Moving Checklist

Eight weeks prior to moving day
 
Call for estimates from three professional movers or truck rental companies depending on your choice. Draw a floor plan of your new home for furniture and appliance placement.
Make an inventory of your household goods and begin to remove clutter. Sell, give away, or discard all unnecessary belongings. Start a file folder for all your moving paperwork (estimates, receipts, etc.). Get school records and arrange for a transfer to a new school.
Get your new home ready - Contact painters, carpenters, plumbers, roofers etc., so your home is ready when you arrive. Remember to change the locks on all the doors in your new home.
 
Six weeks prior to moving day
 
Complete Canada Post change-of-address card. Make arrangements for storage if necessary.
Ask your doctor or health plan provider for referrals, and obtain all medical records.
Clean all closets and drawers.
Start using foods and cleaning supplies that cannot be moved.
Begin searching for good health care professionals in your new location.
 
Four weeks prior to moving day
 
Schedule disconnection of utility services at your old home, and connection of them at your new one. (Be sure to disconnect the day after you leave and connect the day before you arrive.)
If you are packing yourself, obtain packing materials and start packing items you won't need until after you arrive at your new house.
Repair, send out for re-upholstery, or clean furniture, drapes, carpeting as necessary. Arrange for special transportation of your pets and plants if necessary.
Check with your insurance company to see how your possessions are covered during transit. Make any travel plans necessary for your move.
Check to see if you need any moving permits.
Collect your important records -- Gather personal and family records, including medical and dental, veterinary and school records; legal and financial documents; birth certificates, passports and insurance documents. Arrange for short-term or long-term storage if necessary.
 
Three weeks prior to moving day
 
Prepare auto registration for transfer (if moving to another province).
If you are moving in or out of an apartment, arrange for use of the elevator.
Make child-care arrangements for moving day.
Hold your moving sale. Decide if you are keeping your plants of giving them away.
Dispose of flammable, corrosives, and poisons.
 
Two weeks prior to moving day
 
Arrange for disposal of anything not sold at your moving sale. Contact your financial institution of your address change. Service your car in preparation for the move. If you're moving from a warm climate to a cold one, check your antifreeze. Return any borrowed items (including library books) and retrieve any loaned items. Cancel newspaper delivery.
Notify any creditors of your move. Transfer prescriptions and be sure you have an adequate supply of medications on hand. Assemble a file of the information to leave for the new owner of your home. Change your address - One week before your move, send change-of-address cards to everyone who will need to contact you. Plan meals for the last week of the move to help empty the refrigerator.
 
One week prior to moving day
 
Drain water hoses and waterbeds.
Drain all gas/oil from your mower and other motors.
Notify friends and family of your new contact information.
Gather critical items like a cheque books, credit cards, personal phone book, ID, flashlight, keys, toiletries, tools, paper plates, cups, towels, travel alarm clock, aspirin, bandages and games for the kids.
 
One day prior to moving day
 
Settle any bills with local businesses.
Defrost refrigerator and freezer.
Let movers pack your belongings (unless it's a do-it-yourself move).
Disconnect and prepare major appliances for move.
Set aside anything that will travel in your car so it will not be loaded on the truck.
Pack a box of items that will be needed first at the new house. Clearly mark this box "Load Last."
Confirm arrival time of your moving van/truck/company.
If moving yourself, dismantle beds and other large furniture.
 
Moving Day
 
Note all utility meter readings.
Read your bill of lading and inventory carefully before signing. Keep this paperwork in a safe place.
Check every room, closet, and cabinet one last time before deciding that everything is loaded.
 
Post Move
 
Keep all receipts and documentation from your move and file them until tax time.
Follow up on return of rental equipment if used.
Contact the local paper for registration.
Update drivers license...