Your checklist for moving house

Congratulations on your new home! Moving homes can be stressful with numerous things to do. To help your move go smoothly, we’ve put together a checklist to make sure you’ve got the important things covered in the lead-up to moving day.

Start consolidating and cut the clutter

This is an opportunity for you to reduce the number of things you have, because the less stuff you have, the less you need to pack and unpack. Consider decluttering by:

• Selling any excess or unwanted items
• Arranging a council collection
• Donating to charity  

Assess the scope of your move

Think about the potential size and complexity of your move by taking the following factors into account:  

• Do you need to create an inventory list of your possessions?
• How many trips do you need to make between your old and new home?
• How many boxes do you need, and what sizes?
• Are there any precious and/or fragile items that need additional care?
• What furniture needs to be dissembled?  
• Are there stairs? Are the doors wide enough to accommodate the move?  

By addressing these considerations, you can better plan the logistics of your move.  

Decide between using removalists or a DIY approach

A removalist company can help your move run smoothly. You can either research or potentially ask your family and friends for removalist recommendations. The Australian Furniture Removers Association is a good place to look for accredited removal companies.

If you’re doing all or part of the packing yourself, removalists will typically supply a range of packing materials, such as boxes and tape, so that you don’t have to source those yourself.

If you’re going down the DIY route, a few factors to consider include:

• Borrowing or hiring a moving truck
• Organising boxes  
• Asking family and friends to help  

Consider insurance

If you’ve bought your property, your mortgage provider may require you to have your new home insured. When purchasing home insurance you may need information on the property, such as:  

• The age of your new home
• What materials it is made of
• What it would cost at current market value to replace or rebuild

If you’re renting, you won’t need home insurance, but consider organising contents insurance, as it covers your belongings during transit to your new home, as they’re unlikely to be covered under your landlord’s insurance policy.  

As a homeowner, you could also consider contents insurance in addition to your home insurance to provide comprehensive protection for your home and belongings.

Notify key contacts and service providers

Compile a list of important contacts and organisations that need to be informed about your move. Looking at your recurring payments and bills is a good place to start and most companies can be notified and updated online.  

The list of contacts and providers you may need to notify include:

• Utilities (eg. electricity, gas, water)
• Council and water rates
• Internet and telecommunications providers
• Banking and other financial institutions
• Your employer
• Superannuation provider
• Insurance companies
• Driver’s licence and vehicle registration authority  
• MyGov
• Medicare
• Australian Tax Office (ATO)
• Electoral commissions
• Any online stores you use regularly    

It’s important to note that as a homeowner, you’ll need to disconnect your existing arrangement with utility providers and organise a reconnection or switch to new utility providers. If you’re moving into a rental property, it’s possible that these utility connections may already be in place, but it’s best to check with your landlord to confirm.  

With this checklist in mind, now you’re ready for moving day. We recommend checking off your belongings as they go into the delivery trucks and to be on hand at the other end to check items off on arrival. And most importantly, enjoy settling into your new home!  

The article does not have regard for the financial situation or needs of any reader and must not be relied upon as financial product advice. As this information has been prepared without considering your objectives, financial situation or needs, you should, before acting on this, consider the appropriateness to your circumstances.