The fortnight either side of moving day
A move fails in predictable places. Nobody loses the sofa. They lose the router password, the meter reading nobody photographed, the box with the kettle and the phone charger in it, and eventually a chunk of the deposit over marks that were already on the wall when they moved in. Every one of those is a five second job with a phone, done at the right moment, and an argument three weeks later if it is not.
What the phone is for, and when
| When | The job | What it prevents |
|---|---|---|
| Four weeks out | List what is not coming with you, start selling it | Paying to move things straight into a skip |
| Three weeks out | Measure the doorways and the new rooms | A sofa on the pavement on moving day |
| Two weeks out | Book the van, tell everyone the new address | Post going to a stranger for a year |
| One week out | Number the boxes, photograph the contents | Unpacking nine boxes to find one lamp |
| The day before | Pack the first-night box separately | Buying a second kettle at nine in the evening |
| Moving day | Meter readings, both properties, with photographs | A bill for somebody else's electricity |
| The first week | Photograph the new place before you fill it | Losing an argument about a mark on a floor |
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The apps that carry a move
One note per room, with a checklist of what went in which numbered box. It works offline in the back of a van, which is more than can be said for most of the alternatives.
For the dated half of the move: notice periods, the redirect, the broadband transfer. Anything with a deadline belongs here rather than in your head.
When the list outgrows a list. A column per room, a card per job, and two people moving cards without ringing each other.
The room-by-room evidence, and a shared album so whoever is helping can see which box is which without asking.
The tenancy agreement, the inventory, the van booking and the quotes in one folder you can open from the pavement.
The alternative, and the better one if you want specific documents marked available offline before the signal goes.
Scans the signed inventory and the meter photographs into one PDF with straightened edges, which is the format anyone chasing a deposit will ask for.
The other scanner worth having. Check what the free tier allows before you rely on it for something that matters.
Most barcode apps also create codes. Stick a code on each box that opens the note listing what is inside it, and the unpacking order stops being guesswork.
Rough measurements using the camera, for the question of whether the wardrobe clears the stairwell. Treat it as an indication, not a guarantee, and use a tape for anything tight.
Builds a floor plan of the new place from the phone, which settles the what-goes-where argument before the furniture is in the room rather than after.
The van route, the parking restrictions on the new street, and the area downloaded for offline use before you need it.
For the things worth posting. Start four weeks out, because the listings that sell are the ones with time to run.
Local collection, which is the only realistic option for furniture. Nothing large sells nationally for a sensible price.
The same job in the United States, and generally the faster of the two for bulky items.
The equivalent across Spain and Italy, where it is where people actually look.
The local route for a spare pair of hands, a van, or somebody two streets away who wants the wardrobe today.
For hiring the part you should not do yourself. Mostly useful in the United States, and worth a quote before you decide to carry a piano.
A box system that survives the van
- Number every box, do not label it by room Rooms change their minds. A number never does, and it takes one second with a marker.
- Photograph the open box before you tape it One photograph, filed under the number. This replaces writing an inventory and it is far more accurate.
- Write the destination room on three sides Whoever is carrying it will not rotate it to find the label, and the top is not visible on a stack.
- Keep a first-night box and carry it yourself Kettle, mugs, chargers, toilet roll, a knife, medication, a towel. It does not go in the van.
- Put screws and fittings in a bag taped to the furniture The single most common lost item in any move is the bag of bed bolts.
- Photograph the back of the television and the router Which cable went where, and the wireless password printed on the underside.
The paperwork nobody enjoys
Change of address is the job that spreads over months if it is not done in one sitting. The practical approach is to list everything that sends you post or bills you, work through it in a single evening, and set a postal redirect as the safety net for whatever the list missed. Banks, the electoral roll, insurance, the licensing authority for your vehicle and your doctor tend to be the ones people forget until something goes wrong.
Utilities are worth a note of their own. Take meter readings at both properties on the day, photograph them, and send them the same day. Estimated bills are a nuisance to unpick later, and a reading with a timestamped photograph behind it is very difficult to argue with.
- The van and two people who move furniture daily
- Disconnecting and reconnecting anything plumbed or gas-fed
- A professional clean at the end of a tenancy
- Taking anything heavy down a narrow staircase
- Packing, which is slow but not skilled
- The inventory and the photographs
- Selling what is not coming with you
- The change of address list
Number the boxes, photograph everything twice, read both meters on the day, and start selling four weeks out. The move itself is the easy part.
Frequently asked questions
How far in advance should the selling start?
About four weeks. Listings need time to find a buyer, and anything still unsold in the last week can go to a charity shop or a local giveaway group without it becoming a crisis.
Is a paid inventory app worth it?
Rarely. A numbered box, a photograph of its contents and a note per room does the same job for nothing, and does not strand your inventory in an app you stop paying for.
What is the most commonly forgotten thing?
Meter readings, followed by the bag of bolts from a dismantled bed, followed by the broadband transfer, which usually needs more notice than people expect.
Should the photographs go anywhere other than the phone?
Yes. Put the room-by-room set and the meter photographs in cloud storage the same day. A phone that is lost during a move is not an unusual event.
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