The moving house checklist that actually works runs on a timeline, not a single list: book the removalist and start the cull four weeks out, order packing materials and open utility accounts three weeks out, redirect the mail and confirm details two weeks out, pack the house progressively through the final fortnight, and keep a first-night box off the truck. For Queensland movers, the notification list has its own local flavour: TMR for your licence and rego, your water and energy retailers, the electoral roll, and the school transfers that book out faster than the removalists do.
Plenty of national checklists exist. This one is built for Queensland households, because “notify your utility companies” is less useful than knowing exactly who that is.
The countdown
4 weeks out. Book the removalist (good crews book 2 to 4 weeks ahead, longer for end-of-month and summer). Start the cull: every item sold, donated or dumped now is money off the quote and a box you never pack. Give notice on the rental if that clock applies, and book the exit clean.
3 weeks out. Order boxes, tape, butcher’s paper and marker pens; you will want more boxes than feels reasonable. Open electricity, gas and internet accounts at the new address, with internet ordered earliest because connection lead times are the great Australian surprise. Start packing the rooms you do not live in: garage, spare room, bookshelves.
2 weeks out. Lodge the Australia Post mail redirect (available in 1, 3, 6 and 12 month blocks, and 3 months is the realistic minimum for catching stragglers). Work the notification list below. Confirm the removalist booking, access details and parking at both ends.
1 week out. Pack everything except daily life. Empty, defrost and dry the fridge and freezer in the final 24 to 48 hours. Set aside the first-night box: kettle, chargers, sheets, towels, toilet paper, basic tools, school uniforms, and the remote controls that otherwise vanish for a month.
Moving day. Final meter photos, a last walk-through of every cupboard and the space under the stairs, keys handled, and the first-night box travelling in your car, not the truck.
The Queensland notification list
- Transport and Main Roads (TMR): driver licence and vehicle registration address, which Queensland requires you to update within 14 days of moving.
- Water: in South East Queensland that generally means Urban Utilities or your local council water business, depending on the address; your rates or rental agent confirms which.
- Electricity, gas and internet: open at the new address before disconnecting the old, and schedule the switchover for settlement or lease day.
- Electoral roll: update with the AEC, which flows through to state and council rolls.
- Medicare, Centrelink and the ATO: all through your myGov account in one sitting.
- Banks, super, insurance: and note that home and contents insurance should start at the new address from the day you get keys, not the day you move in.
- Schools and daycare: enrolment transfers move slower than furniture; start them the moment the new address is certain.
- Vets, GPs and dentists: records transfer on request.
- Subscriptions and deliveries: the redirect catches what you forget, which is exactly why it earns its fee.
The habits that make moving week civilised
Label boxes by destination room, not origin room, so the crew delivers straight to where things live next. Keep a shared note of the notification list with items ticked as they are done, because the list is long and memory is not. And book the removalist before anything else, since every other date on this page hangs off that one. Our home removals crews work across Brisbane and the Gold Coast, and the full offering, packing help included, is on the services page.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a moving house checklist?
Who do I need to notify when moving house in Queensland?
When should I change my address when moving?
When should I book a removalist?
Moving around South East Queensland? Get a quote and lock the date the rest of the checklist depends on.