Moving checklist: the complete plan for a stress-free move

Planning a move can feel like a second full-time job. Contracts, cardboard boxes, address changes and furniture that no longer fits in your new home—it all piles up. This moving checklist guides you through every stage step by step, so you can approach moving day calmly instead of taping boxes until 3 AM.

We work chronologically, from two months before the move through the first week in your new home. At every stage, we explain where temporary storage can save you a great deal of stress.

Two months before the move

This is the stage when you still have time to plan calmly. Use it well.

• Set the moving date. Check whether you can be flexible—a move in the middle of the month or on a weekday is usually cheaper.
• Hire movers or do it yourself? Request at least three quotes from moving companies. Compare not only price, but also insurance and whether furniture disassembly is included.
• Make an inventory. Go through your home room by room and record what you are taking, what can go and what you want to store during the move.
• Have a major clear-out. Sell second-hand, donate or discard. Anything you do not take with you does not need packing.
• Check your notice period. Renting your home? The notice period is often three months, so check your tenancy agreement.

Six weeks before the move

• Order moving boxes and packing materials. Allow roughly one box per square metre of living space.
• Reserve storage space. If your new home will not be ready in time, or you need to live smaller between two properties, reserve a storage unit now. Popular sizes sell out quickly during busy months from June to September.
• School, childcare and doctor. Arrange the transfer of the necessary records.
• Request leave for moving day and the following day.

One month before the move

• Prepare your change of address. Make a list covering your bank, insurers, health insurance fund, employer, subscriptions and webshops.
• Energy contracts. Notify your energy supplier of the move and agree how meter readings will be submitted.
• Move internet and television services. Schedule installation at least two weeks in advance, as waiting times can increase.
• Start packing. Begin with things you rarely use: seasonal items, books, decorations and boxes from the cellar or attic. Anything you will not need over the coming weeks can already move into temporary storage.

Two weeks before the move

• Label every box. Write both the room and contents on it. Your future self will be grateful.
• Pack fragile belongings separately. Art, electronics and glassware should be packed last and clearly marked as fragile.
• Send moving announcements to family and friends.
• Plan your official address registration with the municipality. In Belgium, this must be done within eight days after moving.
• Collect spare keys held by tenants, neighbours or your cleaner.

One week before the move

• Confirm everything. Movers, storage unit, childcare and helping hands—a quick check-in prevents surprises.
• Stop freezing food. Start emptying the freezer.
• Prepare an essentials box. Pack toothbrushes, chargers, toilet paper, coffee, medication and clean clothes for two days. This box goes into the lorry last and comes out first.
• Dismantle furniture where possible. Keep screws in labelled zip bags and tape them to the relevant item.
• Photograph electronic connections. This makes reconnecting the television, router and computer much easier.

Moving day

• Start early. Moving always takes longer than expected.
• Record meter readings at your old home for electricity, gas and water, preferably with photographs.
• Walk through the house. Check cupboards, cellar, garden shed and letterbox one final time.
• Hand over the keys and complete the property inspection report together.
• Stopping at storage? Visit Cobalt Box first to unload belongings that do not yet fit in the new home, then continue to your new address.

The first week in your new home

• Unpack by priority. Bedroom and bathroom first, kitchen second.
• Register your address with the municipality. Do this within eight days. A local police officer will visit to confirm residence.
• Water, gas and electricity. Confirm that every service is correctly registered in your name.
• Meet the neighbours. A quick hello goes a long way.

Why temporary storage makes moving less stressful

The biggest source of moving stress is not packing itself—it is the overlap. Your old tenancy ends on 30 June, renovation of the new home continues until 15 July, and in the meantime you sleep on a mattress at your in-laws’ with boxes stacked to the ceiling.

A flexible storage unit at Cobalt Box solves that:

• Monthly cancellation—rent for exactly as long as you need.
• Accessible seven days a week from 6 AM to 11 PM with your personal code.
• Dry, temperature-controlled and secure with 24/7 CCTV and an optional unit alarm.
• Several locations across Flanders—choose the site closest to your old or new home.

You do not have to unload everything in one day. Move in two stages: first the belongings you need immediately, then the rest when you are ready to give everything its place.

Ready to get started?

Print this moving checklist or save it on your phone. If you need a stopover between your old and new home, view our storage spaces or schedule a visit to a nearby location. You can reserve a unit in less than two minutes—one less worry on a list that is already long enough.