Moving checklist: an 8-week timeline for your apartment move

What should be on a moving checklist?

A good moving checklist covers four jobs: ending your old lease cleanly, getting your things moved safely, switching your address and services, and starting the new lease with proof of the apartment’s condition. The timeline below spreads those jobs over eight weeks so nothing lands on moving day.

Print this page, or work through it on your phone and tick boxes as you go. If this is your first place, pair it with our first apartment checklist for what to buy.

8 weeks before moving

Eight weeks out is for decisions with deadlines: your notice to the landlord, your mover and your budget.

• Read your current lease for the notice period and any move-out rules
• Give your landlord written notice, and keep a copy
• Sign the new lease, and ask whether it requires renters insurance and what liability limit
• Set a moving budget: truck or movers, deposits, first month’s rent, supplies
• Get at least three written mover estimates, ideally after an in-home or video survey
• For an interstate move, look each mover up in FMCSA’s registered mover database
• Start a moving folder for estimates, receipts, the lease and inventory lists
• Measure the new apartment’s rooms, doors and elevator so big furniture fits

Interstate movers are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Its Protect Your Move site lists the red flags of rogue movers. Among them: a quote given without seeing your belongings, demands for cash or a large deposit before the move, blank documents to sign, and a claim that the mover’s insurance covers everything. Movers must give you the “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move” booklet before an interstate move.

4 weeks before moving

Four weeks out, lock in the mover and start shutting down and setting up services.

• Book the mover or truck, and get the estimate type and price in writing
• Choose a valuation level with the mover (see the table below)
• Ask your renters insurer how it covers belongings in transit and in storage
• Start decluttering: sell, donate or toss what you won’t move
• Collect boxes, tape, markers and padding
• Schedule utility shutoff at the old place for the day after you leave
• Schedule electricity, gas and water to start at the new place the day before you arrive
• Book internet installation; appointments often book out weeks ahead
• Reserve the elevator or loading dock at both buildings if required
• Book a storage unit if move-out and move-in dates don’t line up

Valuation is not insurance, but it decides what a mover pays. FMCSA requires interstate movers to offer two liability levels:

Option	What the mover pays	Cost
Full value protection	Repairs the item, replaces it with a similar item or pays a cash settlement for its current value	Extra charge; varies by mover and deductible
Released value	60 cents per pound per article. A 25-pound TV gets $15	No extra charge, but you must sign to choose it

Full value protection applies unless you sign for released value. List items worth more than $100 per pound, such as jewelry, on the shipping documents, or the mover’s liability for them may be limited. You have nine months after delivery to file a written claim with an interstate mover. Local moves inside one state are regulated by the state, so ask the mover what it offers.

2 weeks before moving

Two weeks out is for paperwork and your address.

• File your USPS change of address
• Update your renters insurance to the new address, effective on move-in day
• Email the new landlord proof of renters insurance if the lease requires it
• Update your address with your bank, credit cards, employer and payroll
• Update subscriptions, online stores and delivery apps
• Update the IRS, Social Security and any VA or USCIS records that apply
• Transfer or refill prescriptions and download medical records if changing doctors
• Confirm dates and arrival time with the mover in writing
• Pack rooms you use least, labeling each box with room and contents
• Book a move-out cleaning or plan your own

USPS change of address. Online, USPS charges a $1.25 identity verification fee, and the card’s billing address must match your old or new address. In person, you fill out PS Form 3575 from the Mover’s Guide packet and show a photo ID. First-Class Mail is forwarded free for 12 months. Allow 7 to 10 business days for forwarding to start. USAGov warns that scam sites charge $40 or more for the same change.

Renters insurance. You usually don’t need a new policy. Most insurers update the address on your existing policy, and the price may change with the ZIP code. MoneyGeek notes that some insurers won’t activate coverage at the new address until the change is confirmed, which can leave a gap. Some policies cover both addresses for a transition period, often 30 days. If your insurer doesn’t sell in your new state, buy a new policy that starts on move-in day before canceling the old one. Our renters insurance cost guide shows what to expect by state.

1 week before moving

The last week is packing, confirming and getting your deposit back.

• Pack everything except a first-night box
• Pack the first-night box: chargers, toiletries, medications, sheets, towels, basic tools, snacks, paper towels, toilet paper
• Carry valuables yourself: jewelry, documents, laptops, cash
• Photograph electronics and valuable items before packing for a claim record
• Defrost and clean the fridge if it’s coming with you
• Clean the old apartment room by room
• Request a move-out inspection and give your forwarding address in writing for the deposit
• Confirm utility shutoff and start dates
• Get keys, fobs, parking permits and codes for the new place

A clean apartment and a documented walk-through are your best case for a full deposit refund. Our move-out cleaning checklist covers what landlords check, and the security deposit guide explains deductions and return deadlines, which vary by state.

Moving day

On moving day, your job is to supervise, document and do a final check.

• Be there when the movers arrive and stay until the truck is loaded
• Read the bill of lading before signing; never sign anything blank
• Do a final walk-through of every room, closet and cabinet
• Photograph the empty old apartment, including walls, floors and appliances
• Return keys as your lease requires, and get a receipt
• At the new place, check each item against the inventory before the movers leave
• Note any damage on the delivery paperwork before signing
• Keep your first-night box with you

What renters insurance covers in transit. Most renters policies cover your belongings during a move only for named perils, such as fire or theft from the truck, according to MoneyGeek. Off-premises coverage is often capped at about 10% of your personal property limit, so $3,000 on a $30,000 policy. Breakage from packing or handling is usually not covered. That’s what the mover’s valuation coverage is for. Our guide to what renters insurance covers explains named perils. If you’re storing things between leases, read renters insurance for storage units.

First week in the new apartment

The first week is for documenting the apartment’s condition and updating government records.

• Walk through and photograph or video every room before unpacking
• Fill out the landlord’s move-in condition form, note every defect and keep a copy
• Email the photos to yourself or the landlord so they’re time-stamped
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
• Find the water shutoff, breaker panel and fire exits
• Change or confirm locks were rekeyed, if your lease or state law allows
• Confirm internet and every utility is in your name
• Update your driver’s license and vehicle registration; many states set a deadline
• Update your voter registration
• Check that mail is arriving through forwarding
• File any claim with the mover in writing
• Unpack the kitchen and bedroom first; the rest can wait

Move-in photos protect your deposit. Damage you document on day one is much harder to charge to you on move-out day. Capture close-ups of scratches, stains, chips and anything that doesn’t work.

Voter registration and driver’s license. USAGov says to update your voter registration when you change your address, and to register in your new state if you move to another state. Depending on your state, you can do it online, by mail, by phone or in person. Driver’s license and vehicle registration rules are set by each state’s motor vehicle agency, so check its site for the deadline.

Bottom line

Start eight weeks out, so notice, movers and money are settled before the busy final weeks. Two weeks out, file your USPS change of address and move your renters insurance to the new address so coverage starts on move-in day. Choose your mover’s valuation level on purpose, because released value pays only 60 cents a pound. And photograph the new apartment before you unpack a single box.