The 8-week moving house checklist

Most moves don't go wrong on moving day. They go wrong three weeks earlier, when nobody booked the van, told the council, or found out the sofa doesn't fit through the new front door. Here's the order we'd do it in — built from twenty years of watching what actually catches people out.

8 weeks out — get the big stuff moving

This is the "nothing feels urgent yet" phase, which is exactly why it's the phase people waste. Two jobs matter now.

• Get removal quotes. Three is plenty. Compare on what's actually included, not just the headline number — is it a fixed price or an estimate that can grow, does it include insurance, and is VAT on top?
• Have a proper clear-out. Every box you don't move is money saved and a box you don't unpack. Charity shops, Facebook Marketplace, the tip. Be ruthless with the loft and the garage — that's where the surprises live.

6 weeks out — book it in

• Book your removals firm and get the price in writing. If you haven't exchanged yet, ask for a provisional booking with a free date change — any decent firm will do it.
• Order packing materials if you're packing yourself, or book a packing service if you're not. Materials always take longer to arrive than you think.
• Measure the awkward things — sofa, wardrobe, American fridge, piano — against the new doorways and stairwells. Better to find out now than with four people holding it.
• Book time off work. Moving day plus the day after. You will need the day after.

4 weeks out — start packing and start telling people

Now the admin. Set up a Royal Mail redirect (do it early, it takes time), then work through the notify list:

• Council tax at both ends, and the electoral roll
• Energy, water, broadband and mobile — book the broadband switch now, it's the one that leaves people offline for a fortnight
• Bank, credit cards, insurance (buildings, contents, car), pension and any subscriptions
• GP, dentist, optician, vet, and the schools
• DVLA — licence and V5C log book

Packing starts here too, with everything you won't miss: books, spare bedding, out-of-season clothes, decorations, the good crockery. Label every box on the side (you'll be looking at stacks, not tops) with the room it's going to and a one-line list of what's in it.

2 weeks out — the fiddly jobs

• Confirm the move with your removals firm and check they've got the right addresses, times and access details
• Arrange parking at both ends — in Durham and central Newcastle you may need a permit or a suspended bay, and that takes a couple of weeks to organise
• Sort the pets and the kids for the day. A move is much faster and much calmer without either underfoot
• Run down the freezer instead of restocking it
• Book an end-of-tenancy or post-move clean if you need one

The week before

• Pack everything except the essentials, the kettle and the kids' favourites
• Defrost the freezer at least 24 hours ahead and dry it out — a wet freezer in a van smells memorable
• Disconnect the washing machine and put the transit bolts back in if you kept them
• Confirm key collection times with the solicitor or agent, and get the estate agent's mobile number
• Pack an essentials box that travels with you, not in the van: kettle, mugs, tea, milk, loo roll, hand soap, towels, phone chargers, medication, a change of clothes, scissors, the paperwork

Moving day

1. Take meter readings and photograph them at both properties
2. Walk the crew round before they start — show them what's fragile, what's staying, what goes in first at the other end
3. Keep the essentials box, keys, documents and valuables with you
4. Check every room, cupboard, the loft, the shed and the garden before you leave
5. At the new place, point out where each room is, get the beds built first, then find the kettle

The week after

Register with a local GP and dentist, update your address with anyone you missed, check the smoke alarms, find the stopcock and the consumer unit, and introduce yourself to the neighbours before the boxes are all gone — it's easier while you still have the excuse.