Moving Checklist
There are so many things to think about when you've bought or sold a house. Here's a handy checklist to make it that much easier for you.
Things to remember to cancel
- Newspaper and/or milk delivery
- Telephone, internet and cable TV
- Gas, water and electricity (arrange a final meter reading)
Organise for moving day
- Get a supply of boxes (the supermarket can be one supplier)
- Get packaging tape and heavy marker pens
- Arrange for furniture removal (get quote, confirm time)
- Arrange care of your children on moving day
- Make suitable arrangements for any pets
- Arrange transit insurance and contents and fire insurance for your new home
- Organise shifting times with the buyer of your old property and the seller of your new one
Notify your change of address to
- Bank, credit card and charge card companies
- Post office for redirection of mail
- Elections registrar
- Registrar of motor vehicles and drivers licence
- Tax department
- Insurance companies
- Hire purchase or finance companies
- Investment companies
- Local council
- Clubs and organisations
- Police (if you own and store firearms)
- Friends and relatives
- Magazine subscriptions
- Doctor, dentist, accountant, lawyer
Don't forget to
- Clean the stove and defrost the fridge/freezer
- Tidy the yard
- Ensure that the chattels that have been sold with the property aren’t accidentally packed
- Disconnect all appliances
- Disconnect the TV aerial
- Return any borrowed items
- Throw out items that you don’t intend taking with you
- List valuable items for special care when moving
- Advise removal company of dangerous goods being moved (i.e. ammunition, petrol, spirits, chemicals)
- Securely pack all jewellery, money, special documents and papers (i.e. legal, tax, insurance etc)
- Set aside items you will need on the day of the move so you can take them with you (i.e. food, drinks, cleaning products
- Clearly label boxes containing breakables as ‘fragile’ and identify these items to the removal people
- Pot and pack away the plants and cuttings you’re taking
- Explain your packing procedure to the removal people
Don't
- Put breakables or liquid filled containers in drawers
- Overload drawers and make furniture too heavy to move (too much weight can damage furniture)
- Move netting, barbed wire, timber, wood, coal etc without special arrangements being made
- Store perishable goods where they might be overlooked
Make arrangements to
- See your solicitor or conveyancer to sign transfer documents / mortgage discharge documents
- Enrol children in new school
- Coordinate the forwarding of any files from the children’s previous school to their new one
Organise for your new home
- Contact Harcourts Complete to connect your gas, electricity and telephone. Ask your Harcourts sales consultant for details
- Newspaper delivery
- Telephone
- Internet and cable TV connection
- Gas, electricity and water
The week before moving
- Remind and confirm dates, times and locations for furniture removal company
- Confirm moving in/moving out details and key exchange with your Harcourts sales consultant
- Say goodbye to neighbours
One last check
- Nothing left behind?
- No clothes at the dry cleaners?
- No gear stored away from your property?
- Electricity, gas and telephone disconnected?
- Water turned off and no taps left running?
- Windows and doors latched?
- Keys with solicitor (if appropriate)
Read this helpful guide about preparing your house for sale and the various methods of selling.