A moving checklist that starts eight weeks out
Last updated September 30, 2026
Eight weeks out
- Confirm the moving date, or the range it could land in.
- Decide whether you are hiring movers or doing it yourself. Movers book up first at the end of the month.
- Start the cull. Every box you do not pack is money and an hour saved.
- Walk the garage, the shed, and any storage unit. These are what people forget when estimating.
Six weeks out
- Work out how many boxes you need, garage included.
- Book boxes or totes for the dates you want. The end of the month goes first.
- Start on anything you will not miss: off-season clothes, books, decorations, the good china.
- Sell or donate what you culled, while there is still time for it to go.
Four weeks out
- File the change of address so mail starts following you.
- Book utilities to switch over on the right day at both ends.
- Pack room by room, not category by category. Label as you go, not afterwards.
- Use up the freezer instead of moving it.
Two weeks out
- Totes arrive if you booked a two week rental. Everything left goes in now.
- Pack the kitchen except what you will use this fortnight.
- Confirm the movers, the truck, or the friends you are relying on.
- Set aside a box you will not pack: chargers, medication, tools, toilet roll, coffee.
The last week
- Pack everything except the last-week box and what you sleep in.
- Defrost the freezer and clear the fridge.
- Take meter readings, and photograph them.
- Confirm parking or access at both ends. This is what wrecks moving day.
Moving day
- Load the last-week box last, so it comes off first.
- Walk every room, cupboard, and the loft before you hand the keys back.
- Check the meters again.
- Put the kettle and the mugs somewhere you can find them tonight.
Where the boxes fit in the timeline
Order them at about six weeks and have them delivered at two. That gives you a fortnight of packing, which is the point most people reach without rushing, and it is why the standard rental here is two weeks.
If your move has a long gap in the middle, a sale that has not closed or a house not quite ready, take the four week option instead. It costs less than two consecutive two-week rentals, and you set it at checkout rather than having to extend later. Both prices are on the pricing page.
Dates can move. If yours does, tell us as early as you can and we will shift the delivery if the totes are free. Cancelling is free up to 48 hours before the delivery day.
The two weeks people underestimate
The kitchen and the garage. Both take about twice as long as the bedrooms they are next to, and both get left until last because they are unpleasant. Start the kitchen early and the last week gets a lot calmer.
Book the boxes at six weeks
Pick the delivery day you want while it is still free. Cancelling is free up to 48 hours before.