The Ultimate London Moving Checklist: 8 Weeks to Moving Day
8 Weeks Before Moving Day
Start by decluttering room by room. Donate, sell, or recycle items you no longer need. Research man and van services and get quotes. If you’re renting, give your landlord proper notice.
6 Weeks Before
Start collecting packing materials — boxes, bubble wrap, tape. Begin packing non-essential items like books, ornaments, and out-of-season clothes. Notify your council about moving for council tax purposes.
4 Weeks Before
Book your moving service if you haven’t already. Apply for parking permits or suspensions at both addresses. Start changing your address with banks, HMRC, DVLA, and subscription services.
2 Weeks Before
Pack room by room, labelling every box clearly. Arrange mail redirection through Royal Mail. Confirm your booking details and access arrangements at both properties.
1 Week Before
Defrost your freezer. Pack a “first night” essentials box with kettle, mugs, toilet roll, phone chargers, and basic tools. Confirm parking arrangements at both addresses.
Moving Day
Do a final walkthrough of your old property. Take meter readings at both addresses. Keep your essentials box, valuables, and important documents with you — not in the van.
11 comments on “The Ultimate London Moving Checklist: 8 Weeks to Moving Day”
This checklist saved my move! I was completely overwhelmed trying to organise everything, but having it all broken down week by week made it so much more manageable. Thank you!
kjbjkn
Brilliant article. One thing I would add is to check parking restrictions at both addresses before moving day. I got a fine because I forgot to arrange a parking suspension for the van outside my new flat in Islington.
Moved from Manchester to London last month and this guide was my bible. The tip about labelling boxes by room was a game changer — made unpacking so much faster.
How far in advance would you recommend booking a man and van service? We are looking at moving in August which I know is a busy period.
Just completed our move to Clapham using this checklist. The section about updating your address with all the different services was really helpful — I would have forgotten half of them otherwise!
Great tips on packing fragile items. I used the towel-wrapping technique for my wine glasses and not a single one broke. Previously lost three in a move using newspaper.
Would love to see a version of this specifically for students moving into halls or shared houses. The advice is fantastic but some bits are more relevant for families. Either way, really useful resource!
The reminder to defrost the freezer 24 hours before is something everyone overlooks. Trust me, I learned the hard way when water leaked all over the van floor during my last move!
I shared this with my entire team at work — we are relocating our office next month and a lot of these principles apply to commercial moves too. Especially the inventory tip.
Solid advice throughout. One additional suggestion: take photos of how your electronics are wired up before disconnecting everything. Saved me hours trying to figure out the back of my TV setup!