Start four weeks out: declutter, book your mover, and collect boxes. Pack room by room from least-used to most-used. Sort building access and parking at both ends early. Empty drawers, fridges, and the braai before the crew arrives. In a Cape winter, weatherproofing is the part people forget.
A move is rarely stressful because of the lifting. It is stressful because of the small things that pile up when nobody planned for them. After more than a decade of moves across Cape Town and the Western Cape, we have seen exactly which of those small things matter. Here is the checklist, in the order that actually helps.
Four weeks out
This is where a calm move is won or lost. Do the slow jobs now while you have time.
- Declutter first, pack second. Every box you do not pack is one you do not move, unpack, or pay for. Be ruthless with the garage, the spare room, and the back of every cupboard.
- Book your moving company. Lock your date, especially if it is month-end or a weekend. Request a quote early so the slot you want is still open.
- Start collecting boxes and proper brown packing tape. Cheap tape lets go and boxes fail in transit. We can sort packing materials for you if you would rather not chase them.
- Tell the people who need to know. Schools, medical aid, the body corporate or landlord, and anyone who delivers to your door.
Two weeks out
Start packing the things you will not miss, and get your admin moving.
- Pack least-used rooms first. Books, off-season clothes, decor, the good crockery. Label every box with the room it belongs to at the new place, not the old one.
- Arrange address changes. Banking, the post, online stores, your municipal account, and your vehicle licence details.
- Plan for pets and plants. They travel best with you, not in the truck. If you are moving with animals, our guide to moving with pets covers the calm way to do it.
- Confirm building access at both ends. Service-lift bookings, side gates, security sign-in, and a clear spot for the truck. This is the single most common cause of a slow move.
The week of the move
- Pack everything except the essentials. By now only your daily items should be loose.
- Empty drawers and free-standing wardrobes. We turn furniture on its side to get it out safely, so anything left inside will spill or add risky weight.
- Mark fragile boxes clearly so the crew knows to take extra care.
- Set aside a "first night" box: kettle, mugs, chargers, bedding, toiletries, medication, and anything you will want the moment you arrive.
The day before
- Defrost and empty the fridge and freezer. A wet, full fridge cannot travel.
- Turn off the water supply to the dishwasher, washing machine, and fridge.
- Empty the Weber and the braai. Ash and grease in a moving truck is a problem nobody wants.
- Double-check the new address against the title deed or lease. Do not trust what an online map says by default.
- Charge your phone and have the crew's number saved. WhatsApp Go Gorilla on 073 905 5343 if anything changes.
Moving day
- Be there for the walk-through. Five minutes pointing out the fragile, the valuable, and what goes where saves an hour later.
- Keep pathways clear at both homes so the crew can move at full speed.
- Do a final sweep of cupboards, the roof space, the garden, and behind doors before you hand over the keys.
- Then let the crew work. A calm move is a fast move, and that part is genuinely our job, not yours.
The Cape winter add-on. If you are moving between roughly May and September, weather is the variable most checklists ignore. Our trucks are enclosed and every item is blanket or plastic wrapped before it leaves the house, so rain is not a reason to reschedule. We dig into how that works in moving house in a Cape Town winter.
Want the printable one-pager?
We keep a tidy, printable version of this checklist that sticks nicely on the fridge while you pack. WhatsApp us and we will send it through, no charge, whether or not you book with us.
WhatsApp for the printable checklist →