Your moving house checklist
Moving home can be a difficult juggling act. Our house move checklist can guide you through the steps to make your move stress-free and simple.
Easy steps to plan your move
On average, it can take anywhere from seven days to several weeks to move home; including packing, loading, unloading, and organising your new abode.
Here’s everything you need to consider in 15 easy steps.
Six weeks before
Six weeks should be plenty of time to ensure you’re prepared, and it’s around now you should start prepping and planning.
- Confirm your moving day with your landlord, solicitor or conveyancer.
- Get van hire or removal quotes and book as soon as you’ve got a moving date to get the best price.
- Book time off work for moving day and bear in mind you may need several days off for moving, cleaning & unpacking.
- Arrange childcare or any help you need in advance to ensure that moving day runs smoothly.
- Contact utilities and service providers to let them know your moving date and new address. Use our handy Broadband & Energy checklist & Who to Tell & When checklist.
- Create a packing schedule and list the rooms to clear this is especially important if you work full time and only have weekends to sort out, pack and clean. Source boxes in advance for packing your belongings.
Three weeks before
Once the initial steps are over with, you can start decluttering, packing, and clearing.
- Declutter and clear out contact local charities to arrange for unwanted furniture or household items to be dropped off or picked up.
- Start packing tackle one room at a time as per your schedule. Pack away ornaments, books, CDs and personal belongings first and leave items you use daily until last.
- Label boxes once filled make sure fragile items are packed together and labelled clearly. Securely seal any boxes that won’t need to be opened until after your move and store in one room.
- Arrange a visit to your nearest recycling centre if you have items to dump or recycle.
One week before
With just one week until moving day, it’s time to tie up any loose ends and do the final tasks ahead of the big move.
- Redirect your mail with An Post to automatically forward post to your new address. This needs to be done at least five days before your move.
- Clean and repair any damage to the property if you rent, refer to your signed inventory and carefully check any instructions provided by the landlord for leaving the property.
- Create a moving day box add essential items like drinks, snacks, loo paper, cleaning products, phones and chargers, lightbulbs and basic tools. Make sure your kettle, teabags and milk are easy to access too!
- Arrange to pick up keys to your new property make sure to get any alarm codes, garage, shed and window keys.
- Make the move once you have entered your new property, find the gas, electric and water meter and take a reading. Locate the stopcock and trip switch/fuse box as soon as possible and test in case of emergencies.
Who to tell and when
Here’s a checklist of who you need to tell before you move and those you must tell shortly after.
Consider setting up an An Post mail redirection for peace of mind.
Utilities
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Water | ||
| Gas | ||
| Electricity | ||
| Waste Services |
Note: Most utilities services advise a change of address notice no more than 30 days in advance.
TV, broadband and phone
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Landline | Mobile phone | |
| Broadband | ||
| Digital TV |
Note: Most telecoms services advise a change of address notice no more than 30 days in advance.
Financial services
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage provider | Bank accounts | |
| Credit cards | ||
| Personal loans | ||
| Student loans | ||
| Car finance | ||
| Private pensions | ||
| Loyalty or store cards | ||
| Savings accounts | ||
| Premium bonds |
Insurance
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Contents insurance | Life insurance | |
| Buildings insurance | Health insurance | |
| Travel insurance | ||
| Other insurances |
Government offices
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security Benefits (DSP) | TV Licence | |
| Child benefit | Revenue | |
| Local Property Tax (LPT) | Register of Electors |
Entertainment
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Newsagent | Streaming services | |
| Magazine subscriptions | Library | |
| Gym or sports clubs |
Health services
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor | ||
| Dentist | ||
| Optician | ||
| Vet |
Travel and transport
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | ||
| NDLS | ||
| Vehicle registration | ||
| Breakdown cover | ||
| Car insurance | ||
| Discount travel cards |
Other
| Before moving | After moving | |
|---|---|---|
| Schools | Professional memberships | |
| College/University | Unions | |
| Employer | ||
| Friends & family |
How much will moving house cost?
Legal and estate agency fees make moving house costly, but there are other expenses to consider. You may also need to factor in these costs:
- Removal firm costs
- Van hire costs
- Professional cleaning (if required)
- New furniture or white goods
- Utility cancellation or connection fees
The actual move can cost as much as €1,000 if you live in a family home, are moving to another part of the country and hire removal men. If you want help with packing up and disassembling your furniture, it will cost even more.
Doing it yourself is cheaper, but may not be the best choice if you are in a house move chain and short of time. The price of hiring a van varies depending on size so it’s worth shopping around for quotes from several firms.
Another cost to watch out for is early termination fees. If you have to change your energy or broadband provider because your new house is in an area not served by them, be careful you are not stung by early exit fees.
It’s worth jotting down all your additional costs, so you don’t end up with a cash shortfall and end up in overdraft or using your credit card.
What happens if your stuff is damaged in transit?
This depends on whether you choose a fully insured removal firm or hire an uninsured man with a van.
If you opt for a fully insured removals firm, then any damage caused by the removal firm will be covered. However, they will suggest that you cover any single items that are especially valuable.
If you are doing it yourself, you will need to check your contents insurance policy to see if you are covered for moving home. If in doubt, call your insurer and inform them of your plans.
Moving checklist for broadband & energy
When you move, you’ll need to decide whether to switch to a cheaper deal or stick with your existing broadband and energy providers and transfer them to your new place.
Moving broadband
- Check broadband eircode: Not all areas have access to the same broadband. Use your new home’s eircode with our broadband availability checker, to see the deals in your new area. If you’re staying with your current provider, you’ll need to check if they serve that location.
- Avoid cancellation fees If you’re already signed up to a broadband package and are looking to switch providers, make sure your contract is finished to avoid incurring early exit fees. Even if your broadband supplier doesn’t serve your new area, you are still liable to early exit fees.
- Contact estate agents If you’re moving to a new build and your eircode isn’t traceable, contact the estate agent or builder if you can to see what kind of broadband can be installed.
- Compare new plans If you work from home or have a large household, you could consider switching to a super fast, full fibre plan if available. If you are moving to a rural area without access to fibre or part fibre connection, consider 5G mobile broadband.
- Cancel previous connection Contact your new home’s previous owners or the estate agents ahead of time to make sure that any old connections there have been cancelled.
- Return/pack equipment If you’re switching providers, you may need to return certain equipment. If you’re staying with the same provider; pack the equipment and bring it with you.
- Switch in good time If you’re switching suppliers, apply for your new plan a few weeks before you move to give providers enough notice to arrange an installation date if needed.
- Check installation date If there aren’t any existing connection points at your new address, a technician may have to install your new broadband connection. Make sure someone over 18 can be at home on that day.
Moving gas and electricity
- Contact your current provider First up, contact your current energy supplier to let them know you’re moving. Giving them at least 30 days notice will help your transfer or switch be as seamless as possible.
- Review contract Even if you’re using the same provider in your new home, your contract could be subject to change. In most cases, you won’t be liable to pay early exit fees but it’s worth double-checking.
- Notify new tenants Let any new tenants know who your current supplier is, if you haven’t already. You can always leave a note if you don’t know who the new tenants will be.
- Take a meter reading You’ll need to submit a final meter reading the day you move out, so your final bill is accurate. You’ll also need to submit a meter reading for your new property, the day you move in. You don’t want to pay for usage that’s not yours.
- Switch providers Once you know your new property’s supplier and your new GPRN and MPRN numbers, you can find the best energy plan and switch to a cheaper deal. Just make sure you’re out of contract so there’s no early exit fees.
Commonly asked moving questions
How long does a new internet connection take?
It depends on the setup at your new home. Getting internet access could be as simple as plugging in your new router when you arrive.
If you do need a new connection installed, however, you don’t want to wait too long for the technician to visit. Booking an installation date with your provider well ahead of time will help.
It’s a good idea to have a backup plan in case you’re left without internet while waiting for the installation, like a monthly, rolling contract mobile broadband plan, which you can cancel when you need to.
What if my new home has no electricity?
If your new home has had no connection for more than two years, you will need to apply to an electricity supplier for a domestic supply agreement.
- Choose a new supplier. You can use our comparison tool to see what plan you’d like to move to.
- Contact the Electricity Supply Board Network with the name of your chosen supplier. The ESBN will help get you connected.
- Have your MPRN and Maximum Import Capacity (MIC) at hand. You can both from the builder or developer.
If your new home has not been connected for between six months and two years, you’ll need to get the wiring certified by a registered electrical contractor, who can submit a certificate on your behalf.
What if my new home has no gas connection?
Contact Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) to arrange a connection. As the gas network is not available in all parts of the country, you can check GNI’s Gas Network Map to see if it’s available in your area. If gas is available, you can either:
- Contact GNI to apply and pay for connection works to be carried out
- Contact a gas supplier to sign up to a service. They can organise a connection with GNI
Should I take my smart meter with me when I move?
No, just like a traditional meter, your smart meter stays behind when you move.
Leave your in-home monitor (IHM) at your old house, so the new householder or tenant can benefit from it. The IHM is paired with the specific smart meter it came with, so it won’t work if you remove it.
When you leave, you do not need to submit a final meter reading to your supplier because your smart meter should automatically provide it on the day you move out. However, you may want to make a note as a precaution.
