The Ultimate Pre-Move Checklist to Share With Customers

Here's a stat that should bother every moving company operator: roughly 35% of day-of problems are caused by customers who weren't properly prepared. Unlabeled boxes, disassembled furniture with missing hardware, blocked driveways, items that weren't on the inventory — all of it burns crew time, pushes jobs over estimate, and generates complaints that could have been avoided entirely.

The fix is deceptively simple. Send your customers a clear, specific checklist well before moving day. Not a generic "tips for your move" blog post. An actual task list with deadlines, organized by timeframe, that tells them exactly what to do and when.

We've built and refined the checklist below across hundreds of conversations with moving companies. Feel free to steal it, brand it, and send it to every customer who books with you.

Four Weeks Before the Move

This is the planning phase. Customers should be making decisions, not packing yet.

• Confirm the moving date and arrival window. If they booked verbally and haven't signed a written estimate, this is when that needs to happen. Make sure they understand the difference between a binding and non-binding estimate.
• Declutter aggressively. Every item they don't move saves money. Encourage them to sell, donate, or trash anything they haven't used in the past year. A family of four in a 2,000-square-foot home typically has 15-25% more stuff than they realize.
• Notify important parties. Employer, schools, doctors, insurance company, subscription services. The USPS mail forwarding form takes 5 minutes online.
• Research parking/access at the new address. If it's a city apartment, do they need a parking permit for the truck? Is there an elevator reservation system? Finding this out on moving day is a disaster.
• Start a "moving binder." One physical or digital folder with estimates, contracts, inventory lists, contact numbers. Everything in one place.

Two Weeks Before the Move

Packing should be underway. This is also when logistical details need to be nailed down.

• Finish packing non-essential rooms. Guest rooms, storage closets, the garage — anything that isn't used daily should be boxed and labeled by now.
• Label every box on at least two sides. Room name and a brief description of contents. "Kitchen — pots and pans" is infinitely more useful than "kitchen stuff." Color-coded labels per room are even better.
• Set aside a "do not move" area. Valuables, medications, important documents, laptop, phone chargers, a change of clothes. This goes in their car, not on the truck. Your crews should know at a glance what's being loaded and what's staying.
• Confirm elevator access and building rules. Many apartment complexes require COIs (certificates of insurance) from the moving company. If your customer hasn't requested one yet, they need to now. Give them at least a week of lead time.
• Photograph valuable items. Furniture, electronics, artwork. This protects both the customer and your company if a damage claim arises.
• Confirm the inventory with your moving company. If they've added or removed large items since the initial estimate, let you know now — not when the truck shows up. An accurate inventory keeps the job tracker up to date and prevents estimate surprises.

Three Days Before the Move

Final preparations. The house should look like people are actually moving.

• Disassemble large furniture. Bed frames, dining tables, shelving units. If the customer is handling disassembly themselves (rather than paying for the service), it needs to be done by now. Critical: bag all hardware (screws, bolts, brackets) and tape the bag to the furniture piece. Loose hardware in a junk drawer is hardware that gets lost.
• Disconnect and prepare appliances. Refrigerators need 24 hours to defrost. Washers need hoses drained and disconnected. Gas appliances should be disconnected by a professional.
• Clear pathways. Hallways, staircases, doorways — anything between the packed items and the truck should be clear. Remove throw rugs from hardwood floors (they're a tripping hazard with heavy loads).
• Confirm parking for the truck. At both the origin and destination. A 26-foot moving truck needs roughly 40 feet of curb space. If street parking is competitive, the customer may need to reserve spots with cones or their car the night before.
• Review the estimate and payment terms. If they're paying at delivery, they should know the exact amount and acceptable payment methods. Surprises at delivery are the number-one driver of negative reviews.

Moving Day Morning

The crew is on the way. Last-chance preparations.

• Do a final walkthrough. Open every closet, check the attic, look behind doors. It's astonishing how often customers forget items in the master bedroom closet or the basement storage room.
• Clear the driveway and path to the front door. Bikes, potted plants, garden hoses — anything that's in the way or could be tripped over. Your crews will appreciate this more than you know.
• Have water and snacks available. This isn't required, obviously, but crews notice and appreciate it. A case of water bottles and a box of granola bars costs $8 and creates goodwill that often translates into better care with their belongings.
• Keep kids and pets contained. Not in a mean way — just in a "please don't let your golden retriever follow the crew down the stairs while they're carrying a dresser" way. An open front door during a move is a pet escape risk. Safety first.
• Be available for questions. The crew lead will need to know where things go at the destination. If the customer can't be present, designate someone who can make decisions. A client portal with documented delivery instructions helps, but a live person is still best for real-time decisions.

Why Does This Checklist Matter for Your Business?

Sending this to customers isn't just good customer service. It directly impacts your bottom line.

Fewer overages. When customers declutter and provide accurate inventories, your estimates are more accurate. Accurate estimates mean fewer uncomfortable conversations about additional charges.

Faster job completion. Prepared customers save your crews 30-60 minutes per job. Over a full day of moves, that adds up to capacity for an additional job — or getting your crews home at a reasonable hour.

Fewer damage claims. Photographed valuables, properly disassembled furniture, and clear pathways all reduce the risk of damage. Claims are expensive not just in dollars but in the staff time to process them through your invoicing system.

Better reviews. A customer who felt organized and informed throughout the process is fundamentally more likely to leave a positive review than one who felt surprised and overwhelmed. The checklist sets expectations, and met expectations produce satisfaction.

How Should You Send It?

Timing matters. Send the full checklist immediately after booking confirmation — that's when customers are most engaged with their move planning. Then send a condensed reminder version one week before the move, hitting just the critical items.

Format-wise, a branded PDF attached to your confirmation email works well. Some companies also post it in their client portal so customers can reference it anytime.

The move-day section can be sent separately the morning before as a final reminder. A text message with 3-4 bullet points gets higher open rates than an email at that point.

Your customers want to do the right thing. They just don't know what "the right thing" is unless you tell them. Give them the checklist, and watch your day-of problems drop. Want to see how the right software makes customer communication automatic? Request a demo and we'll walk you through it.