Moving home is regularly ranked among the most stressful things people do, and almost all of that stress comes from the same place: too many small decisions arriving at once, most of them with deadlines attached. A checklist does not make the move smaller. It makes the order obvious, which is most of the battle.
This is the full sequence, from the day contracts are exchanged to the evening you collapse on the sofa in the new place.
As soon as contracts are exchanged
Fix the moving date. For a purchase this is normally the completion date. Everything else hangs off it, so get it confirmed in writing before booking anything.
Avoid the obvious pinch points if you can. Fridays, month ends and bank holidays are when demand peaks. Firms are stretched, prices are higher, and if anything slips there is no slack in the day. A midweek move in the middle of the month is calmer and often cheaper.
Start getting quotes. Four to six weeks ahead is the sensible window, earlier over the summer. Most removal companies will not confirm a booking until you have exchanged and have a date, so the two jobs go together.
Choosing a removal company
Get at least three quotes and resist taking the cheapest by reflex. The gap between quotes usually reflects something real, whether that is crew size, insurance, or whether packing materials are included.
Insist on a pre-move survey. No firm can price a whole-house move accurately from a web form. A surveyor, in person or over video, walks each room including the loft, garage and shed, checks access at both ends, and confirms what needs dismantling. Underestimating volume is what causes a second van, a longer day, and a revised price on moving day itself. If a company will not survey before quoting, that tells you something.
Check credentials, not just reviews. Look for membership of a recognised trade body such as the British Association of Removers, ask how long the firm has traded, and check what insurance is carried. At RMV we are AIM-accredited and hold full Goods in Transit and warehouse-keeper liability cover, with over fifteen years operating across London.
Get everything in writing. A verbal price over the phone is not a quotation. The written version should itemise packing if required, loading and unloading, storage if required, special handling for breakables and valuables, VAT, and any extras such as dismantling, curtain hanging or cleaning. When comparing, make sure you are comparing like with like.
Ask about transit insurance specifically. Most removal firms carry Goods in Transit cover, but check the limits and exclusions. Two catch people out regularly: items you packed yourself are frequently excluded, and anything you transport in your own car is covered by your contents policy rather than theirs, if at all.
Flag the difficult items early. Antiques, artwork, computers, and above all pianos, which need specific preparation and occasionally have to be winched out. Mention them at survey stage, not on the day.
Sort out access. Photograph both properties and send the pictures over. Measure the width of any entrance gates. If either address sits in a Controlled Parking Zone, arrange a bay suspension or visitor permit for the lorry. Access problems are the single most common reason a move costs more than the quote.
Four to two weeks before
Have a proper clear out. William Morris had it right: keep what is useful or beautiful. Everything else can be sold, auctioned, donated or recycled. You pay to move volume, so every box you do not take is money saved twice, once on the van and once on space at the other end.
Book cleaners for the new place. Nobody wants to arrive at nine in the evening and start scrubbing. Some removal firms arrange this as part of the job.
Arrange cover for children and pets. A moving day with a toddler underfoot is a different job entirely. Kennels or a cattery for pets, and new identity tags with the new address before the day.
Order packing materials. Boxes, bubble wrap, wardrobe cartons, tape and mattress covers, available from our packing shop if you are packing yourself. Start with the rooms you barely use.
Sort the admin. Utilities, council tax at both addresses, insurance, broadband, banks, employer, schools and your GP. Our guide on what to do four weeks before you move covers that list in full, including a redirection with Royal Mail.
The week before
Make an inventory of everything being moved. It takes an hour and it is the only way to know afterwards if something is missing.
Make a floor plan. Sketch each room in the new home, give each one a colour, and put matching stickers on boxes and furniture. Stick a coloured sheet on each doorframe when you arrive. The crew then never has to ask, the van empties faster, and you are not shifting boxes between rooms at midnight. Label the side of boxes rather than the top so labels stay visible once stacked.
Compile a fact file for the incoming owners. Appliance manuals, heating instructions, bin collection days, recycling arrangements, alarm codes. It costs you twenty minutes and it is the sort of thing you would want to receive.
Round up every key to your old home, including spares with neighbours and relatives, and hand them to your solicitor or agent.
Pack a first-night box and keep it with you rather than in the van: kettle, mugs, tea, chargers, bedding, toiletries, medication, loo roll, a change of clothes.
If the dates do not line up
Chains slip and completion dates move. If there is a gap between moving out and moving in, storage bridges it. Belongings are loaded into a container at the old address, held at a monitored facility, and delivered to the new address when you have keys.
Storage firms will take almost anything that is not perishable, flammable, illegal or alive. Anything being taken away for disposal rather than storage should go to a firm registered as a waste carrier. Expect the price to reflect the space used, the length of time, and delivery to and from the property. Check whether cover comes through the storage company or your own household policy, and keep that inventory, since it is what any claim rests on.
On moving day
Be there, or make sure someone is, with the right keys. A surprising number of moves go wrong at exactly this point: the van arrives at the new address and nobody can open the door.
Give the foreman the floor plan and your mobile number, and make sure the firm has a clear route to the new address.
Read the meters at both ends. Take gas, electricity and water readings as you leave, and again the moment you arrive, before switching anything on. Photograph each one with the reading visible. A photograph is timestamped and settles a disputed final bill in seconds.
Check the essentials work on arrival: phone line, alarm, electricity, gas, heating, water.
Check what was included in the sale is actually there. Carpets, curtains, light fittings, appliances. If something is missing, tell your solicitor the same day. If you spot a serious structural fault the survey missed, contact your surveyor immediately.
Change the locks. You have no idea how many keys are in circulation. Book a locksmith for the day you arrive rather than adding it to a list you will never get to.
Then stop. Order a takeaway, open something cold, and leave the boxes until tomorrow.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should I book a removal company? Four to six weeks before the move, and earlier between May and September. Most firms will not confirm the booking until contracts are exchanged and a completion date is set, so start collecting quotes as soon as exchange looks likely.
Do I need a pre-move survey? For anything larger than a single room, yes. A survey, whether in person or by video, is the only way a firm can judge volume and access accurately. Quotes given without one tend to be revised on the day.
Are my belongings insured while being moved? Removal firms normally carry Goods in Transit insurance, but check the limits and the exclusions. Items you packed yourself are often excluded, as is anything you carry in your own vehicle. Ask for the cover to be set out in the written quotation.
What day of the week is cheapest to move? Midweek and mid-month. Fridays, month ends and bank holidays are the busiest and most expensive slots, and they book out first.
What can I not put into storage? Nothing perishable, flammable, illegal or alive. Food, plants, chemicals, fuel and pets are all out. Anything else is generally fine, subject to the storage firm's terms and your insurance.
What should I do first when I get the keys? Read the meters and photograph them, check the utilities and alarm work, confirm that fixtures included in the sale are present, and arrange for the locks to be changed.
How we can help
RMV Storage & Removals has been moving households and businesses across London for over fifteen years. We handle house and office removals, man and van jobs, packing services and materials, furniture dismantling and assembly, store collections, and container storage delivered to your door, across every area we cover.
Each stage has its own guide: eight weeks to go, six weeks to go, four weeks to go, two weeks to go, the night before, and the checklist movers forget once you have the keys.
If you would like a quote or simply want to talk through the logistics of a tricky move, get in touch and we will find the right approach for you.
Written by Riki Migliori, Director at RMV Storage & Removals. Originally published December 2013. Fully reviewed and updated summer 2026.