Congrats on signing the lease on your new apartment! Here comes the fun part– moving. Now it’s time to pack everything up, label the boxes, schedule the movers, deep-clean your old place…and a lot more. Before you get overwhelmed with everything that needs doing in the next few weeks, copy our ultimate checklist and keep it updated as you go through the process of moving out and in at the same time. This moving guide will help get you there with time to spare!

Things to do ASAP

Contact your new landlord to cement your move-in date and ask for details.

• When will you receive your house/apartment keys?
• Where should you and the moving company park on moving day? Is there a parking area big enough for a truck?
• If moving into an apartment building, is there a service elevator for moving big furniture?
• By what date must you pay your deposits and first month’s rent?
• How will you pay rent? Bank transfer, cheque, email transfer. Etc.?
• When will you complete a walk-through of the property to check the condition of rooms, fixtures, appliances, etc.

Contact your current landlord to formally move out and solidify a move-out date.

• When will you do a rental walk-through to check the condition of the home?
• When will you hand in your keys?
• Call the post office to have your mail forwarded to the new address.
• Do a preliminary house clean and divide items into Keep, Throw Away, Recycle, Donate, or Sell. This is an excellent chance to minimize your belongings and save yourself the effort of moving things that you don’t need or use anymore.
• Donate or sell your relevant items. Sales could take longer than you realise, so give yourself plenty of time to photograph, list and sell any important items. To offload valuable but unnecessary items quickly, consider taking them to a local donation centre.

Things to do 2 weeks before moving house

• Decide if you will need storage, either to keep your things between moving dates or to hold items that won’t fit into the new place.
• Contact and hire a storage facility, if needed, and cement the time and date you will arrive to drop off your belongings.
• Cancel or transfer the utility accounts, careful to make sure you’ll still have electricity, water, Wi-fi, etc. until the day of your move. If cancelling, open new accounts for your new address.
• Contact your local moving companies, choose one (Bird’s Moving handles local moves within the Niagara region!) and set a time and date for them to pick up your belongings and drop them at the new address. If you have arranged for storage, arrange the time and date to move those items to your storage facility.
• Set up renter’s insurance or switch your existing policy to the new property.
• Find packing supplies such as cardboard boxes and tape. You can avoid using plastic bubble wrap in the packing process by wrapping your dishes and ornaments with newspaper—or even socks and tea towels.
• Pack your belongings in an organised way so they are easy to move and unpack. It may help to label the boxes by room.

Things to do a few days before moving

• Deep clean your current property, including walls, baseboards, crown mouldings, light fixtures, cupboards, drawers, storage spaces, etc. Everything should be in the same state as it was when you moved in. It’s okay to hire someone to do this for you! Use the walk-through moving checklist. Apartment and house contracts should include these from when you signed the lease.
• Pack any remaining belongings.
• Repair any household surfaces or appliances that have been damaged. You may need to paint over stained walls or furniture, unclog a sticky drain, use a steam cleaner on carpeting or replace broken windows.
• Clean out the refrigerator and pack up your non-perishable foods. Keep a few essential items in the fridge to pack up on moving day, such as eggs, butter, bread and vegetables, and have a box prepared for them.
• Pack your suitcase with basic items (clothes, toothbrush, soap, etc.) to open on your first night at the new house. This will save you from having to unpack a few things from every box to find what you need to get comfortable.

Things to do when moving day arrives

• Pack up your remaining food, taking care to put perishables and freezer foods in a cooler.
• Do a final sweep and dust (and probably a toilet clean as well).
• Leave the keys.
• At the new location, put boxes in the rooms they are labelled for. It’s okay to leave the bulk of the unpacking for later—you’re probably going to be pretty tired at the end of day one.
• Open your suitcase. You should unpack necessary items like toiletries, daily clothing, a few dishes and important electronics and paperwork.
• Check that your utilities are working. Your new home should be pre-cleaned, so once you’ve unpacked the essentials and made the bed, all that’s left is to make sure all your utilities are working! Rest, order some delivery, and finish up tomorrow!

This moving day checklist is meant to help you stay on track and focused while completing your moving day process—but Bird’s Moving has a lot more hands-on services to help you with moving house if you need them! Contact us for storage, packing, crating, residential or office moving services in the St. Catharines, Ontario area today—we’re always happy to help make your move go more smoothly.

Let us know how we can help!