Moving with Family Checklist: What to Sort, When to Sort It
Moving house with kids is a big undertaking, but it can also go surprisingly smoothly when the timing is right and the plan is solid. There’s more to coordinate than a solo move, but there’s also more to look forward to. If you’re searching for a step-by-step checklist for moving with family, this is it. Work through this checklist to sidestep the most common mishaps and setbacks.
Two to three months out
Most families start planning later than this. That’s why things go sideways. Starting early gives you options.
- Confirm your settlement or lease start date. Check whether there’s overlap or gap with your current place. If there’s a gap, you need to sort out storage or temporary accommodation now, not the week before you move.
- Walk through your house and separate everything into what you’re keeping and getting rid of.Â
- Check the new school’s enrolment deadlines. Some want paperwork weeks in advance.Â
- Measure the new place and work out roughly where your big furniture will fit. Much easier to decide this beforehand than to stand there redirecting movers on the day.
Four weeks out
The admin isn’t exciting, but this is where most families fall behind.
- Update your address with your bank, Medicare, Centrelink, the ATO, and your health insurer to avoid any issues or missed communications.
- Get multiple quotes from removalists who are experienced family movers. If you’re coming into Sydney, book a Sydney removalist as soon as you can. In busy cities, booking too late will leave you stuck with the not-so-reliable removalists.Â
- Contact your kids’ current school and request full academic records, specialist reports, and an immunisation summary.Â
- Talk to your GP and any specialists. Ask for referral letters and a treatment summary for each family member. Your new doctors will want this.
- Check the body corporate rules if you’re moving to a unit: move-in times, lift bookings, truck parking, and key collection.
- Set up mail redirection through Australia Post for at least three months. Some places will keep sending mail to your old address.
Two to three weeks out
Start packing what you don’t need daily.
- Box up any clothes, books, toys and linens that aren’t being used.
- Label each box with what’s in it and which room it goes to at the new house.
- Confirm the removalist booking. Tell them if you have narrow stairs, large furniture, or items that need careful handling.
- Assign a responsible adult for both properties on moving day. You can’t be everywhere at once.
- If your kids are old enough, give them a box to pack themselves. Their books, a few toys, things they want close by. It gives them some say in a process where they mostly have none.
Moving week
Three main jobs this week: prepare the important documents, the kids, and a survival box.
- Back up household documents digitally. Birth certificates, passports, school records, insurance.
- Pack a survival box that’s ready with medications, chargers, change of clothes for everyone, snacks, and anything the kids will want in the first few hours.
- Tell the kids what to expect on moving day: where they’ll be and what the timeline looks like. The clearer it is, the better they handle it.
- Do a final check of the old property before you hand back the keys. Wardrobes, storage, the garage, anywhere things might have been left. If you’re renting, take photos of how you’re leaving it.
After the move
Don’t consider it finished until you’ve checked the basics.
- Set up the kids’ rooms first. It’s important that they have a place to rest and escape while the rest of their house is in boxes.
- Test the internet, hot water, heating or cooling, and smoke alarms in the first two days.
- Update your address on subscriptions, online accounts, school portals, and recurring deliveries.
- Check in with each child about two weeks after you’ve settled. Nothing formal, just an open conversation. The adjustment sometimes takes a few weeks to surface.
What not to do
Don’t rely on verbal agreements.
Get any removalist bookings, property access and storage agreements in writing. Moving day has a way of turning every unconfirmed detail into a problem.
Don’t pack the whole house at once.
Go room by room, starting with non-essentials first. It’s slow at the start, but it’ll be much faster when you’re unpacking.
Don’t expect a normal week right after moving.
The kids will be disoriented, the house will be chaos, and everything takes longer. That’s normal. Build it into what you expect before you get there.
Ready to start planning your family move?
A family relocation doesn’t have to be stressful. Most of the things that go wrong are predictable, and most of them are avoidable with a bit of a headstart. Start this checklist two to three months out, work through it in order, and you’ll arrive at the new place with a lot less to untangle.
