Four weeks gives you enough time to move house without the last minute panic, as long as you book your Gold Coast removalist first and pack the spare room before the kitchen. Two weeks out, change your address and confirm the lift and the parking. Leave the day before for the fridge, the washing machine and the one box you’ll want the minute you arrive.
Most people moving house on the Gold Coast don’t run out of boxes. They run out of time. The lift wasn’t booked, the BBQ gas bottle can’t go on the truck and nobody rang the power company. This moving house checklist spreads the job over four weeks, so moving day is just the truck and the keys.
Your Gold Coast moving house checklist: 7 steps from 4 weeks out
1. When should you book a removalist on the Gold Coast?
As soon as you have a date. Four weeks out gives you more choice, because weekends, the end of the month and the Christmas holidays go first.
If you can, book the inspection at the same time. Ashtons Removals is AFRA accredited and has been moving Gold Coast households since 1951. Its free inspection is a walk through your home that ends with a fixed quote and advice on packing, timing and access.
2. What should you sort out 4 weeks before you move?
Three jobs that take longer than you’d think:
- Clear out what you’re not taking.Sell it, give it away or take it to the tip.
- Tell your building manager.Apartment moves in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach need the lift and loading dock booked. Ashtons coordinates those times with your building manager.
- Check your settlement date.Settlement can run late, so Ashtons suggests moving the day after if you can. If there’s a gap between homes, arrange storage
3. When should you start packing?
Three to four weeks out, starting with the spare room, the garage and the bookshelves. Label each box with its room on the top and the sides, so you can still read it in a stack. Leave the kitchen until the last week.
If packing is the part you dread, Ashtons has a packing and unpacking service for the whole house or just the fragile and awkward pieces. The packers bring the boxes, paper and bubble wrap.
4. Who do you need to tell when you move house?
Start two weeks out, because some of these take a few days:
- Electricity, gas and internet, with a connection date at the new address
- Australia Post, to redirect your mail
- Your bank, insurer, super fund and employer
- The Australian Electoral Commission
- Medicare, the ATO and Centrelink, through myGov
- Schools, your doctor and the vet
Your Queensland driver licence is the one with a deadline. You have 14 days after you move to give Transport and Main Roads your new address.
5. What should you do 2 weeks before you move?
Confirm everything you’ve booked. Tell your removalist about anything that has changed since the inspection. Check the lift booking and the parking at both ends. On the canal streets of Broadbeach Waters and Mermaid Waters, work out where a truck can pull up.
Then deal with what can’t go on the truck. Ashtons can’t carry dangerous goods, which covers the BBQ gas bottle, paint, turps, aerosol cans and pool chlorine. Drain the fuel from the mower and the whipper snipper, and start eating your way through the freezer.
6. What should you do the day before you move?
- Empty the fridge and freezer. Ashtons says to switch them off just before loading on a local move, or the day before if they’re going into storage or interstate.
- Drain the washing machine hoses. If it’s a front loader, check whether it needs its stabilising rods, because the crew can’t fit them.
- Pack one box to open first: kettle, mugs, toilet paper and chargers.
- Keep passports, licences, medication and jewellery with you.
- Check the forecast. Storm season on the Coast runs from October to April, so keep some old towels handy in case the weather turns.
7. What should you do on moving day?
Be home when the crew arrives. They’ll walk through the house with you before they start, so point out what is fragile, what is staying and what is going to storage. In summer, keep an esky of cold water handy.
Before you lock up, open every cupboard and check the shed and the dishwasher. Take a photo of the meter readings.
What does a moving house checklist look like week by week?
Stick this table on the fridge. If you hit a red flag, it’s time to catch up.
When | What to do | Red flag |
4 weeks out | Book the removalist and the inspection. Clear out. Tell your building manager. | No fixed quote yet |
3 weeks out | Pack the rooms you use least. Arrange storage if your dates don’t line up. | A gap between homes and nowhere for the furniture |
2 weeks out | Change your address. Connect power and internet. Confirm the lift and parking. | No lift booking for moving day |
Day before | Empty the fridge. Drain the washing machine. Pack the first box. | A full freezer at bedtime |
Moving day | Walk the crew through. Check every cupboard. Read the meters. | Nobody home when the truck arrives |
Access is the part that changes from suburb to suburb. A local removalist asks about lifts, canal streets and tight driveways at the inspection, not on the day.
Contact Info
We are always ready to assist your moving needs anytime- 07 5527 9700
- moving@ashtons.com.au
- 23 Jade Dr Molendinar, QLD, 4214
Get a fixed quote before you start packing
Ashtons Removals has moved Gold Coast families and businesses since 1951. Book a free, no obligation inspection four weeks before your move and you’ll have a fixed quote, with one big job ticked off the list.
Call 07 5527 9700 between 8.30am and 4.30pm, Monday to Friday, or request a quote online.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Contact Us What is the best day to move house on the Gold Coast?If you’re buying, the day after settlement. Settlements can run late, and Ashtons advises against moving on settlement day itself. Otherwise, any day you can book early.
How long does it take to pack a house?Longer than you expect. Start three to four weeks out and do a room or two each weekend.
What can't go on the removal truck?Dangerous goods. Ashtons can’t move or store BBQ gas bottles, petrol, paint, aerosol cans or pool chemicals. Keep passports, medication and jewellery in your own car.
What if my settlement dates don't line up?Put the furniture into storage for the gap. Ashtons brings a storage module to your door, loads and seals it, and keeps it indoors at its Molendinar depot. The same module comes to your new home when you get the keys.