Moving out of Greater Manchester: your checklist

Use this list when you are leaving a home in Manchester or the surrounding boroughs. It is written for local completions, not as a generic national guide.

Four weeks ahead

• Confirm completion or lease end date with your solicitor or agent.
• Book long distance removals or a local move if you are staying nearby.
• Tell the building manager about lift slots if you leave a flat.
• Start using up freezer food and hazardous paint tins you cannot transport.

Two weeks ahead

• Redirect post with Royal Mail.
• Tell GP, dentist and schools if you leave the area.
• List furniture you are selling or donating before pack day.
• Photograph meter readings and any existing damage you did not cause.

One week ahead

• Confirm van parking with neighbours or the council if the street is restricted.
• Pack a first-night bag separate from the van load.
• Label keys and fobs for the handover envelope.
• Pay local council tax or rent to the agreed date.

Day before

• Defrost the fridge and dry the floor.
• Strip beds but keep one set out until morning.
• Charge phones and save offline maps if the new address has poor signal on route.

Completion day

• Walk empty rooms with your checklist: loft, shed, cupboards.
• Hand meters and keys as agreed.
• Sign removal inventory when the van is loaded.
• Lock up once the agent confirms.

After you leave

• Update driving licence address when you can.
• Register at the new council if you moved borough.
• Check nothing was left in shared bike stores or parking bays.

Questions about route or inventory? Request a quote with both postcodes.

Shared and rented homes

Return keys in the format the agent lists, including fobs and parking passes. Leave cleaning to the standard your tenancy expects; removal day is not an excuse to skip hoovering empty rooms. In shared houses, confirm your name is off the council tax account when the last housemate stays.

If completion slips

Keep the removal firm updated rather than cancelling and rebooking at the last hour. A quote can often move a few days if vans are not fully booked. Pack non-essentials early but leave daily life usable until the new date is firm.