The Ultimate Apartment Moving Checklist

Tips to help make your next move easier than ever.

There’s a lot to think about when you move apartments. No matter how many times you’ve done it or how excited you are about your new place, packing up your life takes a lot of effort.

To help make this process a little bit easier, APOLLO has put together the below checklist. Use it to map out your move, mark off items as you go, or double check that you haven’t missed anything!

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Your Checklist for Moving into a New Apartment

Below is a moving timeline, from 60 days out, right up to the big day and even after! Here’s a breakdown of what you’ll find in our Ultimate Apartment Moving Checklist:

• 30 to 60 Days Before You Move

  • Confirm Your Moving Date

  • Give Notice to Your Current Landlord

  • Take Inventory of Your Belongings

  • Donate What You No Longer Need

  • Research Moving Companies

• 15 to 30 Days Before You Move

  • Pack Up Your Things

  • Set Up Your Finances

  • Cover Yourself with Renter’s Insurance

  • Transfer Your Utility Accounts

• The Week You Move

  • Clean Your Old Apartment

  • Move Into Your New Place

• After You Move In

  • Stock Up on Essential Supplies

  • Unpack Your Boxes

  • Update Your Address

1. 30 to 60 Days Before You Move

Confirm Your Moving Date

Congratulations on your new apartment! Once you’ve heard that the space is yours, ensure that you sign a lease to make things official. You can then refer to this document to confirm your possession date.

This is an important step to take before you start planning the rest of your move.

Related: Documents You Need to Rent an Apartment in Canada

Give Notice to Your Current Landlord

In order to avoid financial penalties, you’ll want to notify your current landlord that you’ll be moving.

Most apartment buildings are run by property management companies who typically ask for at least 30-days notice. Of course, if you know you’ll be moving more than a month beforehand, most landlords are appreciative of receiving notice even sooner.

You’ll also want to check your lease agreement to see if there are any other terms and conditions in regards to moving out.

For example, the initial term for many lease agreements is one year, with the option to go month-to-month after the first 12 months. So, if you’re moving out before that first year has elapsed, you may be charged for breaking your lease, regardless of how much notice you provide.

Related: Can my landlord take me to court for damages?

Take Inventory of Your Belongings

Many people don’t realize how much stuff they have – until they move. Rather than cart unnecessary things to your new place, take stock of your belongings now.

Start with your clothing and accessories. If you haven’t worn it in the last year, get rid of it!

You can also look through your kitchen items and furniture. No point lugging a huge couch to your new place if you plan to replace it after you move.

Give Away What You No Longer Need

Once you’ve determined which items you don’t need, consider donating or selling them.

Here are a few ways you can offload the things you no longer want:

• Give away to your family and friends

• Donate to a local charity

• Have a garage sale

• Sell to a neighbourhood thrift store

Research Moving Companies

Now that you know exactly what you’ll be taking with you, it’s time to secure a moving company. Of course, you can always choose to move yourself!

However, if you’re planning to have professional movers assist you on the big day, you’ll want to do your research before you book a company. Here are a few things to consider when looking for the right one for your move:

• Check out customer testimonials and reviews

• Get moving quotes from your top three choices

• Ensure the company has availability for your move-in date

Related: Condo vs. Apartment: What’s the Difference?

2. 15 to 30 Days Before You Move

Pack Up Your Things

In the two-to-four-week lead up to your move, it’s time to start packing!

Begin boxing up things that you don’t use on a daily basis, such as knick-knacks and decor items. Typically, your living room is a good place to start.

You’ll want to leave things that you use every day until closer to your moving date, like your coffee pot or other essential kitchen items.

As you’re packing, try to keep an itemized list. This can help if any of your boxes get misplaced or lost during your move.

It’s also a good idea to label all of your boxes with their contents. Include which room they should be placed in in your new apartment to help your movers get things organized right away.

Set Up Your Finances

At this point in time, you’ll also want to organize your finances for your move. Review your new lease to see how you’re expected to pay rent.

Landlords often accept payment by cheque or pre-authorized debits (PADs), in which the funds are taken directly from your chequing account. If you’re paying by cheque, some rental buildings prefer to receive 12-months worth of post-dated cheques up front, in addition to your security deposit.

Cover Yourself with Renter’s Insurance

Before you move in, you’ll want to protect yourself financially with renter’s insurance. Accidents happen, and having the right coverage can make all the difference when faced with unexpected costs.

APOLLO’s Renter’s Insurance can help you financially in the event of:

• Theft or vandalism of your personal items

• Damage from fire, smoke, or water

• Accidental injury on your property

• Paying for additional living expenses if your rental unit becomes uninhabitable

You can buy your policy online now, and get insured in minutes.

Related: How much is tenant insurance?

Change Your Address on Your Tenant Insurance Policy

If you already have an insurance policy and you just need to switch addresses, APOLLO makes it easy with our online Policy Portal. From here, you can change the address on your APOLLO policy from your computer or mobile device, 24/7. APOLLO’s Policy Portal also lets you access and modify your tenant insurance policy in other ways as well, such as:

• Updating your payment information

• Viewing your policy details and payment schedule

• Reviewing and updating your contact information

• Staying informed about upcoming renewals

• Keeping track of monthly payments

• Requesting policy documents and certificates of insurance (COIs)

Transfer Your Utility Accounts

Now, you’ll want to make sure that you have your utilities ready to go for your move-in day.

Many utility companies allow you to do this ahead of time, and set the date for your services to switch from your current address to your new one. For example, you’ll want to line this up for your:

• Heating

• Electricity

• Hydro

3. The Week You Move

Clean Your Old Apartment

Most property management companies and landlords will require you to clean your old apartment before you officially vacate.

While this can be difficult to do while your boxes and other personal items are still in the unit, you can always get started on the larger appliances, such as your oven and fridge, as well as your bathrooms and windows.

Once you’ve moved your things out, you can clean the floors and do a final walk through to make sure everything is clean and tidy. This is also a good opportunity to make sure you haven’t left anything behind.

Move Into Your New Place

The big day has arrived! Ensure that you have a space for your movers to park, and meet them outside to direct them to where they need to go.

Confirm your new address with them, and let them know that your boxes are marked with where they should go in your new place.

Head to your new apartment and prep your living space for the movers to arrive!

4. After You Move In

Stock Up on Essential Supplies

After all of your things have been moved in, it’s a good idea to head to the grocery store to stock up on essentials. Here’s a list of some pantry and toiletry items to get you started:

• Toilet paper

• Facial tissue

• Paper towel

• Sponges

• Dish Soap

• Hand Soap

• Shampoo

• Bread

• Condiments

• Canned food

• Dry pasta

• Coffee and filters

• Milk

• Sugar

Unpack Your Boxes

It’s time to start unpacking. Using your labelling system, you should be able to identify the boxes that have items you need right away, like your bedsheets and toiletries.

Take your time and enjoy your new space!

Update Your Address

Now that you’ve moved in, it’s essential that you notify certain companies and agencies of your new address. Organizations to contact include:

• Government Agencies, such as Canada Revenue Agency and Elections Canada

• Driver Licencing Organizations, such as ICBC and ServiceOntario

• Canada Post, and any mail subscriptions you may have

• Financial Institutions, such as your personal bank and investment or accounting firm

• Health Providers, such as your doctor and your dentist

You may also want to consider having your mail forwarded for at least a six-month period to cover anything you may have missed.

APOLLO offers effortless tenant insurance designed to protect renters across Canada. Get your free quote in less than a minute and we’ll send your policy documents right to your inbox.

Related: First apartment checklist

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