Kent Moving House Checklist
Moving house in Kent involves more steps than most people anticipate. This checklist breaks the process into five stages so nothing gets forgotten, from booking your removals team eight weeks out to registering with a local GP once you are settled in.
Stranks Removals and Storage has been moving families across Kent since 1941. This guide draws on what we see go wrong on real moves, and what the organised ones do differently.
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8 Weeks Before Moving Day
Removals
☐ Get at least two quotes from BAR-accredited firms. Stranks holds full British Association of Removers membership and is certified to BS EN 12522, the British Standard for furniture removal services for private individuals.
☐ Confirm the move date with your solicitor or landlord before booking.
☐ Provide access details: parking situation, number of floors, any lifts or restricted stairwells, oversized furniture.
☐ Ask whether are included or available as an add-on. Options include full packing, partial packing, and fragile-only packing.
☐ Check whether the removals firm uses its own crew and vehicles, or subcontracts. Stranks does not subcontract; the same team that loads at your Kent address delivers at the other end.
Storage
☐ If there is a gap between leaving your old property and moving into the new one, or if the new property needs work first, book now. Availability fills up in busy periods.
☐ The Stranks warehouse at Ashford holds up to 250 individually allocated containers across 13,000 sq ft. Container storage is available short or long-term from £13.80 per week including VAT.
Declutter
☐ Go room by room. Sell, donate, or dispose of anything you will not take.
☐ Fewer boxes means a faster load, a lower quote, and less to unpack at the other end.
Legal and admin
☐ If renting, give formal written notice in line with your tenancy agreement.
☐ If buying or selling, confirm the target completion date with your conveyancer and set up a weekly check-in.
4 Weeks Before Moving Day
Packing
☐ Start packing non-essentials: books, seasonal clothes, spare bedding, decorative items, rarely used kitchen equipment.
☐ Label every box on the top and on one side: room name plus a short contents note.
☐ Use original manufacturer boxes for TVs and appliances. For everything else, use double-wall boxes for breakables and clearly mark them fragile.
☐ Set aside packing materials in one place so you are not searching for tape and labels across two rooms.
Address changes
Work through this list in one sitting and tick each as done:
☐ HMRC (income tax records, tax credits, child benefit)
☐ DVLA (driving licence and vehicle registration)
☐ Electoral roll (update at )
☐ GP and dentist
☐ Bank accounts and credit cards
☐ Pension and investment providers
☐ Home, car, life, and pet insurance
☐ Mobile phone contract
☐ Broadband and TV licence
☐ Streaming and subscription services
☐ Gym, clubs, and memberships
☐ Employer and payroll department
☐ Online shopping accounts
☐ Set up Royal Mail Redirection as a safety net for anything missed. Redirection can be arranged at
Schools and childcare
☐ Notify the current school of your leaving date and request records to transfer.
☐ Contact the new school or nursery to confirm your child’s start date and any required documents.
☐ In Kent, in-year school transfers are handled by . Apply as early as possible: places in popular areas are limited and the authority works to a set timetable.
Utilities
☐ Book meter readings for both properties on moving day.
☐ Give notice to electricity, gas, and water providers at the old address.
☐ Set up new accounts for electricity, gas, water, broadband, and council tax at the new address before you arrive.
☐ Cancel or transfer: TV licence, any local council direct debits, and garden waste collection accounts.
Parking and access
☐ Check whether you need a parking suspension for the removal van at the old address, the new address, or both.
☐ In Kent, apply to your local council. The main councils covering the Stranks service area are Ashford Borough Council, Canterbury City Council, Dover District Council, Maidstone Borough Council, and Folkestone and Hythe District Council. Allow at least ten working days for approval.
☐ Walk the route from the road to your front door and flag anything the van crew should know about: narrow gate, tight turning space, low arch, steps.
1 Week Before Moving Day
Confirm all bookings
☐ Call your removals company to confirm arrival time, vehicle size, and crew size.
☐ Confirm the parking suspension has been approved and bays will be coned off.
☐ If storage is involved, confirm collection and delivery times with the storage team.
☐ Confirm key collection arrangements with your estate agent or solicitor.
Prepare an essentials box
Pack one box that travels with you rather than on the van:
☐ Kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, milk
☐ Phone chargers and laptop
☐ Prescription medication
☐ Documents: completion letters, ID, insurance certificates, school transfer letters
☐ Toilet roll, hand soap, basic cleaning supplies
☐ One set of bedding per person
☐ Snacks and drinks for moving day
Pets
☐ Arrange for pets to stay with a friend, family member, or in a cattery or kennels on moving day. A busy loading operation is stressful for animals and creates escape risks when doors are left open.
☐ If pets travel with you, prepare carriers, food, water, and bedding in the car.
Plants
☐ Transport plants in your own vehicle where possible. Removal firms cannot always guarantee safe transit for large or fragile plants.
Furniture
☐ Identify which items need dismantling before the van arrives: bed frames, large wardrobes, flat-pack units.
☐ Stranks can dismantle and reassemble furniture as part of the service. Confirm this in advance so the crew arrives with the right tools.
Final packing
☐ Pack all remaining rooms except your essentials box.
☐ Defrost the fridge and freezer at least 24 hours before moving day.
☐ Drain the washing machine hoses and tape them to the back of the machine.
☐ Remove light bulbs from lamps you are taking. Replace with spares at the new property.
Moving Day
Before the crew arrives
☐ Take meter readings (gas, electricity, water) at the old property. Photograph each meter with a timestamp.
☐ Do a final walk-through: loft, shed, garage, under beds, back of built-in cupboards, outside tap fittings.
☐ Confirm the new property is ready: keys collected, completion confirmed with solicitor.
During loading
☐ Stay on site to direct the crew. Point out fragile items, awkward angles, and anything that needs special care.
☐ Keep children and pets clear of the loading area.
☐ Do a second walk-through once the van is loaded before you leave.
At the new property
☐ Take meter readings at the new address immediately on arrival. Photograph each with a timestamp.
☐ Direct the crew to deposit boxes in the correct rooms. A printed floor plan taped to the hallway wall saves time.
☐ Check every room, the loft, and any outbuildings before signing off the delivery.
Keys
☐ Return keys to your estate agent, solicitor, or landlord as agreed.
☐ Collect all keys for the new property: front door, back door, garage, window locks, meter cupboards, letterbox.
After the Move
Within 48 hours
☐ Register with a local GP and dentist. NHS finder available at .
☐ Set up broadband if not already transferred.
☐ Test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Locate the fuse board and main stopcock.
☐ Check all appliances are working.
Within two weeks
☐ Update your driving licence address with DVLA online. The address on your licence must match your home address.
☐ Update vehicle registration (V5C) with DVLA. You will receive a new V5C in the post.
☐ Confirm council tax registration and direct debit at the new address.
☐ Check home insurance is active for the new property from day one of ownership or tenancy.
Settling in
☐ Unpack room by room. Start with the kitchen, then bedrooms, then everything else.
☐ Break down and stack boxes flat for recycling or pass them on locally.
☐ If you placed items in storage, contact Stranks to arrange a delivery window once you are ready for the remaining boxes or furniture.
Areas We Cover Across Kent
Stranks Removals and Storage is based in and carries out across the county, including:
· · · · · Dover
Long-distance moves across the UK and are also handled from the Ashford depot, which sits close to the Channel Tunnel and Dover ferry.
Ready to Book Your Kent Move?
This checklist covers the planning. When you are ready to confirm a removals team, Stranks has been moving Kent families since 1941, four generations running the same business from the same depot.
or call 0800 0195 525.
You can also explore the service pages below before you enquire:
For a standard house move, aim to book at least four to eight weeks ahead. End-of-month completion dates and school holiday windows book up quickly across Kent. If your date is fixed, contact a removals company as soon as you have a confirmed or likely completion date — even if exchange has not yet happened. If your dates are flexible, mid-week and mid-month slots are easier to secure and sometimes carry a lower quote. Fill in the Stranks quote form or call 0800 0195 525 to check availability.
It depends on the road. If the removal van cannot park directly outside without blocking traffic, or if either address falls in a controlled parking zone, you will need a suspension from the local council. Most Kent councils ask for at least ten working days' notice, so apply as soon as the date is confirmed. In some cases suspensions are needed at both the old and new address. When you book with Stranks, your move coordinator will review both addresses and advise on whether a suspension is needed and how to apply.
Yes. Stranks packing services include full packing, partial packing, and fragile-only packing. All materials are supplied. When the Stranks team packs your belongings, they are covered under insurance from the point of packing. Let the team know at quote stage so the crew arrives with the right number of boxes, wrapping materials, and wardrobe cartons for the volume of your move.
Short and long-term storage is available at the Stranks warehouse in Ashford. The site holds up to 250 individually allocated containers across 13,000 sq ft. Your belongings go into storage on moving day and are delivered to your new address when you are ready. See the Stranks storage page for costs and how to book, or call 0800 0195 525 to discuss the timing of your move.
Yes. You need to inform both the current local authority that you are leaving and the new one that you are arriving. If you are moving between two different council areas in Kent, for example, from Ashford to Canterbury, you will need to close your account with the first council and register with the second. Most councils now have online forms for this. Add it to your four-week checklist alongside the other address changes so it does not get overlooked.