Exchange fired the starting gun: you now have a fixed completion date, typically one to four weeks out, and a compressed logistics project. Removals, notice periods, redirection, utilities, packing — none of it is hard, all of it competes for the same days, and the difference between a smooth move and a shambles is almost entirely list-keeping.
Book the movers first
Removals firms book up one to three weeks ahead — further for Fridays and month-ends. Get two or three quotes (video surveys make this fast), confirm the date the day you exchange, and check what is included: packing service, materials, insurance, and the policy if completion funds land late and access slips by hours. A firm that has handled completion-day limbo before is worth a small premium.
The notification cascade
Serve your tenancy notice (now safe). Redirect post via Royal Mail from completion day — a year's redirection catches everything you forget. Then work the list: employer, bank, DVLA (licence and vehicle), GP and dentist, insurers, pension and investment providers, subscriptions, electoral roll. The moving checklist worksheet holds the full sequence with timings.
Pack for day one, not week one
Pack a first-night box that travels with you, not in the van: kettle, mugs, tea, toilet roll, bulbs, phone chargers, medicines, documents (including your purchase folder), basic tools, cleaning cloths, and children's or pets' essentials. Label every other box by room and keep an inventory photo per box — future-you unpacking at 9pm will be grateful.
Your action list
Official sources
Practical tips
- Photograph your rental's condition and meter readings on the way out — deposits are won and lost on evidence.
- Book completion-day childcare or pet care; a moving day with a bored toddler is a known failure mode.
What can go wrong
- Removals booked before exchange are gambles; removals booked the week of completion are unavailable or triple price — the window is exchange day itself.
- Do not pack the documents you will need on completion morning: ID, phone, conveyancer's number and the purchase folder stay with you.
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