Moving House Checklist: 4 Weeks to Moving Day

4 weeks before moving day

• Book the man-and-van or removal firm — Saturday slots go first.
• Start decluttering room by room; anything you won't unpack, don't move.
• Book any end-of-tenancy or house clearance for the same week.
• Order packing materials (boxes, tape, bubble wrap, marker pens).
• Notify your landlord or estate agent of the completion / handover date.

3 weeks before

• Contact utility providers to arrange final readings and switching.
• Set up a Royal Mail redirection (allow 5 working days).
• Update your address with banks, insurance, HMRC, DVLA, employer, doctor and dentist.
• Start packing non-essentials: books, decorations, out-of-season clothes.
• Confirm parking at both addresses — see the Birmingham note below.

2 weeks before

• Pack most of the kitchen, keeping only what you'll use in the last fortnight.
• Empty and clean the shed, garage and loft.
• Cancel or move deliveries (milk, veg box, prescriptions).
• Confirm childcare or pet care for moving day.

1 week before

• Pack everything except the essentials for the last few days.
• Defrost and clean the fridge and freezer the night before.
• Label every box by room AND with a one-line contents note.
• Confirm the van arrival window and the parking plan.
• Withdraw a small amount of cash for tips or last-minute shopping.

Moving day itself

1. Keep a moving-day kit with you: kettle, mugs, tea/coffee, chargers, medications, snacks, paperwork, keys.
2. Take final meter readings and photograph them.
3. Walk through each room with the crew and confirm what goes and what stays.
4. Do a final sweep of drawers, cupboards, loft and shed.
5. Lock up, hand keys to the landlord or agent, and head to the new place.
6. At the new address, unload straight into the right rooms — it's much faster than shuffling boxes later.

Birmingham parking and access notes

Many Birmingham streets — especially in the city centre and inside the middle ring road — have permit-holder or pay-and-display restrictions. If you're moving in or out of a controlled parking zone, check with the council whether a short-stay dispensation is available for a moving van. In tighter streets (Digbeth, Jewellery Quarter, parts of Moseley and Selly Oak), agreeing a load window with neighbours in advance saves a lot of hassle on the day.

How does a man-and-van fit into this checklist?

For most Birmingham house moves under a 3-bed, a man-and-van team handles the whole loading, transport and unloading step in the plan above — often in a single day. See our man-and-van price guide for Birmingham for what to budget, or our house moves page to book.