Six weeks out: book the van, set the budget
This is the week to lock in the van. Saturdays book first, especially around end-of-month dates, so getting on a driver's diary now buys you flexibility later. Set a realistic budget — for a 2-bed move including van, boxes, parking permits and a meal-out budget for moving day, £400-£700 covers most local moves. Open a "moving" folder (paper or digital) and start a single inventory list. Tell your landlord or solicitor your target completion date so the chain is informed.
Four weeks out: declutter, change-of-address
Every box you do not pack saves you £8 in van time. Decluttering four weeks out is the right window — late enough that you know what you actually use, early enough to not panic-bin things. Start a charity-shop pile and a tip-run pile. Change-of-address letters this week: bank, GP, dentist, insurance (home and car), employer, DVLA, electoral roll, TV licence, council tax. Royal Mail redirection takes 5 working days minimum to set up — order it now for two weeks before move day.
Two weeks out: pack non-essentials, confirm utilities
Pack everything you will not need for the next two weeks: books, decorations, out-of-season clothes, the spare bedroom. Label every box with the destination room (not the source room) and a one-line content summary. Confirm utilities at the new property: electric and gas (take meter readings on move day at both ends), water (the local supplier — Bristol Water for most of the BS postcodes), broadband (Openreach activation can run 7-14 days, so push your provider for an install date in the week after move day). Notify Bristol City Council of the council-tax change online.
One week out: pack the rest, prep an essentials box
Pack the kitchen except a kettle, two mugs, two plates and basic cutlery. Pack the bedroom except one outfit each per family member. Defrost the fridge from 48 hours before move day if you are taking it. The single most useful packing decision is an "essentials" box that travels in the car not the van — kettle, mugs, tea bags, milk, kitchen roll, washing-up liquid, loo roll, phone chargers, paracetamol, the takeaway menu of a place that delivers to the new address. That box is the difference between night-one civilisation and night-one chaos.
The day before: final sweep
Strip and disassemble beds. Take down curtain poles. Run a final hoover. Take photos of every meter reading. Bag up tools and screws from any dismantled furniture and tape them to the relevant item. Charge phones. Print the new postcode and put it on the fridge. Confirm the van time with the driver. Get a takeaway and have an early night — moving day is a 12-hour day even when it goes well.
Moving day: the order matters
Get up early. Strip the last beds and pack the linens. Be at the property when the van arrives so loading order is sorted: tall and fragile last so they come out first at the new place. Hand the keys back to the agent or new owner on the way out, never before. At the new property, get the beds rebuilt first — the rest of the chaos is bearable if you can sleep tonight. Switch the heating on, kettle on, takeaway ordered, essentials box opened. Tomorrow is for arranging cushions; tonight is for surviving.
Week after: snagging and admin
Test every appliance and tap. Photograph any damage that was there when you moved in — agents have short memories. Update the address on anything you forgot (online accounts, loyalty cards, subscriptions). Drop a thank-you to whoever helped — moving days build favours that come back at every future move.