Moving Checklist
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Ah, moving. You’ve bought (and maybe sold) a house and once you get past that initial excitement you quickly realize that you have to pack all of your belongings into boxes and lug them to another location. Oh, and make a million address changes. And set up and transfer all your utilities. Moving is A LOT – here is a Hamilton-specific checklist to make it easier. Bookmark it or download it here.
Pre-Moving
- Schedule movers (try Oneida Movers) or book a moving truck
- Ask friends or family for help on moving day if needed, including sitting for kids and pets
- Reserve storage unit if needed
- Order food from a local restaurant – find one here
Packing
- Pick up packing supplies: moving boxes, tape, bubble wrap and markers for labelling
- Purge any unused items before you move (don’t leave anything behind!) – make separate piles to sell/donate/throw away
WHERE TO SELL/DONATE/THROW AWAY
Building materials & furniture: Habitat for Humanity
Clothing & home items: Good Shepherd Centres
Used books: River Trading Company
Baby stuff: Baby Depot
Selling? Try Facebook Marketplace or Kijiji
- Keep personal and financial documents in one box
- Passports, birth certificates, insurance documents, SIN, taxes
- Create a folder with all the warranties, manuals, instructions and all the keys for the new owner
- Pack in order of least used to most used:
- Start with: seasonal items, out-of-season clothing, decor, artwork/photos, books, items already in storage, rarely used dishes
- End with: kitchen essentials, personal
TIP: Create a moving day suitcase with all your essentials in it so that you can easily access them the night before and day of your move.
Address Changes
- Register for mail forwarding with Canada Post
- Driver License
- Banks / Credit Cards
- Canada Revenue
- Health Card
- Investment
- Insurance
- Doctors / Dentists / Veterinary
- Employers
- Schools
- Subscriptions
- Associations
- Streaming Services
- Online Shopping Accounts
Moving Day
- Final cleaning and disposing of trash (drop your trash off at a transfer station – find your closest ones here)
- Final walkthrough of your old place to ensure that you have everything and that you are leaving it the same way that you would like to walk into a space (empty and clean!)
- Lock all doors and windows
