Moving day is a logistics operation you run exactly once per house, with no rehearsal, on a day you are paying by the hour. The difference between a smooth one and a shambles is rarely the removalist. It is whether the twenty small decisions were made the night before or argued out on the driveway.
This is the plan: what to do the night before, how to work with the crew so the truck loads fast, and the handful of things at the end of the day that protect your bond, your bills and your claim if anything got broken.
The night before
By bedtime the night before, the house should be finished, not nearly finished. A crew arriving to half-packed rooms loads slower and costs more at the hourly rate, and the morning disappears fast.
- Every box sealed, labelled and grouped by room, with a clear path from each room to the front door
- Fridge defrosted (started 24 hours earlier), washing machine drum secured, beds ready to strip in the morning
- Furniture you are disassembling yourself already in pieces, fittings bagged and taped to the item
- Phone and power banks charged, and a floor plan or room list ready for the new house
- Old house essentials set aside: kettle, mugs, cleaning kit for after the truck leaves, and the keys you must hand over
The essentials box and the do-not-load zone
Pack one clearly marked box, or better, a suitcase that travels in your car, holding the first 24 hours: kettle, mugs, tea and coffee, snacks, chargers, toilet paper, soap, towels, sheets for the first night, basic tools, scissors, bin bags, medications, kids' comfort items and pet food.
Create a do-not-load zone, a bathroom or a car boot, and tell the crew about it when they arrive. Documents, jewellery, passports, keys, laptops and the essentials box live there. Good crews load everything not nailed down, which is exactly what you are paying them for, so anything staying with you must be physically out of their path.
Parking, lifts and access: book them, do not hope
The truck needs the closest legal spot to your door at both addresses, and every extra metre of carry is paid time. Reserve street space with your own cars the night before and move them when the truck arrives. If parking is genuinely difficult, ask the council about a temporary permit, and warn the removalist so they send the right size truck.
Apartments add two bookings: the lift and the building. Most buildings require the lift to be booked and padded for moves and some restrict moving hours, so speak to the building manager at both ends well ahead. A crew locked out of a lift on the clock is the most expensive way to learn a building's rules.
Working with the crew
Start with a walkthrough. Two minutes showing the lead remover every room, what goes, what stays and what is fragile saves an hour of questions later. Point out the do-not-load zone and anything with existing damage you both should note.
Then let them load; truck packing is their craft and they are faster without commentary. Your job is to be findable for questions, one person directing, not three relatives issuing conflicting instructions. Keep water available, keep paths clear, and resist the urge to help carry: mixed amateur and professional lifting is how people and plaster get hurt. At the new house, stand at the door with the floor plan and call the room for each item as it comes in; every box placed in the right room now is a carry you do not do later.
Kids and pets have their own plan
A moving house is an open-door, heavy-traffic environment for an entire day, which is the worst possible place for toddlers and animals. The best plan for both is elsewhere: grandparents, a friend, daycare, or a boarding kennel or cattery for the day.
If they must be on site, contain and assign. Pets go in one closed, emptied room with water and a sign on the door so nobody opens it, then travel in your car, never in the truck. Older kids do better with a job: labelling their own box of treasures, carrying it themselves, choosing their bedroom. Cats in particular should stay contained at the new house for the first week or two before being let out, or they will attempt the trip home.
The last hour: walkthrough, meters and the paperwork
Before the truck leaves the old house, do a final sweep with fresh eyes: every cupboard, the dishwasher, the oven, exhaust cupboards, behind doors, the shed, the garden, under the house. Then photograph the electricity, gas and water meters at both addresses on the day; those photos settle any billing dispute about who used what.
At the new house, count boxes off against your numbered list before signing the delivery paperwork, and note any visible damage on the docket itself, not just verbally. If something is broken, photograph it unmoved, keep the packaging, and lodge the claim in writing promptly; operators and insurers both set claim windows, and a claim noted at the door with photos is straightforward where one raised a fortnight later becomes an argument. Then find the box with the kettle. You earned it.
Frequently asked questions
Should I help the removalists carry things?+
No. You are paying for a crew that lifts as a practised team, and adding an untrained lifter slows them down and creates injury and damage risk that their insurance may not cover. The most valuable things you can do are answer questions fast, keep paths clear and direct traffic at the destination.
What time should a move start?+
Take the earliest slot offered, usually first thing in the morning. Morning starts mean a fresh crew, no delays inherited from an earlier job, and daylight left at the far end for beds and essentials. Afternoon slots are cheaper with some companies for exactly those reasons.
Do I need to empty the fridge and freezer?+
Yes, completely, and defrost both at least 24 hours before the move so they travel dry. Run the pantry and freezer down over the final fortnight, move what little remains in an esky in your car, and leave the fridge doors ajar in transit and stand it for a few hours before switching it back on.
What do I do if something is broken when it arrives?+
Note it on the delivery paperwork before signing, photograph the item and its packaging immediately, and lodge a written claim with the removalist straight away. Whether it is paid under the operator's negligence cover or your transit insurance depends on how it happened, but a documented, same-day claim is the strongest position either way.