Mortgages

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

Here’s everything you need to consider when moving home, in 15 easy steps.

  1. Confirm your moving day with your landlord, solicitor or conveyancer.
  2. Get van hire or removal quotes and book as soon as you’ve got a moving date to get the best price.
  3. Book time off work for moving day; and bear in mind you may need several days off for moving, cleaning & unpacking.
  4. Arrange childcare or any help you need in advance to help moving day run as smoothly as possible.
  5. 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.
  6. Declutter & clear out; contact local charities to arrange for unwanted furniture or household items to be dropped off or picked up.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Contact utilities and service providers to let them know your moving date and new address. Use our handy ‘Who to Tell & When’ checklist.
  10. 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.
  11. Arrange a visit to your nearest recycling centre if you have items to dump or recycle.
  12. Clean and make good 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.
  13. 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!
  14. Arrange to pick up keys to your new property; make sure to get any alarm codes, garage, shed and window keys.
  15. 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.

Remember to leave your old property as you would want to find your new property.

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 & 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 removal firm who are fully insured or hire a man with a van who is not insured.

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.

Compare mortgage rates & deals

Find the best first time buyer and home mover mortgage deals in Ireland using our comparison.

Warning: If you do not keep up your repayments you may lose your home. Warning: The cost of your monthly repayments may increase. Warning: You may have to pay charges if you pay off a fixed rate loan early. Warning: If you do not meet the repayments on your loan, your account will go into arrears. This may affect your credit rating, which may limit your ability to access credit in the future. Warning: The entire amount that you have borrowed will still be outstanding at the end of the interest-only period. The payment rates on this housing loan may be adjusted by the lender from time to time. (applies to variable rate loans only) Information provided and Interest rates quoted valid at 23/03/2023