House Moving Checklist: What to Do 30 Days, 7 Days, and 1 Day Before Moving

Most people do not realise how much goes into a house move until they are three days out and still fully unpacked, chasing a moving company on WhatsApp, and trying to remember whether they told their landlord they were leaving. Moving house is one of those tasks that rewards preparation far more than effort. The more you do in advance, the calmer moving day actually feels.

This checklist breaks everything down into three stages 30 days out, 7 days out, and the day before so you always know exactly what to focus on and nothing slips through the gaps. It is written specifically for Nigerian homes and the realities of moving in cities like Port Harcourt, Lagos, and Abuja.

30 Days Before Moving Day

A month out is when you lay the foundation. Everything you do now buys you time and flexibility later. Decisions made at this stage are easier to change. Decisions left until next week become urgent problems.

1. Book Your Moving Company

This is the single most important thing to do at the 30-day mark. Good moving companies in Port Harcourt, Lagos, and Abuja fill up quickly especially around end of month, school resumption periods, and public holidays. If you wait until two weeks out, you are either getting whoever is available or paying a premium for last-minute availability.

Contact at least two or three companies. Ask each one for a written quote that breaks down what is included packing materials, team size, truck capacity, and any extra charges. A company that cannot provide a written quote at this stage is not a company you should be giving your moving date to.

2. Declutter Before You Pack

Every item you move costs you money, time, and space. Before you touch a single box, go room by room and make honest decisions about what is actually coming with you. Clothes you have not worn in a year, kitchen items you never use, furniture that will not fit the new space this is the moment to let them go.

Sell what has value, donate what is still useful, and dispose of what is neither. Moving day is the wrong time to discover you have three times more items than your truck can carry.

3. Notify Your Landlord and Handle Your Lease

Check your tenancy agreement for the notice period required it is typically one to three months in Nigeria depending on what was signed. If you are within that window, give written notice immediately. You want your caution deposit returned and your exit on clear terms. Do not leave this to a WhatsApp message the week before you leave.

Also confirm the condition the property needs to be left in. Some landlords require professional cleaning; others simply want the property broom-clean. Knowing this now means you are not surprised on the final inspection day.

4. Start Sorting Your Utilities and Subscriptions

Make a list of every service currently tied to your address. In a typical Nigerian home this includes electricity (PHCN account or prepaid meter transfer), water board where applicable, internet and cable TV subscriptions, your generator mechanic, estate or facility management dues, and any recurring services like laundry or groceries that need your new address.

Some of these require 30 days notice to cancel or transfer. Internet providers in particular often have notice clauses in their contracts that are easy to miss until you are paying for a connection at a property you no longer live in.

5. Request School Records and Sort Important Documents

If you have children changing schools, start this process now. Request transfer letters, report cards, immunisation records, and any other documents the new school will need. School administrations move slowly and waiting until the week before your move creates unnecessary pressure.

This is also the right time to locate and organise your own important documents land documents, vehicle papers, WAEC and university certificates, NIN, international passport, birth certificates, and anything you would not want to lose in the chaos of a move. Put them all in one clearly labelled folder or envelope that travels with you personally, not on the truck.

7 Days Before Moving Day

One week out is when everything starts to feel real. Your focus now shifts from planning to executing. The decisions are mostly made what is left is getting things physically ready.

1. Begin Packing in Earnest

Start with the rooms and items you use least guest rooms, storage areas, seasonal clothes, books, and decorative items. Work toward the rooms you use daily, leaving out only what you genuinely need for the next seven days.

Label every box with its contents and the room it belongs to in the new house. Not just "kitchen" be specific: "kitchen pots and lids" or "bedroom 2 bedding." You will thank yourself when you are unpacking at the other end and do not have to open fifteen boxes to find the kettle.

• Use sturdy boxes reused bags and weak cartons tear under weight and cause damage
• Wrap fragile items individually in newspaper or bubble wrap before boxing them
• Do not overload boxes heavy items in small boxes, lighter items in large ones
• Keep a permanent marker with you at all times while packing
• Put heavy items at the bottom of each box and lighter items on top
• Clearly mark any box containing fragile items on all four sides

2. Confirm Everything with Your Moving Company

Call or WhatsApp your moving company and confirm the date, arrival time, team size, and truck. Do not assume everything is still as booked confirm it directly. If anything has changed on their end, you need to know now, not on moving morning.

Also confirm the access situation at both addresses elevator availability if you are in a high-rise, gate access hours for the estate, available parking for the truck, and any estate rules about moving times. Some estates in Port Harcourt, Lekki, and Guzape have restrictions on when trucks can enter. Find out now.

3. Prepare Your Essentials Box

This is one of the most practical things you can do before any move. Pack a single box or bag clearly labelled and set aside to be loaded last and unpacked first containing everything you will need in the first 24 hours at the new property.

4. Deal with Appliances and the Generator

Defrost your fridge and freezer at least 48 hours before moving day most moving companies will not load a unit that still has ice or standing water. If your generator is moving with you, drain the fuel beforehand. Most movers will not transport a generator with fuel in the tank and will not tell you until they arrive and refuse to load it.

Disconnect and where possible disassemble large appliances washing machines, tumble dryers, standing fans, air conditioning units that are being moved. If an AC unit is being left for the next tenant, document that clearly so there is no dispute after you have gone.

5. Prepare the New Property

Before your furniture arrives, your new home should be clean and ready. If you have access before moving day, visit with cleaning supplies and deal with the property in its empty state it is far easier to clean a room before furniture is in it than after. Check that water is running, light fittings work, and the doors and windows open and close properly.

If you are moving into an estate with a facility manager, introduce yourself and confirm the process for receiving a moving truck. Some estates require advance notice and have dedicated moving time windows that you need to book in advance.

The Day Before Moving Day

The day before is not the time for big decisions. Everything major should already be done. This is the day for tying up loose ends, making sure everyone knows their role tomorrow, and getting yourself into a calm headspace for what is usually a long and busy day.

1. Finish Packing Everything Except What You Need Tonight

By tonight, every box should be sealed, labelled, and in the room it is leaving from. The only things left out are what you will use between now and when the movers arrive tomorrow your toothbrush, tonight's dinner, your phone charger, the clothes you will wear tomorrow morning.

If you find yourself still packing entire rooms the night before, your movers will be waiting on you in the morning. That slows everything down, stretches the job into the afternoon, and sometimes triggers extra charges.

2. Do a Full Walkthrough of Your Current Home

Go room by room with fresh eyes. Check inside every wardrobe, every storage space, under every bed, and behind every door. Check the kitchen cupboards especially the high ones and the ones under the sink. Check the bathroom cabinet. Check the external store or boys quarters if your property has one. Items left behind in a property you have vacated are usually gone for good.

• All cupboards and wardrobes including top shelves
• Under beds and sofas
• The external store, balcony, and any outhouse
• The kitchen including inside the oven and microwave
• The bathroom cabinet and behind the door
• The garden or compound area if applicable
• Any items at the dry cleaner, mechanic, or with a neighbour

3. Confirm Tomorrow's Logistics One Final Time

Send a quick confirmation message to your moving company with the pickup address, the delivery address, and the agreed arrival time. Make sure you have their number saved and that someone at both ends will be available to receive them.

If you have family or friends helping on the day, confirm their arrival time and what you need them to do. Assign specific jobs ahead of time one person for supervising the loaders, one for managing the children or pets, one for the final sweep of rooms as they are emptied.

4. Sort Your Cash and Payments

Confirm the payment arrangement with your movers. If a deposit was agreed, make sure it has been paid. Prepare the balance amount ideally in cash or via an instant transfer method you have confirmed works so there is no delay at the end of the job when everyone is tired and just wants to be done.

Also have some smaller cash on hand for incidentals gate fees at certain estates, tips for the movers if they have done a good job, or any last purchases you need at the new property.

5. Document the Condition of Your Old Property

Before you leave for the last time, take photos and video of every room, wall, and fitting. This is your evidence for your caution deposit return. Any pre-existing damage that you did not cause should already be on record from when you moved in if it is not, document it now and send it to your landlord or agent in writing before you hand over the keys.

A Few Final Tips for Moving Day Itself

Start as early as your movers can arrive ideally before 8am in Port Harcourt or Lagos to get ahead of traffic. Have water and snacks available for the team. Keep children and pets out of the way of the loading areas for their safety and the movers' focus. Stay present and available to answer questions rather than stepping away while the truck is being loaded.

Do the final walkthrough of your old property before you close the door for the last time. Hand over the keys only after you have confirmed everything is out. Then take a breath you have done the hard part.