The BC Moving Checklist

8–6 weeks before: establish the move

Confirm the contractual completion, possession, tenancy, and move dates. Create one calendar containing legal, lender, insurer, mover, strata, utility, cleaning, travel, and key-handover deadlines. Measure the new home, doorways, elevator, parking, and furniture. Decide what will move, store, go to family, or leave through approved channels.

Obtain written estimates from movers and ask about insurance, valuation coverage, claims, subcontractors, travel time, minimums, cancellation, storage, prohibited items, and payment. Verify the company independently. For strata properties, obtain move bylaws and rules, reserve elevators and loading areas, confirm deposits or fees, and understand permitted hours.

Practical checklist

• Master calendar and task owner
• Written mover estimates and coverage questions
• Floor plan and access measurements
• Strata elevator and parking reservation
• Storage, donation, and disposal bookings
• Backup plan for date or mover changes

5–4 weeks before: set up the destination

Arrange home, tenant, or unit-owner insurance to begin when responsibility starts, not merely on moving day. For a strata, understand both the corporation’s coverage and your own. Schedule electricity, gas, internet, security, and other services with enough lead time. Confirm whether the provider needs access or equipment returned from the old home.

Plan address changes by category: government identification and health coverage, vehicle and driver records, tax agencies, elections, banks and investments, insurance, employer and pension, medical and pharmacy, schools, subscriptions, professional licences, family, and property-related accounts. Use the Province’s current address-change guidance; some deadlines apply, and one update does not reach every organization.

3 weeks before: pack systems, not piles

Pack low-use rooms first and label every box with destination room, broad contents, and handling needs. Number boxes and keep an inventory for valuable or important contents. Use small boxes for heavy books and documents. Photograph electronics before disconnecting and keep hardware in labelled bags attached safely to the related item.

Identify items movers may refuse: hazardous materials, fuel, propane, paint, chemicals, plants, perishables, valuables, medications, and important documents. Confirm local disposal rules and transport sensitive items yourself where appropriate. Back up computers and securely protect devices and paper records.

Practical checklist

• Box numbering and inventory method
• Open-first boxes identified
• Hazardous and prohibited items separated
• Devices backed up
• Medication and documents travel plan
• Furniture disassembly plan

2 weeks before: confirm every dependency

Reconfirm movers, access, elevator, parking, cleaners, utilities, insurance, childcare, pet care, travel, and key arrangements in writing. Provide only necessary access information and change temporary codes later. Prepare for possible delay with clothing, medication, food, chargers, and accommodation options.

Use food strategically, return borrowed items, collect dry cleaning and repairs, transfer prescriptions if needed, and arrange records for school, care, or medical providers. Tell trusted contacts the moving plan. If mobility, hearing, vision, memory, or health affects the move, assign a calm support person whose only job is the person—not boxes.

Moving week: protect the essentials

Prepare a personal essentials kit that never enters the moving truck: identification, contracts, keys, medication, mobility aids, valuables, phone, chargers, basic tools, water, food, toiletries, clothing, bedding, and emergency contacts. Keep payment methods and any mover paperwork accessible but secure.

At the old home, photograph condition and meter readings, check every storage area, remove waste as agreed, secure windows and doors, and follow the contract or tenancy handover. At the new home, confirm safe access, direct boxes by room, inspect delivered items, note damage according to the mover’s claim process, and locate water, electrical, heating, smoke and carbon-monoxide equipment.

Practical checklist

• Essentials remain with the mover
• Old-home final walkthrough
• Meter and condition photographs
• Delivery inventory and damage notes
• Locks, alarms, shutoffs, and exits located
• Bed, bathroom, medication, and food set up first

First week: make the home safe and functional

Prioritize clear walking routes, lighting, bathroom safety, sleeping, medication, food, communication, temperature, pets, and essential work or school needs. Change locks or access codes where appropriate and confirm mailbox, waste, parking, building, and emergency procedures. Avoid stacking boxes where they block exits, heaters, sprinklers, panels, or mobility.

Update the address for BC identification, driver and vehicle records, MSP or BC Services Card as applicable, and every organization on your list. Moving within BC should be reported to Health Insurance BC promptly; the Province’s guidance explains the combined online address update available for some BC identification and health records.

First month: close the move

Complete claims, returns, old utility statements, deposit matters, mail forwarding, and final address updates. Keep move receipts and transaction records for tax or reimbursement advice. Review insurance after belongings are in place and update emergency contacts, home inventory, and evacuation information.

Unpack for function before decoration. Note repairs and warranty issues, but distinguish urgent safety work from projects that can wait until you understand the home. Schedule a 30-day review of storage, furniture, routines, and any unopened boxes. A move is complete when daily life works—not when every picture is hung.