Your next move
starts here.

How to plan a move that matches your household

Begin with the dates you know and the belongings you want to move. Write down when you must leave the current home, when you receive keys to the next one, and whether there is a gap between those events. Those dates determine what you need to ask about pickup, delivery, travel, and temporary storage. Keep uncertain dates marked as questions until the responsible person confirms them.

Next, walk through every room and storage space. List furniture individually and estimate cartons separately. Include the garage, balcony, garden furniture, loft, and any rented storage unit that belongs in the move. A provider cannot account for belongings it has not seen or been told about. Use the same inventory when requesting several estimates, then update it as you sort and pack.

Decide which work you want help with. You may need transport and carrying only, selective packing for fragile items, or a crew that prepares most of the household. Write those choices down. The service name alone does not explain whether a proposal includes supplies, furniture disassembly, unpacking, or storage. Ask the company to identify the work in its written estimate before you compare totals.

Choose the moving service you actually need

Local moving can cover a short household journey, but the route between the truck and the rooms still matters. Describe stairs, elevators, parking, doorways, and carry distances at both homes. Ask the provider how those conditions affect the proposed crew and appointment. If the service is priced by time, confirm when billable time starts, when it ends, and which equipment or charges appear separately.

For a long-distance move, review pickup and delivery as separate arrangements. Ask for the proposed delivery window and the process for updates. Keep enough personal supplies available for the period without your shipment. Explain when you can receive the truck and tell the mover about restrictions at the destination. Do not book your personal travel around a preferred arrival date until you understand what the provider has confirmed.

Self-moving and U-Load arrangements divide tasks between you and a transport provider. Confirm who provides equipment, who loads it, who secures the contents, and who moves it between locations. Check where the container or trailer can stand and when it must be ready for collection. If you hire separate labor, give that crew the equipment details and appointment window so the bookings fit together.

International moves need a clear description of origin work, freight, destination handling, and final delivery. Ask which business coordinates each stage and which charges belong to separate providers. Check destination requirements through the relevant official authority for your circumstances. Keep documents and daily necessities accessible, and ask what happens if the receiving home is not ready when the shipment reaches destination.

Compare written moving estimates carefully

A written moving estimate is useful when its assumptions match your shipment. Send each provider the same room inventory, dates, packing requests, and access description. If one proposal includes more work than another, ask for a version you can compare. Keep excluded jobs visible in your notes. You still need to arrange them even when they do not appear in the quoted total.

Read the proposed service alongside the price. Check preparation, loading, transport, storage where relevant, and receiving work. Ask about broad phrases that could mean several things. Unpacking, for example, may need a more precise description of which rooms are covered and what the crew puts away. Have the document updated when a conversation changes your understanding of the included work.

Ask the company to explain the estimate type, payment schedule, and cancellation or date-change process. Save the accepted version and its inventory together. When you add belongings or need more service, request a revised written plan. A personal calculation of what extra work should cost cannot replace the provider’s stated price and approval process. Keep the earlier document so you can follow the change.

Check the provider before booking

Identify the business you are dealing with and its role in the move. Ask whether it transports the household shipment or arranges a separate carrier. Save the legal business name and contact details associated with the estimate and booking. When another provider is responsible for a stage, find out how you will receive its contact and which company handles questions about the overall arrangement.

Use the appropriate official resources for the service you are buying. FMCSA’s Protect Your Move information is a starting point for an interstate household move. For local service, check the responsible state or local authority’s registration guidance. A business lookup helps with identification; you still need to read the actual estimate, service agreement, and provider answers for your booking.

Ask about items that need a different handling method. Pianos, safes, appliances, pool tables, artwork, and other unusual pieces should be disclosed before the crew is chosen. Give dimensions, model details when useful, and photographs of the carrying route. Confirm who provides any specialist equipment or preparation. Keep disconnection, installation, instrument care, or other technical work separate when the mover has not agreed to perform it.

Pack around the order you use your belongings

Start with contents you do not need during the remaining days at home. Keep a small daily set available for the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathroom. Pack that set near departure or take it with you as appropriate. Mark cartons for the first night clearly so you can find bedding, toiletries, and basic supplies without opening every room’s contents. Decide where those cartons belong at delivery.

Choose cartons and protection for the contents rather than the supplies you happen to have. Check reused boxes for damage and strength. Distribute dense items into manageable loads and protect fragile surfaces from contact with other contents. Ask the provider for guidance when an item needs special packing. If professional packers are involved, identify the rooms they handle and the areas that should remain untouched.

Label each carton with a destination room and a simple number. Keep detailed private descriptions in your own inventory instead of on the outside of a box. Put furniture hardware, cables, and removable components in labeled containers connected to the right item. Save instructions and useful photographs outside the shipment so they remain available when the receiving crew or your own helpers need them.

Arrange access before moving day

Ask both properties for their moving instructions. Apartment and office buildings may require a particular elevator, loading area, appointment, or document. Get the requirements directly from the responsible property contact and send them to the provider. Book enough access for the proposed work and keep the confirmation available. Do not rely on another resident’s earlier arrangement to describe what your move needs.

Describe the complete path from a legal loading position to the rooms. Include gates, steps, slopes, corridors, doorways, and turns. Measure large furniture against the tightest parts of that route. If an obstacle changes the handling method, ask the mover to assess it before arrival. Explain destination restrictions too, even when you are still arranging travel from the first home.

Have keys and an authorized receiving person ready for the appointment. Give that person the current inventory, room placement instructions, and provider contact. If your timing changes, notify every booking that depends on it and ask for a new confirmation. A change agreed with the moving company does not automatically revise a building elevator reservation, a separate labor booking, or your own travel arrangements.

Keep essentials and moving records with you

Prepare an accessible set of medication, documents, keys, chargers, clothing, toiletries, and supplies for your household’s immediate needs. Add what you will use during any travel or delivery gap. Keep private records and valuables under a deliberate personal plan. Identify a separate area for things the moving crew should leave and explain it during the pickup walkthrough. Check that travel bags have not joined the load.

Create a compact moving folder with the current inventory, accepted estimate, service agreement, appointment confirmations, receipts, and provider contacts. Add clear records of changes. Keep a copy outside the shipment and share relevant information with anyone receiving belongings on your behalf. A useful note says which item or task changed, when you asked, and what was agreed, rather than simply recording that a conversation took place.

Plan supervision for children and pets while doors are open and the crew carries furniture. Choose a separate safe space and a responsible adult. Explain any area that must stay closed. The provider needs access to do the agreed work, and household members need a place outside that route. Keep personal care and animal-specific questions with suitable qualified help instead of adding them to the crew’s responsibilities.

Use pickup and delivery checks to finish the move

At pickup, walk through the agreed shipment with the crew. Point out special items, changed access, and belongings staying behind. Review the inventory and condition notes while the items are present. Ask about missing descriptions or a document that does not match the booking. If you request extra work, record the change and the provider’s approval process before assuming it belongs to the original estimate.

Before leaving, inspect cupboards, closets, garages, outdoor areas, and any other space included in the move. Keep pickup records with you. At delivery, compare arriving cartons and furniture with the shipment inventory and direct placement using your room labels. Record missing components or visible concerns through the provider’s stated procedure. Keep relevant photographs and packaging until you know whether they are needed for follow-up.

Unpack the rooms that let your household sleep, wash, and prepare simple food first. Check parts and accessories before discarding wrapping. Assign unresolved moving questions to someone and save the result of each follow-up. The move is easier to finish when ordinary unpacking, provider questions, and any specialist checks have clear owners. Use the guides above for the part of that work you are planning now.

Send an estimate request with the right details

The estimate form starts with the service you need. Choose Full Moving Service, Auto Transport, Self-Moving / U-Load, or International Movers. Enter the pickup location and select the matching ZIP or city suggestion. For a domestic move, give the destination too. For an international request, provide the destination country and city. These details let the request describe the route and service rather than a general enquiry.

The move date starts 14 days ahead. You can change it to a date from tomorrow through 180 days ahead. Use a date that matches the plan you currently know, then confirm actual availability with the provider before booking. Household requests ask about home size. Auto transport asks for vehicle details, including whether it runs. A qualifying household route can also show an option to request help moving a car.

Give contact information you can use during the move. If the connected service accepts your request, the form displays a thank-you panel and explains verification. Use the email link or the six-digit code sent for the request. The form shows Request Verified only after the verification service confirms it. If submission is unavailable, it displays an error instead of confirming receipt. Keep the resulting provider conversations and any written proposals with the rest of your moving records.