A Six-Week Moving Checklist for Melbourne Households

Almost every moving-day problem started weeks earlier as something that could have been booked, checked or asked about. The lift that wasn't reserved. The permit that takes five business days. The wardrobe nobody measured against the stairwell.

This is the order we'd suggest doing things in for a Melbourne move. Adjust the timing to suit — the sequence matters more than the exact week.

Six weeks out

• Confirm your dates. Settlement date, lease end, or handover. Everything else hangs off this.
• Get quotes. Ask two or three removalists, and give them all the same information so the numbers are comparable.
• Start the cull. This is the single most effective cost saving available to you, especially if you're moving interstate where you pay by volume.
• Check what won't fit. Measure large furniture against doorways, stairwells and lifts at the new place. Better to know now than on the day.

Four weeks out

• Book the removalist. End-of-month dates go first, particularly December through February.
• Book building access at both ends. Lifts and loading docks in apartment buildings often need a week or more of notice, and some buildings only permit moves at set times. See moving out of a Melbourne apartment.
• Sort the things removalists can't take. Gas bottles, fuel, paint, chemicals. There's a full list in what removalists can't transport.
• Arrange time off. Moving day is a working day.

Three weeks out

• Start packing the things you don't use. Books, out-of-season clothes, decorations, the good crockery.
• Order boxes. More than you think — most people underestimate by a third.
• Redirect your mail. Australia Post redirection takes a few days to activate.
• Notify the important ones. Bank, insurer, super fund, Medicare, employer, school, GP.

Two weeks out

• Arrange parking. If the truck can't get close, everything takes longer. Council permits for a reserved space need lead time — see moving day parking and truck access.
• Book utilities. Electricity, gas, internet. Internet connections at the new address are the ones that bite — they can take weeks.
• Confirm the removalist. Re-check the date, arrival window and anything that's changed since you quoted.
• Book end-of-lease cleaning if you're renting, and check whether carpet cleaning is required by your agreement.

One week out

• Pack in earnest. Label by room at the destination, not by contents. "Kitchen" tells the crew where to put it; "saucepans and mixing bowls" doesn't.
• Set aside an essentials box. Kettle, mugs, tea, toilet paper, soap, towels, phone chargers, basic tools, medication, a change of clothes. This travels with you.
• Run down the fridge and freezer. They need to be empty, defrosted and dry — ideally 24 hours before.
• Photograph the meter readings and the condition of the property.
• Confirm who has keys at both ends, and who'll be present.

The day before

• Finish packing. Anything still loose in the morning slows the whole day down.
• Disconnect and drain the washing machine and dishwasher.
• Charge your phone and a power bank.
• Put valuables, documents and jewellery in the car, not on the truck.
• Confirm the arrival window one last time.

Moving day

• Be there when the crew arrives, or nominate someone who can make decisions.
• Do a walkthrough with them first — point out the fragile items, what's not going, and where things go at the other end.
• Keep pets and small children out of the traffic path. It's safer and it's faster.
• Check every room, cupboard and the shed before you hand back the keys.
• Take final meter photos and lock up.

At the new place

• Direct items room by room as they come in. Five seconds of direction now saves carrying it twice.
• Reassemble beds first. You'll want somewhere to sleep before you want the bookshelf sorted.
• Check for damage while the crew is still there, not a week later.
• Update your address on your licence and electoral enrolment.

If you'd like a hand with any of it, our Melbourne local removals page covers what we handle, or send us your dates and we'll go through the details with you.