Moving house tips and advice

How do I prepare for moving house?

Start six to eight weeks before moving day. Most stress on the day comes from jobs that were left to the last week, so put them in order early:

1. Get quotes and book the removal company. Ask for two or three written quotes, ideally after a survey (in person or by video), and book as soon as your date is likely.
2. Declutter. Sort every room into keep, sell, donate and dispose. Our guide to decluttering before you move has a simple way to decide, and larger loads can go with a house clearance.
3. Order packing materials. Boxes in two or three sizes, tape, paper and bubble wrap. Running out halfway through is a common delay.
4. Plan parking and access. See the London section below.
5. Start the admin. Utilities, council tax, post redirection and your address changes. The moving house checklist sets these out week by week.
6. Write a moving day plan. Who is where, key collection times, the crew’s contact number, and who is looking after children and pets.

If there is a gap between leaving your old home and getting the keys to the new one, book storage early rather than scrambling for it in the final week.

What are the most efficient packing tips for moving house?

Pack in the order you will unpack, and make every box easy to identify without opening it. The steps that save the most time:

1. Declutter first, pack second. Never wrap something you are going to throw away at the other end.
2. Work one room at a time, starting with the rooms you use least and finishing with the kitchen and bathroom.
3. Use small boxes for heavy things. Books, tins and tools go in small boxes so they stay liftable. Bedding, cushions and lampshades go in large ones.
4. Heavy at the bottom, light on top, and fill gaps with paper or towels so nothing shifts in the van.
5. Label two sides of every box, not the lid, with the room and a short list of contents. Number the boxes and keep a simple list, so you know at a glance if one is missing.
6. Photograph cable set-ups before you unplug a TV or computer, and bag the leads together with a label.
7. Bag screws and fittings from anything you dismantle and tape the bag to the furniture it came from.
8. Use what you already have. Suitcases for clothes and books, towels and linen as padding round breakables.
9. Pack an essentials box last: phone chargers, toiletries, medication, a change of clothes, kettle, mugs, toilet roll, bedding for the first night, basic tools and important documents.

For the full room-by-room method see how to pack for a house move, and for specific items, packing clothes, packing a bed and space-saving packing hacks. Glass, mirrors, TVs and artwork have their own guide: fragile and awkward items.

What are the most common house moving mistakes?

• Leaving it late. Popular dates go early, and packing always takes longer than people expect.
• Moving things you do not want. You pay for the space in the van and the time to carry it.
• Choosing on price alone. A low quote with no survey often grows on the day.
• Weak or overfilled boxes. Supermarket boxes and one giant box of books are how things break and backs get hurt.
• Packing valuables in the van. Jewellery, passports, deeds, laptops and medication travel with you.
• Forgetting parking. A van parked round the corner adds hours of carrying.
• Not reading meters. Photograph the gas, electricity and water meters at both properties on moving day.
• Unpacking before checking. Walk round the new home first and note any existing damage or faults before your furniture goes in.

How do I choose a removal company?

Check these before you book, whoever you use:

Sal Removals is based in Kingsbury, north-west London, with our own team and our own branded vans, and is rated 5.0 from 187 Google reviews, correct as of 8 September 2026. A typical one bedroom house removal starts from £449 and a two bedroom from £699, and smaller jobs suit our man and van service. Every job is priced individually, so these are starting points, not a quote. For offices, read planning an office move.

What should I know about moving house in London?

Parking is the big one. Much of London is covered by controlled parking zones, and a removal van needs to stand near the door for several hours. Councils offer two products: a bay suspension, which reserves marked bays for you, and a dispensation, which lets one named vehicle wait on a yellow line. Fees and notice periods differ by council and change every April. At the time of writing (September 2026):

• Barnet (Edgware, Barnet, Finchley): a bay suspension costs £69.63 per bay per day plus a £171.39 admin fee, with at least 7 calendar days’ notice. A dispensation is £51.90 per vehicle per day with 2 working days’ notice, which is the cheaper route when the van fits.
• Brent (Kingsbury, Wembley): a suspension costs £67 per bay per day if you apply 14 or more days ahead, plus a one-off £133 fee inside 14 days.

Check your own council’s parking page as soon as you have a date. Flats and new-build blocks often need a lift booking and a loading bay slot through the building manager, so ask about those too. If you are coming to London from elsewhere, visit the area at rush hour before you commit, and check the commute and the local schools.

How do I move house with children?

Involve them early and keep as much of their routine as you can:

• Let them pack a box of their own favourite things, labelled with their name, and make it the first box opened.
• Give them small jobs, such as a room checklist to tick off.
• Arrange for someone to look after young children on moving day. A house full of lifting and open doors is no place for toddlers, or for pets.
• Set up their bedroom first at the new home so the first night feels normal.
• Ask for school and medical records to be transferred before the move.
• Afterwards, find the local park, library and a club or two in the first fortnight. It helps them settle faster than anything else.

What should I do in the first week in a new home?

1. Check the property for damage or faults before unpacking.
2. Read and photograph the meters, and give readings to your suppliers.
3. Find the stopcock, fuse box and boiler controls.
4. Make up the beds and unpack the essentials box first.
5. Change the locks, or at least know who else holds keys.
6. Register for council tax and on the electoral roll, and update your driving licence. Our guide to what to update when you move covers the whole list.
7. Register with a GP and dentist.
8. Book a waste collection for leftover boxes and packing waste, or see waste disposal and house clearance explained.

Call 020 3475 0377 or get a free quote for your move.