Moving checklist, final week: sealed boxes stacked by the front door, a folded moving blanket on top

Planning and booking

Moving checklist: eight weeks to moving day

By Rafael Henriquez Guevara · Published October 5, 2026

This moving checklist runs from eight weeks out to your first week in the new place, and our own steps sit where they happen. Tick items off as you go: your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only. Prefer paper? Print it.

Get a moving quote Read our moving tips

The list

Your moving checklist, week by week

Use it as your moving house checklist, for a condo or an apartment as well as a house. It's written as a moving checklist for Alberta moves, across Calgary or between towns. For the reasons behind the steps, see our moving tips.

Eight weeks out
Six weeks out
Four weeks out
Two weeks out
The week of the move
Moving day checklist
The first week in your new place

Eight weeks out

Decide what's coming with you. Sell, donate or give away what you won't use in the new place.
Measure your largest furniture, and the doorways, stairs and elevator at the new place.
If you rent, check your lease for how much notice you have to give.
Start a folder for quotes, receipts and moving papers.

Six weeks out

Get your moving quote. Send us your addresses, your date and what's moving through our quote form, and we'll follow up by phone, text or email, whichever you prefer. If your home is in Calgary and the move needs a visit, the visit is free.
Ask your home or tenant insurer how your belongings are covered during the move. Our moving insurance page explains what we carry and what we pay.
Book the day off work.

Four weeks out

Book your movers. Many of our customers book about a month ahead, especially for a move at the end of the month.
Book the elevator and loading area at both buildings, if they ask for it.
Get boxes, tape and packing paper, or ask us about our plastic bins.
Start packing what you use least: books, seasonal clothes and decorations.
Set up mail forwarding with Canada Post.

Two weeks out

Arrange your utilities: power, gas, water and internet off at the old place and on at the new one.
Pack room by room, labelling each box with its room and what's inside.
Renting our bins? They arrive about two weeks before moving day.
Take apart anything you told us you'd take apart yourself, and any gym equipment.
Start using up the food in the freezer.
Confirm your moving date and start time with your movers.

The week of the move

Pack an overnight bag and a first-night box: sheets, towels, toiletries, chargers and medication.
Set aside cash, jewellery and important documents to take with you.
Empty every drawer, desk and cupboard.
Empty, defrost and dry the fridge and freezer the day before.
Clear the driveway, steps and walkways. In winter, shovel and salt them.
Save a parking spot near the door for the truck.

Moving day checklist

Be there when the crew arrives, and walk them through the home.
Point out anything fragile and anything that stays behind.
Keep kids and pets in a closed room or with a sitter.
Check every room, closet and cupboard before the truck leaves.
At the new place, show the crew where each room is.
Walk through with the crew before they leave, and tell them right away if anything is damaged.

The first week in your new place

Unpack the kitchen and the bedrooms first.
If something was damaged, send us a claim in writing within 7 days of the move, with photos, the item's approximate weight and proof of its value.
Update your address with your bank, employer and insurer, and on your driver's licence and vehicle registration.
Rented bins are picked up after the move, within two weeks or sooner if you've unpacked early.
Recycle the boxes you no longer need.

Included

What our crew brings, so it's not on your moving checklist

The trucks the job needs, and the crew to load and unload them.
Floor runners, moving blankets and shrink wrap, included at no charge.
Taking apart and putting back together the furniture that needs it.
Packing and unpacking, if you add them to your move.

Our residential movers bring all of this to your move. For the plastic bins, their prices and where we rent them, see our packing services.

Moving house: furniture wrapped in moving blankets and stacked inside the truck

Questions

Frequently asked questions

What should be on a moving day checklist?

Be there when the crew arrives and walk them through the home, pointing out what's fragile and what stays. Keep kids and pets out of the way, and check every room before the truck leaves. At the new place, show the crew where things go and walk through with them before they leave.

What should I get rid of before moving?

Anything you won't use in the new place: clothes you don't wear, duplicates, broken things, old papers and expired food and medicine. Shred papers with personal details. The less there is to move, the less time the move takes.

Can I print this checklist?

Yes, it's a printable moving checklist: the Print button gives you every step with an empty box beside it. Your ticks on this page are saved in this browser only, so they won't show on another device.

Is this checklist only for moves with Top Quality Movers?

No, it works for any move. The steps that mention us, such as the quote, the bins and the claim window, apply when you move with us. Our bins are rented for moves within Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere, Cochrane and Okotoks, and sold for moves out of that area.