Moving house checklist: the 8-week plan, and how to hand the admin to AI

Moving is a project with about sixty small tasks, a hard deadline, and several of the tasks depend on each other. Most of the stress comes from remembering. Here's the list, by week.

8 weeks out

• Give notice if you rent. Check your lease for the notice period and how it must be sent.
• Get three removal quotes. End-of-month dates and summer fill up first.
• Start a moving folder (paper or digital): contracts, quotes, reference numbers.
• If you have children, sort school places and records.

6 weeks out

• Book the removal firm or van. Confirm insurance and what's excluded.
• Start clearing: sell, donate, bin. Every box you don't move saves money.
• Book broadband for the new place now. Installation can take weeks.

4 weeks out

• Arrange post redirection (Royal Mail in the UK, USPS change of address in the US, La Poste's réexpédition in France).
• Tell your insurers: home, contents, car.
• Order boxes and tape. Start packing rooms you don't use.

2 weeks out

• Tell gas, electricity and water suppliers your move date, for both addresses.
• Update your address with your bank, employer and tax office.
• Arrange parking for the van at both ends if needed.
• Book a cleaner for the old place if you want your deposit back. Our post on getting a deposit back in France covers what landlords can and can't deduct.

Moving week

• Pack an "open first" box: kettle, mugs, chargers, toilet roll, bedding, basic tools, medication, documents.
• Defrost the freezer the day before.
• On the day: meter photos at both properties, with the date visible. Keys handed over, and a note of who has them.

First week in

• Register with a doctor and dentist.
• Update vehicle registration and driving licence address where your country requires it.
• Register to vote or update your electoral record.
• Check every subscription with a delivery address.
• Find the stopcock, fuse box and boiler manual.

The things people forget

Pension providers. Old savings accounts. The vet. Loyalty cards with your address. The online shop that still has your old address as default and will happily send a parcel there next spring.

Handing it to AI

An assistant is good at this kind of project because it can hold the whole list, work out what depends on what, and draft the letters. Ask it to build the plan from your move date, then come back each week and say what's done. It'll tell you what's next and write the emails: notice to your landlord, the address change list, the complaint to the removal firm that broke the mirror.

The weak spot is that a general chat forgets. A set of instructions saved as a Project or Gem, with the checklist, your dates and your contacts in it, doesn't.

Questions people ask

How far ahead should I book removals?

Four to six weeks for most moves; longer for end-of-month and summer dates.

Who do I need to tell when I move?

Bank, employer, tax office, doctor, dentist, insurers, utilities, broadband, vehicle registration, electoral roll or local equivalent, and any subscription that posts things to you.

How long should I redirect my post?

Three months minimum; six to twelve if you're not sure you've caught everyone.