Your Moving Checklist: What to Update Before and After You Move
Here is a practical moving checklist for PEI homeowners, renters, and families.
Four to Eight Weeks Before Moving
This is the planning stage.
Start by confirming your moving date, possession date, and any deadlines connected with your sale, lease, or closing. If you are hiring movers, get quotes early and ask exactly what is included.
Then begin sorting.
Go through closets, storage rooms, the garage, basement, shed, and kitchen cupboards. Moving is a good time to sell, donate, recycle, or throw out things you no longer want.
Ask yourself one question:
Would I pay to move this?
If the answer is no, let it go.
You should also begin collecting packing supplies:
- Sturdy boxes
- Packing tape
- Markers
- Bubble wrap or packing paper
- Labels
- Small bags for screws and hardware
- A basic tool kit
- Cleaning supplies
Two to Four Weeks Before Moving
This is when the details start to matter.
Arrange utilities at your new home and set cancellation or transfer dates for your old one. Depending on the property, this may include electricity, heating fuel, water, sewer, internet, television, security monitoring, and waste collection.
Do not leave internet until the last minute.
Installation appointments can fill up quickly, especially if you are moving to a rural area or a newer property where service needs to be arranged.
You should also contact your insurance provider. Your home, tenant, vehicle, and personal-property insurance may all need updates.
If you are buying a home, make sure the new property is insured before closing. Your lawyer or lender may require proof.
Update Your Address
This is the part people often put off.
Then a bill, tax document, medication notice, or important letter goes to the old address.
Start with the most important places:
- Canada Revenue Agency
- Service Canada, if you receive CPP, OAS, EI, or other benefits
- PEI Health Card / PEI Medicare
- Driver’s licence and vehicle registration
- Banks, credit cards, lenders, and investment accounts
- Employer and payroll provider
- Insurance companies
- School, daycare, university, or training programs
- Doctor, dentist, pharmacy, and other health providers
- Lawyer, accountant, and financial advisor
- Mobile phone, internet, streaming, and subscription services
- Online shopping accounts and delivery apps
- Loyalty programs and memberships
- Pet clinic and pet licence records
You may also want to arrange mail forwarding with Canada Post.
That does not replace updating your address directly. It simply helps catch mail that slips through while you work through your list.
Pack Room by Room
Packing gets overwhelming when you try to do everything at once.
Start with rooms and items you use the least.
Seasonal clothes. Books. Decorations. Extra dishes. Storage-room items. The guest room.
Leave everyday essentials until closer to moving day.
Label every box with the room it belongs in and a short description of what is inside.
For example:
Kitchen — mugs, glasses, coffee supplies
Main bedroom — winter clothes and extra bedding
Bathroom — towels and toiletries
It sounds basic.
It will save you hours.
Pack an “Open First” Box
Keep this box with you.
Do not let it disappear onto the moving truck.
Include the things you will need during the first day and night:
- Keys and important documents
- Phone chargers
- Medications
- Toilet paper
- Coffee, tea, snacks, and a kettle
- Basic cleaning supplies
- Towels and bedding
- A change of clothes
- Pet food and supplies
- Scissors, tape, flashlight, and simple tools
You do not need to unpack the whole house on day one.
You just need to function.
A Few Days Before Moving
Confirm the details with movers, family, or friends helping with the move.
Take photos of valuable items and electronics before they are packed. Back up important computer files. Keep jewellery, passports, financial documents, medication, and other essentials with you.
If you are leaving a home you sold, do a final check for anything that must stay behind under the Agreement of Purchase and Sale.
That may include appliances, window coverings, light fixtures, or other items that were included in the deal.
“Moving day is much easier when people know what they are taking, what they are leaving, and what has to happen before possession,” says Andrew Brown, Broker Owner of CENTURY 21 Northumberland Realty. “A simple checklist helps avoid last-minute stress and gives everyone more confidence.”
Moving Day
Before leaving your old home, do one final walkthrough.
Check:
- Cupboards and closets
- Basement and attic areas
- Garage, shed, and yard
- Refrigerator, freezer, washer, and dryer
- Windows and exterior doors
- Thermostat and lights
- Garbage and recycling areas
- Keys, remotes, and garage-door openers
Take final utility-meter readings if required.
Make sure keys are returned or transferred according to your lease, sale, or closing instructions.
At the new home, confirm that you have the right keys, garage remotes, mailbox keys, and any security codes you need.
Then focus on the basics.
Beds. Bathroom. Coffee. Food. A clear walking path.
Everything else can wait.
After You Move In
Once the boxes are inside, there are still a few jobs worth doing right away.
Change exterior door locks or rekey them. Update alarm codes. Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Locate the electrical panel, water shutoff, heating controls, and any well or septic information.
It is also a good idea to walk around the property and take photos of its condition on move-in day.
If you are renting, this can be especially helpful for your records.
Then take your time.
Unpack one room at a time. Meet your neighbours. Learn where things are. Find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, school, and local services.
A move is busy.
But it is also the beginning of a new chapter.
At CENTURY 21 Northumberland Realty, we help PEI buyers and sellers understand key dates, prepare for possession, and move into their next home with fewer surprises.
Sources
The following sources were used to help prepare and fact-check this article.
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada — Planning Your Move Worksheet
Used for guidance about estimating moving and start-up expenses, including deposits, utility connection fees, furniture and household supplies. This source supports the checklist’s recommendation to establish a moving budget and track actual costs.
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada and Planning Your Move
Government of Canada — Changing Your Address
Used for information about notifying federal departments and agencies after relocating. This source supports the checklist’s reminder that government systems do not automatically share a new address and that each relevant organization may need to be contacted separately.
Government of Canada and Changing Your Address
Canada Revenue Agency — Moving Expenses
Used for information about moving expenses that may qualify for an income-tax deduction in an eligible relocation. This source supports the checklist’s recommendation to retain receipts and records for transportation, temporary accommodation and other moving-related costs.
Canada Revenue Agency and Moving Expenses
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — Closing and Moving Day
Used for guidance about finalizing a home purchase, transferring legal possession and preparing for moving day. This source supports the checklist’s final-stage reminders concerning closing arrangements, keys, services and taking possession of the new home.
