Most moving checklists are filled with stuff that doesn’t matter (“inform your dentist of your new address”). This one focuses on the decisions and tasks that actually predict whether move day goes well.
8 weeks out
- Confirm move-out date with your current landlord in writing. If you’re owning, confirm the closing date with your real-estate attorney. Everything downstream depends on this date.
- Get three quotes for the move. If you’re hiring a full-service van, get them now — the good ones book 6-8 weeks out. If you’re using a rental truck + crew (what we do), you can wait until 2-3 weeks out for the crew but reserve the truck now.
- Decide DIY vs labor-only vs full-service. Read our Why hire moving helpers guide if you’re undecided.
- Start downsizing. Anything you haven’t used in 12 months is a candidate for donation / sell. Heavy items you’re not sure about go in a “decide later” pile.
6 weeks out
- Reserve the rental truck if going DIY or labor-only. What size U-Haul do I need has the sizing math. Book through U-Haul, Penske, or Budget directly.
- Take photos of expensive furniture and electronics before the move. If something breaks in transit, you’ll have evidence for the insurance claim.
- Start collecting boxes. Costco, liquor stores, and grocery stores will give you boxes for free if you ask. Or buy them — the cost of damaged stuff from cheap-bag-packing exceeds box savings.
4 weeks out
- Book the loading crew if going labor-only. Three weeks gives you the best crew availability without paying day-of premium.
- Start packing non-essentials: books, off-season clothes, art, the back of the closet, the contents of the basement, the contents of the garage. Label every box with the destination room AND a one-line content summary (“kitchen — small appliances”).
- Schedule disconnect dates for utilities at the old place (set for day after move-out) and connect dates at the new place (set for day before move-in).
- Submit change-of-address with USPS. The form is 5 minutes online; it costs $1.10 to verify identity.
- Notify banks, employer, insurance, doctors, anywhere recurring mail or money lands of your new address. This is the time- consuming step most people put off; if you do it now, you save yourself catching up on it for six months.
2 weeks out
- Confirm the truck reservation by phone — yes, by phone, not email. Rental brands oversell; 48 hours of grace for them to relocate your pickup is plenty.
- Confirm the crew if you booked one. Crews start finalizing their week the Friday before; check in on the Monday.
- Start packing essentials. Living room, bedroom (except the bed you’re sleeping in), kitchen except the few items you’ll use the last week.
- Pack a “first-night box” — sheets for one bed, toilet paper, phone chargers, soap, toothbrush, a couple changes of clothes, prescriptions, paper plates. This box rides in your car, not the truck.
1 week out
- Plan the move-day timeline hour by hour. Truck pickup, crew arrival, load time, drive, unload time, truck return. Pad each step by 25%.
- Defrost the freezer (gives it 48 hours to dry).
- Use up perishables. Don’t try to move food you’ve half- used; it’s not worth the cooler logistics.
- Empty the gas tank of any gas-powered yard equipment going in the truck (lawn mower, weed-eater). Most rental brands won’t let you transport full tanks.
- Get cash for tips, in case you decide to tip.
- Buy painter’s tape for the new place. Mark which furniture goes in which room on the floor so the crew can drop and go.
2 days out
- Final walkthrough of the old place — anything you don’t want the crew to load needs to be physically separated. Put it in your car or a labeled “do not load” pile.
- Disassemble bed frames the night before unless you booked the crew for disassembly. Bag and label the hardware to the frame.
- Charge your phone, the kids’ tablets, the speakers, anything with a battery. Move days are long and outlets are inaccessible.
- Confirm the crew arrival time by text.
Move day
- Be home and dressed before the crew arrives. Walk them through the load order and access notes (stairs, fragile, driveway).
- Stay accessible during the load. Don’t leave to run errands; the crew will have questions every 20 minutes for the first hour.
- Do a final sweep of every room, every closet, the garage, the attic, the basement, after the crew is done. Look in: drawers, behind doors, on top of cabinets, inside the dishwasher. Things get left in surprising places.
- Pay the crew. Most accept card, Venmo, or cash; confirm at booking. Tip if they earned it.
At the new place
- First task: locate the bathroom, the breaker box, the water shutoff, the trash room/can locations, and the parking situation. In that order.
- Direct the crew on placement as boxes and furniture come in. Don’t say “put it anywhere” — you’ll spend a week relocating it.
- Don’t unpack everything day one. Set up the bed, the bathroom, and the kitchen basics. Sleep. Tomorrow you can do the rest.
First week
- Test smoke detectors, fire extinguishers if it’s a house. Replace batteries.
- Walk the property. Note anything that needs immediate repair, in writing, dated. If it’s a rental, send to the landlord by certified mail.
- Meet the neighbors. Or don’t — but if you’re going to, the first week is the natural window.
This list won’t help you find your keys when you’ve packed them into a box you can’t find. But it will keep you from the bigger class of disasters.