Moving house with children: a week-by-week checklist, from utilities to school

Moving house is one of the most complex projects a family takes on: dozens of things to do, many with a set date, some depending on others, all while everyday life carries on. With children you add school, activities, and the need to make the change easier for them too.

The way not to get lost is to treat it as a project: a list, a calendar, tasks shared out.

This article gives organisational tips. Formalities like registering a change of address, transferring utilities and school applications follow procedures and timelines set by your local authority, suppliers and school: check with them.

The moving list

Create a shared "Move" to-do list between parents, with every item assigned and, where needed, a date and reminder. Key dates — collecting keys, moving day, the old contract ending — also go in the calendar.

Two months before

• removal firm: quotes and booking, especially in busy months
• notice on the old tenancy, respecting the required notice period
• school: applications or transfers for the children, and information on timings and documents
• the children's activities: sport, music, what stops and what's available in the new area
• inventory: what's coming, what gets sold or given away

A month before

• new home utilities: transfers or new connections for electricity, gas, water, broadband, with activation dates — broadband often takes longest
• old home utilities: cancellations or transfers with meter readings on moving day
• change of address: bank, insurers, doctor, subscriptions, online services
• packing: start with the least-used rooms and items

A week before

• first-days box for each family member: clothes, medicines, chargers, bedding, the favourite toy
• important documents in a bag that travels with you, not the removal firm
• fridge and freezer emptied
• who looks after the children on moving day, if they're young

Moving day

• meter readings at both homes, photographed
• photos of the condition of the old home at handover
• check every box has arrived

After the move

• register the change of address with the local authority, within the required time
• update the address on documents where required, including vehicle registration as local rules require
• GP and paediatrician, if you've changed area
• in the Home section: new deadlines and payments — bills, taxes, insurance — and an inventory of the new home's systems and appliances

The children

For children, a move is a loss before it's an adventure: the bedroom, friends, the walk to school. A few things help:

• involve them: packing their own box, choosing where things go in the new room
• their room first, set up straight away
• the same routines during moving days, as far as possible
• saying goodbye: friends, neighbours, favourite places

Costs

A move costs more than the removal quote: deposits, connection fees, small purchases, meals out. Recording them under a dedicated category in expenses shows the real cost, and helps if some costs need splitting.

In short

A shared list with every item assigned and dates in the calendar. Two months before: removal firm, notice and school; a month before: utilities and address changes; a week before: the first-days boxes. On the day: readings and photos; afterwards: change of address and the new home's deadlines. And the children involved from the start.