if hiring, food money, and a reserve for emergencies.  Any items that are left behind because you could not sell them or you were unable to arrange council pick-up should be recycled responsibly.

Move day

Do a final meter read or take a photo with your smartphone for electricity and gas.  This is so you can check your bills later to make sure you aren’t charged for anything used after you moved out.  Take photos of the property in case of bond disputes.  Do a final sweep of your old home to check you haven’t left anything behind, especially in corners of drawers, top shelves, under and between pieces of furniture.  Unpack and check you have everything at your new home.  Celebrate with a well-earned drink and pizza!