London House Move Checklist: 8 Weeks to Moving Day

Moving in London has more admin than moving almost anywhere else. Councils need notice to suspend a parking bay. Blocks of flats want the lift booked. Council tax and parking permits are run borough by borough. None of it is hard, but most of it has a lead time, and missing one can cost you the day.

Most London movers rent. Under the Renters' Rights Act, from 1 May 2026, private tenancies no longer have fixed end dates, and a tenant usually ends one with 2 months' notice. That makes eight weeks the natural starting point. On a periodic joint tenancy, one tenant's notice can end it for everyone, so agree the date with the people you live with first. Moving out of a rented home in London covers notice, the deposit and the handover.

Check the parking at the new address now, not after you have moved. Hackney says its new homes and redevelopments are "car free". Southwark notes some new or converted homes are car free. Lambeth gives no permit where the address has a planning or S106 restriction. In Tower Hamlets, car-free homes can only get a permit in narrow cases such as Blue Badge holders. If you own a car, this matters more than almost anything else on the list.

Ask for a quote with a room-by-room list, both postcodes, the floor and lift at each address, and where a van can stop. The more accurate the list, the more likely the right vehicle turns up first time.

Clear out before you pack. Anything you do not move costs nothing to move. For large items you are throwing away, book a bulky waste collection with your council. You book this yourself, and we do not take rubbish or clear waste. Charges differ by council. On 3 November 2026, Hackney listed £24 for 1 to 5 items and Wandsworth £24.90 for up to 4 items. Hackney collects Monday to Friday, with items out on the pavement by 6am, so book a date before moving day.

Short of time? Homes up to two bedrooms can often be moved the same day if booked by 2pm, subject to availability, and there is no charge for short notice. Last-minute removals in London explains how that works. The rest of this list still applies, just faster.

If the van cannot stop legally near the door, you may need a parking bay suspension. You apply for it and pay the council. Notice periods vary a lot:

• Southwark asks for 7 days' notice, names removal vans as a use, and puts a yellow notice up 5 days before
• Hillingdon asks for 7 full working days for permit and shared-use bays
• Harrow says processing can take up to 10 working days, and its admin fee is higher with less notice
• Bexley asks for 3 working days for a bay suspension
• Sutton charges nothing for a domestic removal suspension

Applying four weeks out gives room for the slowest councils and for changes. Parking suspensions for moving day in London lists each borough's process and fees.

At the same time, ask both buildings about move rules. No official source sets lift rules for London blocks, so they differ building to building. Ask your managing agent whether the lift can be booked, for how long, whether there is a deposit, and what hours moves are allowed. Moving a flat in London has the full list of questions.

When you move between boroughs you tell both councils. The old one closes the account and sends a final bill. The new one opens an account. Each council sets its own window:

• Islington lets you register the new address up to a month before or after you move
• Lambeth only takes notice once you have moved, or when the move is less than 2 weeks away
• Wandsworth asks you to tell it when you move in, within or out, and aims to set up accounts within 20 working days

If you will live alone, apply for the 25% single person discount on the new account. It is not added on its own. Moving between London boroughs goes through the admin in more detail.

Registering with a GP is free, and you do not need ID or proof of address. Online registration takes about 15 minutes, and your old surgery is told automatically. If a child needs a school place mid-year, contact the council where the new school is. You get the outcome in writing within 15 school days.

Start packing the rooms you use least. Have everything sealed before the crew arrive, because loose items slow the day down. If you would rather not pack, our packing service is only offered with a removal, and the crew bring the materials.

• Check the suspension is confirmed and the signs are up
• Confirm the lift booking in writing at both buildings
• Send us the final parking details and building rules
• Check whether either address is inside the Congestion Charge zone
• Arrange keys, so the crew are not kept waiting

The Congestion Charge applies 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday, and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays. If either address is inside the zone during those hours, we add the charge to your quote as its own line. Our vans meet the ULEZ standard, so you are never charged ULEZ.If the route uses a charged crossing such as the Silvertown or Blackwall tunnel, the toll is passed on at cost. Congestion Charge, ULEZ and red routes has the detail.

Keys are worth chasing. If the crew are kept waiting, waiting time is £40 per crew member per hour.

Visitor vouchers are not a substitute for a suspension. Hackney says its visitor vouchers are not valid in suspended bays. On red routes, loading is only allowed in marked bays at the times on the sign.

In a block of flats, keep corridors and stairs clear and never prop fire doors open. The London Fire Brigade says communal corridors and staircases must be kept free from clutter. Stage boxes inside the flat, not on the landing.

• Vote. Register again at the new address. Lambeth says updating council tax does not do this for you
• Parking permit. Resident permits do not follow you to another borough. Southwark cancels a permit when you move out of your zone, and Tower Hamlets says permits cannot be transferred. Apply again in the new borough
• Council tax. If you paid by Direct Debit, set up a new one on the new account. If the final bill shows a credit, you can claim it back

Booking early gives you the best choice of dates, and it means your parking and lift can be planned around a fixed time. Send both postcodes, your date and a room-by-room list, and you will get an itemised written quote within 24 hours. Start from our house removals in London page. If you are moving a flat, see flat removals in London. If the dates do not line up, removals and storage in London can bridge the gap.

The final price is confirmed in writing by our team. For more on what drives it, see how much house removals cost in London, or go straight to house removals in London.

The councils are London-specific. These are not, but each has its own timing, and getting the order right saves a second round of phone calls.

Citizens Advice says the old energy supplier should send a final bill within 6 weeks, and you have 28 days to pay it. At the new home you start on the current supplier's standard tariff until you choose to switch. GOV.UK says changing the address on a driving licence is free, and you can be fined up to £1,000 for not telling DVLA about a new address.

Pack one box, or one bag, that travels with you rather than in the van. In London, where the van can be held up by traffic or a late key release, this is what gets you through the first evening.

• Phone chargers and a power bank
• Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee and a few snacks
• Toilet roll, soap, a towel and basic toiletries
• Medicines and glasses
• Bedding for the first night
• A torch, scissors or a box cutter, and a small screwdriver
• Keys, building fobs and any parking permits or suspension paperwork
• Documents you would not want to lose: passports, tenancy or completion papers

Moving day is noisy and doors are open for hours. PDSA's advice is to plan the pet's day as carefully as the van's:

• Before: choose one room to clear early and leave your pet in on the day. If your pet is nervous of noise or strangers, book a sitter, kennel or cattery early
• On the day: check on them regularly, keep doors and windows secure, and avoid feeding within two hours of travelling
• Travel: use a vet-approved carrier or a pet seatbelt, and take water on a long or hot journey
• Arrival: move your pet last, once the house is quiet, into a room set up with familiar bedding, bowls and toys
• After: keep cats indoors for a few weeks while they adjust

Tell the crew there is a pet in the closed room, so nobody opens the door. GOV.UK says you are responsible for keeping your pet's microchip details up to date when you move, so update the database once you are in.

A few checks in the first hours make the new home safer and save problems later.

• Smoke alarms. In a rented home, the London Fire Brigade says landlords must have at least one smoke alarm on every floor, working at the start of each new tenancy, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a solid fuel appliance. Test them anyway
• Escape route. The Brigade advises keeping door and window keys where everyone can find them quickly, and planning a second way out in case the first is blocked
• Meters. Read and photograph the gas, electricity and water meters, and send the readings to the suppliers
• Stopcock and fuse box. Find them before you need them
• Locks. If you have bought the home, consider changing the locks, as you cannot know how many keys are out there

In a block of flats, ask the managing agent or concierge where the fire assembly point is and how deliveries work. Moving into a building with a concierge in London covers building rules in more detail.

The eight-week plan is the ideal. Real moves are often shorter. If you have two weeks or less, do these first, in this order:

• Book the removal, so the date is fixed
• Apply for any parking suspension straight away, as some councils need 7 days or more
• Book the lift at both buildings
• Give notice and tell energy suppliers your dates
• Clear out what you are not taking
• Leave voting, HMRC and the permit until after the move

Moving house at short notice has more on fitting the jobs into a few days.