Before you book
- Pick a Tuesday or Wednesday mid-month; Friday and month-end dates cost 10–25% more.
- Get three quotes with the same scope so you compare inclusions. Not headline prices.
- Photograph every valuable item and its condition before packing.
- Measure the sofa and the new doorway. It is the single most common move-day surprise.
In the last fortnight
- Order the parking suspension for both ends at the same time.
- Book a pet sitter or a friend's house for move day. Cats in particular react badly to an open front door.
- Arrange for children to be elsewhere until the lorry is loaded.
- Write the new address on your phone lock screen for delivery drivers and the crew.
Completion day
- Keep cash or a card for the crew's lunch and any last-minute parking costs.
- Do not lock the essentials box in the lorry. Keep it in your car.
- Check the loft. Shed. Garage and under-stairs cupboard twice.
- Send meter photographs to your supplier the same evening.
Your first week in the new house
- Find the stopcock. Fuse board and thermostat before you unpack anything.
- Change the locks. Particularly on a property that has been rented.
- Register for council tax and update the electoral roll.
- Unpack kitchen and beds first; everything else can wait a fortnight without hurting.