So, you’re moving house — and this time, you’ve started planning early. The boxes are piling up in the garage, your utilities are scheduled for disconnection, and the removalists are booked. You’re on top of it… or so it seems.

But as the big day nears, the mental checklist grows longer. Did you update your address with your bank? What about packing an overnight bag? Even the best intentions can unravel fast, and that’s when overwhelm kicks in.

To help you stay in control, we’ve created a pre-move checklist covering the essential things to do when moving house. With this guide, you’ll avoid last-minute stress, save time, and breeze through your move like a pro.

Because moving house doesn’t have to be chaos — it can be a smooth, well-planned leap into your next chapter.

What are the most important things to do when moving house?

Start by creating a pre-move checklist. Key tasks include decluttering, booking home removals early, updating your address, organising utilities, and packing strategically. Planning each step in advance helps reduce stress and ensures a smoother, more efficient move.

1. Declutter and Organise Early

Before you even touch a packing box, decluttering is the best first step. This saves time, reduces moving costs, and gives you a fresh start in your new space.

• Sort items into keep, donate, sell, and discard piles

   

• Use local charity bins or organise a garage sale

   

• Recycle or dispose of old electronics and hazardous items

   

• Start with storage spaces like garages and wardrobes

Cutting down on clutter lightens your load and helps you avoid bringing unnecessary items into your new home. Of course, parting with that drawer full of “just in case” cables or the jeans you swore would fit again someday isn’t always easy — but your future self will thank you.

• If you need a practical strategy to kick-start the process, this move-out method from Real Simple breaks decluttering down room by room to keep things manageable.

2. Book Home Removals and Services in Advance

Securing professional help early is one of the most important things to do when moving house. Booking your home removals ahead of time guarantees your preferred date and helps you avoid inflated peak-period rates.

• Contact home removals providers 4–6 weeks before moving— ideally before you start packing

   

• Ask for a fixed-price quote, insurance options, and whether they provide packing boxes

   

• Book cleaners, pet transport, or short-term storage if needed

   

• Notify your employer if you’ll need time off work

Planning ahead ensures every service is lined up and ready, reducing stress and preventing any last-minute panic on moving day. Just as important is choosing a reputable, trustworthy home removalist — the right team can make or break your moving experience, so don’t leave it to chance.

3. Update Your Details and Redirect Mail Before Moving

Forgetting to update your details can cause all sorts of admin headaches post-move. Get on top of it early and avoid missing bills or important mail.

• Update address with Australia Post and redirect mail

   

• Notify banks, insurance providers, and Medicare

   

• Update your driver’s licence and electoral roll

   

• Let friends and family know your new contact details

This step saves you from chasing up lost mail or missed payments once you’ve settled in. With nearly one in five Australians moving house in the past year alone, according to Budget Direct’s 2023 survey, it’s clear that staying on top of your details is essential — especially when life’s already in motion.

4. Disconnect, Reconnect, and Set Up Essentials

You’d be surprised how many people forget to set up their utilities in advance. No one wants to arrive at a home with no electricity or internet!

• Schedule disconnection of gas, electricity, water, and internet

   

• Arrange connections at your new address before moving day

   

• Update your energy plan to suit your new home

   

• Check if any services require in-person appointments

By sorting this out ahead of time, your home will be move-in ready with all essentials running smoothly.

5. Pack Smart and Label Everything

Packing is more than just boxing up items. Done well, it can save hours of frustration and make unpacking feel like a breeze.

• Use quality packing materials and sturdy boxes

   

• Label boxes clearly by room and priority

   

• Pack an ‘essentials’ box with toiletries, clothes, and chargers

   

• Keep valuables and important documents in a separate, secure box — and take it with you in your car on moving day, not in the truck

An organised packing system reduces breakage, speeds up unloading, and helps you settle in faster. Some home removalists even offer flexible packing services — saving you time and helping you walk into your new home feeling calm, capable, and ready to start fresh.

6. Prepare for Moving Day Like a Pro

The night before moving house is not the time to start preparing. Getting the basics ready can turn a frantic day into a smooth operation.

• Confirm booking with your removalists

   

• Pack snacks, water, and a moving-day survival kit

   

• Defrost and clean your fridge 24 hours before moving — and place a handful of dry teabags inside to help absorb moisture and prevent mould during transit or storage

   

• Do a final walk-through to check for missed items — open every cupboard, drawer, and storage nook, as that’s where forgotten belongings tend to hide.

A stress-free moving day starts with preparation and ends with peace of mind in your new home.

• Not sure how to tackle the freezer? This guide from CHOICE walks you through how to defrost it properly and safely before moving day.

Wrapping Up: Mastering the Key Things to Do Before Moving House

When it comes to the things to do when moving house, preparation is everything. From decluttering to packing to updating your address, a well-planned move puts you in control and makes the whole experience easier.

Check off the items above one step at a time and you’ll glide into your new home without the usual chaos. For a smoother move, consider working with trusted removalists like Surfside Removals — your local experts on the Central Coast.

Sources: Choice ; Real Simple ; Budget Direct

Regrettably, not all removalist companies have your interests at heart. Cost-cutting to maximise profits; misleading and blatantly dishonest quotes; compromising on the quality and reliability of vehicles, equipment, and staff; the absence of training or industry affiliation and accreditation, are just some of the shortcuts and underhanded tactics employed by unscrupulous operators – to your detriment.

Surfside Removals & Storage has been in the removals game for almost a quarter of a century, and we’re constantly appalled – but not surprised – by the horror stories relayed to us by clients concerning their previous moves with some other companies. Here’s a summary of some of the most common issues encountered so that you might avoid similar nightmares, expense, and/or damaged or destroyed belongings.

Red Flags:

1/ Making fantastical claims about capacity (but with no physical address/depot)

AVOID THE REMOVALIST whose website states that they’ve completed 10,000+ moves in the past year (which, if it were true, would be an impressive 31 moves per day if they were to work an unlikely 6-day working week), yet lists their business address as a residential dwelling or apartment in [insert suburb]. Either they’re too busy to stop work, hence there’s no need to ever garage or maintain their fleet of vehicles, or they’re preying on your naivety and your desire to take people at face value, which, sadly, is not advisable in an industry that still lacks proper accountability.

2/ Thousands of fictitious 5-star reviews, countered by hundreds of scathing (but genuine) 1-star reviews

AVOID THE REMOVALIST who trades off his review ratings on various unmonitored customer review websites, whose listings contain a ridiculous volume of 5-star ratings by faceless first-time reviewers whose verbiage, poor spelling, and grammar suspiciously resemble the verbiage, poor spelling, and grammar of the previous 500+ 5-star reviewers – suggesting something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

And these glowing reviews flow consistently on a 3:1 ratio following a bona fide 1-star review that typically threatens the said company with legal action as a consequence of missing/damaged goods, lack of punctuality or attendance, or being ridiculously overcharged. Note also that these companies do not usually maintain a social media/Facebook presence or a genuine Google business page because the likelihood here is that they’ll be quickly exposed by honest feedback as the deceitful and calculating operators they are.

3/ The use of hire vehicles to conduct moves

AVOID THE REMOVALIST whose vehicles you have absolutely no recollection of ever seeing on the roads, and whose website contains blatantly reworked images using free stock photographs (often from overseas countries with the steering wheel on the left side) and displaying fictitious signage. If a company is capable of conducting 10,000 moves in a calendar year (see red flag 1), then they should have the liquidity to pay someone to post at least one authentic photo of a removals truck or van. If not, avoid them at all costs because on move day, you’ll be surprised to discover an Acme rent-a-truck or similar blocking your driveway. These vehicles are not purpose-built for larger removals, and they often lack maintenance, proper equipment and tools. To add insult to injury, no effort has ever been made to calculate the capacity of these vehicles when taking into account your load size; often resulting in two or three trips when one trip was quoted (and guess who’ll foot the bill for these additional trips? Tip: not the removalist), or a job that’s half done with the onus then placed on you to transport all the belongings that were abandoned on your front lawn.

4/ Inexperienced, unqualified, untrained staff, and unbelievably low quotes

AVOID THE REMOVALIST who quotes a ridiculously low hourly rate, yet promises a ‘qualified’ removals team will be dispatched to your address. Given that the objective of any business is to make money, if you quickly do the math, you’ll discover that to turn over any profit at all, the company is either:

(a) deliberately lying to you about your likely move cost (i.e. you’ll be stung for several hours more than was originally quoted); or

(b) employing and exploiting cash-strapped backpackers and foreign students with unlawful/unethical pay rates to conduct moves on their behalf. The trouble inherent here is that these transient employees are not motivated, nor are they trained in removals work, resulting in damaged goods and delayed execution of your move at unforeseen additional expense. And more common than you might imagine are reports of previous moves in which pseudo removalists stand around on their phones (with the blessing of the boss), while the customer is left to lug their own heavy boxes to the truck to minimise the shock of unquoted hours.

5/ Your ‘local’ removalist company (whose depot is 2.5 hours away)

AVOID THE REMOVALIST who is not upfront about their office/depot location. It’s very easy to bid on Google advertising as a ‘local’ removalist, regardless of the move location. It’s equally easy to create a nice website that displays hundreds of distant suburbs by postcode as a ploy to secure a good search engine ranking, despite the fact tthat he company has likely never visited or worked in these suburbs.

Sure, if a removalist is prepared to travel to your home, some 50-100km away from their depot, without charging you any extra for time on the road, petrol, maintenance, etc., then go for it. The reality is that although your original quote may be agreeable (particularly in light of their ‘glowing’ credentials – refer to red flags 1 & 2), rest assured it is you who’ll be stung for the overheads. You’ll also be left gobsmacked by some of the creative excuses put forward by the company to explain away the hundreds of dollars in surcharges that will ultimately land in your lap.

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In closing, we hope this article will provide you with the confidence to make informed decisions when organising your next move. The takeaway: always do your homework – your belongings are too precious to be destroyed, and your money is too hard-earned to throw away.

For complete peace of mind, give the friendly, professional team at Surfside Removals a call. Our reputation is solid and we’re arguably the Central Coast’s leading removals company. We invite you to put us to the test!

Call now for a free quote – fixed price or (genuine) hourly rate – on 1300 00 6683. Alternatively, fill out one of the quote forms linked here. We look forward to being of service!