Most of moving is administrative rather than physical, and the administrative parts have lead times. Broadband in particular can take three weeks and an engineer appointment, which is not something you want to discover on your first Monday of remote study.
Four weeks out
- Confirm the tenancy start date and check it against your first pay date
- Get the deposit and first month's rent into an account you can transfer from immediately
- Ask HR for the offer letter PDF and the HR contact for tenancy references
- Book the van or courier — prices climb sharply at month end and over bank holidays
- Check the notice period on anything you are leaving
Three weeks out
- Set up broadband — installation can take two to three weeks and sometimes an engineer visit
- Register on the electoral roll at the new address
- Tell your bank, employer payroll and student finance (if relevant) about the address change
- Set up mail redirection if you are leaving a family home you get post at
- Arrange contents insurance — the landlord's policy covers the building, never your belongings
One week out
- Take meter readings on the day you leave your old place, photographed
- Confirm key collection time and who you are meeting
- Pack a first-night box: bedding, towel, phone charger, toilet roll, kettle, mug
- Register with a GP near the new address
- Tell the new council you are moving in and set up the council tax account
Moving day
- Photograph every room, every mark and every appliance before anything goes in
- Take meter readings at the new place immediately, photographed with the meter serial visible
- Check the inventory against reality and note discrepancies in writing the same day
- Confirm your deposit has been protected — you must be given the scheme details within 30 days in England and Wales
- Find the stopcock, the fuse box and the bin collection day
The two that cost real money if missed
Meter readings
Photograph the meters with the serial number visible on the day you leave and the day you arrive. Without them you inherit whatever the previous occupant ran up, and disputing an estimated bill months later without evidence is close to impossible.
Move-in photographs
Every mark, every scuff, timestamped, on the day you get the keys — before your things go in. This is what determines whether you get your deposit back, and five weeks' rent is a lot to lose over a stain that was already there.