Whether you plan to hire movers or do it yourself, planning for a move is a lot of effort. Whether you’re planning a long-distance or local relocation, this checklist will help you get organized and move as easily as possible.
This plan begins early because scheduling early enhances the likelihood of getting the best time. You’ll also have more time once moving day approaches to take care of any minor issues that may arise. Beginning sooner also keeps you from being overwhelmed.
Here’s a sneak glimpse at what’s on the checklist…
11 or More Weeks Before Moving
1) Begin by organizing all of your moving paperwork, notes, receipts, inventory lists, contact information, and rental agreements in a binder or large folder. This is referred to as your “moving binder.”
2) Determine when the previous residents will vacate and when you will be able to pick up the keys to your new house.
3) If you want to do a makeover in your new house before you move in, now is the time to do it. This may not be possible if someone is still living there. Replace any furnaces or air conditioners that need to be replaced. Learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of relocating versus renovating.
4) Begin by getting rid of everything you don’t want to take with you, either through a garage sale or by donating to a thrift store.
10 to 9 Weeks Before Moving
1) Call your Empire Movers & Storage representative to arrange your relocation and learn about the paperwork and regulations required, especially if you’re travelling to or from the United States. You can learn more about migrating to the United States here, and about moving worldwide here. You must choose a reputable moving company!
2) If necessary, schedule time off from work for your moving day.
3) Make all necessary travel plans and bookings, especially if you’re relocating to a new city.
4) Several workplaces provide relocation bonuses or help with expenditures; find out if you qualify!
5) If you have children, contact the new school to make preparations for records transfer and registration.
6) Save your receipts! Many moving expenditures can be deducted from your taxes, so be sure to keep track of anything you would not have had to pay for if you hadn’t been relocating. Place your receipts in a moving binder.
7) Arrange for child care and pet sitting if necessary. This is an excellent role for a family member who isn’t on your moving team.
8) Return any borrowed things and reclaim lent stuff.
9) If you need to clean the oven, now is the time.
10) Get packing tape, moving boxes, packing paper, and other packing supplies. Empire Movers will deliver boxes to your door!
11) Start packing any seasonal products you won’t need in the near future if you’re packing yourself.
12) Identify any significant things that will need to be donated to charity or disposed of in a landfill
8 to 6 Weeks Before Moving
1) Take a look around your house and make preparations to mend or repair anything that needs maintenance, especially if you want your security deposit refunded. Make sure to photograph the condition of everything before and after to ensure that nothing has changed.
2) Identify any dangerous household objects that must be disposed of differently or recycled. This list includes old paint, fluorescent light bulbs, old electronics, hazardous cleansers, batteries, aerosol cans, and other items, but the full specifics should be available on your municipality’s website.
3) Mark any valuables that require particular handling and care, such as firearms, paintings and fine art, glass or fragile cabinets, pool tables, and pianos. Begin gathering suitable wrapping and packaging for these items and notify your Ottawa mover (particularly if dealing with huge and heavy/bulky items).
4) If you have children, make sure they understand what is going on and when. Young children may benefit from special considerations, such as moving stories during storytime or moving-themed play activities. Take them to your new home if at all possible. This blog post has additional suggestions for making relocation simpler for children.
5) Make contact with your doctor, dentist, and veterinarian, obtain copies of all documents, and make plans to transfer files to the new healthcare providers.
6 to 4 Weeks Before Moving
1) Contact Post to have your mail forwarded to your new address or a local post office.
2) Put your car in service and make sure it’s in good working order. Fix any concerns before moving to ensure that your car is in good functioning order.
3) If necessary, purchase moving boxes and packing supplies. If you want to save money, free cardboard boxes from a local grocery store may suffice, but you risk damaging your items by using packing tools that aren’t designed for the purpose.
4) Call your insurance provider to update or transfer your homeowner’s insurance, auto insurance, and any other policies you may have if your address changes.
5) Try to gather any borrowed goods from friends, relatives, and neighbors.
6) Get your health card’s address change information updated.
7) Make arrangements to get your driver’s license and license plates updated.
8) If you’re renting your new place, make sure you know how to get in touch with your new landlord and superintendent on moving day.
9) If your new home requires elevator access, be sure to reserve the freight elevator.
10) Arrange for all important utilities such as gas, electricity, water, and internet services at your new house three to two weeks before moving. Specify the date that your former home services should be disconnected, and if possible, have your provider transfer the account across.
11) Clean up and drain any gas from equipment such as snowblowers and lawnmowers.
12) Have your rugs and drapes professionally cleaned and returned them packed.
13) Make a backup of your computer files. Get a low-cost backup drive and make copies of all your crucial files and papers.
14) Return any cable television equipment.
15) Notify your bank, credit card companies, and any investment brokers of your impending move. Give the new address and date.
16) Arrange phone service at your new residence if necessary, and terminate your current service.
17) Contact your neighbors and/or property management to obtain permission to park outside your current and potential moving houses for at least four hours. Recall that larger moving trucks take up less room on the road than smaller vehicles. It’s a terrific time to meet your new neighbors.
18) Set up internet service in your new home—usually, your current internet service provider can transfer your service to your new home.
19) Fill out any medicines. Shifting doctors or pharmacies can leave you without your medications.
20) Ensure that any medications are filled. Shifting doctors or pharmacies can leave you without medication. Make an appointment to schedule your refills and start looking for a new doctor.
21) Move any magazine subscriptions.
22) Terminate locally oriented memberships and leave any local associations.
23) Give your employer updated contact information
The Week Before Moving Day
1) Double-check all arrangements with Empire Movers & Storage (your New York moving company)). Be careful to address any COVID-related changes to requests and processes.
2) Scan or take images of key papers such as passports, medical records, insurance information, and moving information with your phone as a backup in the weeks before moving.
3) Plan ahead of time what you’ll need for your personal items kit on moving day. This will contain the necessary jewelry and paper. Have a few things on hand, such as pyjamas and shower items, to ensure a stress-free first day. Remember to bring your toothbrush, toothpaste, personal protective equipment such as masks, and an alarm clock!
4) Inform your neighbors that your move is quickly approaching and that you will need to make a place for the trucks (and that you will miss them dreadfully!) Make a forwarding address available just in case!
5) Find out what you can bring with you if you’re traveling by plane, bus, or train. Create a list of what not to bring for your next move.
6) Put aside everything you’ll need for the day and night (including your bed and sheets) in a separate location. Cleaning supplies and toilet paper are included. These goods should be placed last in the moving van so that they emerge first.
7) Put aside anything you’ll need for the morning following the big move, including a coffee maker and any other cooking equipment you’ll require to get you started the next day.
8) Clean out your refrigerator before packing it and donate or get rid of whatever you can’t transfer. Allow yourself a couple of days’ worth of takeout for simple cleanup.
9) Defrost and empty the freezer and refrigerator. Donate any frozen food to your neighbors or a charity.
10) Arrange any keys and label them if necessary.
11) Provide instructions for any appliances you’re leaving behind. Put them somewhere visible to the new owner, such as the kitchen counter.
12) Unplug all electronics and keep all cables, adapters, and other hardware organized and available so you can easily reconnect everything. Labeled freezer bags taped to the units can save a significant amount of time.
The Day Before your Relocation
1) Remove and pack window treatments.
2) Make a music playlist to keep you and your movers NYC engaged and energized on the day of your move.
3) Put aside house plants and boxes containing fragile goods so that they can be identified when the moving staff arrives. Remember to mark your boxes!
4) If you are relocating during the winter, clear ice and snow from driveways and walkways to keep your New York movers safe.
5) Do a last walk-through of your home to ensure that everything is packed and ready to go.
6) Try to get everything ready and rolling as soon as possible on a moving day. Problems and unforeseen circumstances often seem to arise at the most inconvenient times.
7) Be sure you eat a good breakfast because you’ll need it.
8) Have food, drinks, and water available for yourself and all of your helpers—even professional movers need a break!
9) Have any paperwork you require on hand.
10) Make sure your family and any volunteers have masks and any other personal protective equipment they may require.
11) Take linen from beds and pack it, along with any remaining towels.
12) As much as possible, dismantle beds.
13) Leave any keys for the new resident in a visible location.
14) Provide your new address and contact information for the new residents in case they receive your mail or other deliveries after you relocate.
15) Finish up any final cleaning touches. One of the best housewarming gifts you can provide a new tenant is a clean space with all waste eliminated.
16) Do a last search of closets, the basement, and other spots where items may have been left behind.
17) If you’ve been renting, your previous landlord may wish to conduct a last walk-through inspection with you.
18) Meet with the moving supervisor and go through your inventory.
19) Do one last trip around your property, locking the windows and doors, turning off the lights, making sure the toilets and taps are turned off, and preparing any leftover equipment, appliances, or other possessions for probable long-term storage. (For example, unplug the beer fridge in the basement while leaving the door open.)
20) Photograph and film your empty house. You need to be able to demonstrate that your residence was in perfect shape on the day you moved out.
21) Replace your locks and get duplicates of your new keys made—you never know who has copies of the old keys.
22) Examine your home and make a list of everything that needs to be fixed, such as burned-out lights, dirty furnace filters, or walls that may have been dinged during the move.
23) Capture “Before” shots as a reference in case you wish to renovate or make repairs in the future.
24) Change your documentation (such as your driver’s license, health card, auto insurance and registration, and so on) to reflect your address change. Be sure that New York Post is notified of your move, and get mail forwarding if you want to avoid missing anything.
25) Check your breakables and valuables following the relocation to verify they are in good condition.
26) Sit back, relax, and enjoy your successful move to your new neighborhood!
