Keep one bag with you that never goes on the truck: documents, medication, chargers, keys, and cash. Walk the crew through the house before anything is lifted and flag the fragile and the precious. Check the load shedding schedule for both addresses. Confirm lift and gate access is unlocked and manned. Do a final sweep of every cupboard, the roof, and the braai before you hand over the keys.
If you are weeks out from your move, you want our Cape Town moving checklist instead. This one is narrower. It is about the day itself, from the night before to the moment you lock up behind you. After more than a decade of furniture removals in Cape Town, we can tell you that almost every delay we see on the day comes from one of six things, and all six are avoidable.
The night before
The night before is where you buy yourself an easy morning. Four things matter.
- Empty the fridge and freezer and leave both doors open to air out. A fridge moved with water in the tray leaks through the truck, and a freezer that defrosts in transit makes a mess of whatever is packed near it.
- Turn the water off at the dishwasher, washing machine, and fridge line. Disconnecting these with the supply still live is how you flood a kitchen an hour before the truck arrives.
- Charge everything. Your phone is the tool you will use most all day, for gate codes, directions, and calls to the crew. A power bank is worth more than you would think, especially if your slot overlaps with an outage.
- Pack the bag that stays with you. More on that next, and it is the single tip on this page that saves people the most grief.
What to keep with you, not on the truck
Everything on the truck is safe with us and covered by our goods-in-transit cover. But some things simply should not leave your hands, because you will want them before the truck is unpacked at the other end.
- Documents. ID books, passports, title deeds, lease agreements, birth certificates, vehicle papers.
- Medication for everyone in the house, including the pets, plus anything needing refrigeration.
- Keys. All of them, labelled, for both the old and new address. Including the electric gate override key.
- Chargers and a power bank.
- Cash for parking, the car guard, or a round of cold drinks.
- Jewellery, cash, and small valuables. Not because they are at risk, but because they are small enough to end up in a box you cannot identify for three days.
- A kettle, mugs, teabags, and toilet paper. The first hour in an empty house is much better with these.
When the crew arrives: the walkthrough
The first five minutes set up the whole day. Before anything is lifted, walk the crew leader through the house room by room. This is the part people skip, and it is the part that prevents the most problems.
Point out what is fragile, what is heirloom, what is already damaged, and what is not going. Say clearly if a wardrobe has a loose hinge or a table has a wobbly leg, because we will handle it differently if we know. Flag anything that needs to come off last and go on first at the other end, like the bed you want made up tonight.
Then tell us where things go at the destination. A box marked "kitchen" is useful. A crew that knows the new kitchen is the second door on the left is faster.
The single most common avoidable delay we see is not packing. It is access. A boom gate nobody can open, a service lift that was never booked, or a security guard with no record of the job. Ten minutes of phone calls the day before saves an hour on the day.
Load shedding on moving day
This is the one that catches people out, and it is specific to moving in South Africa. Check the schedule for both addresses the night before, because they are often on different slots and the one that matters is whichever is active while the truck is there.
Two things actually bite. The first is lifts. A service lift will not run during an outage, and a fifth-floor flat without a lift becomes a stair carry, which takes longer and may change the quote. The second is gates. Electric gates, garage doors, and complex boom gates all need a manual override during an outage, and somebody on site has to have that key and know how to use it.
There are smaller ones too. Alarm systems and electric fencing drop onto battery backup and may behave unpredictably while you are carrying furniture through an open door, which matters a great deal if you have pets. Our guide to moving with pets in Cape Town covers that in more detail.
Tell your movers which slot you are in. We plan the load around it when we know in advance.
Building access and body corporate rules
If either address is a complex, a sectional title scheme, or a block of flats, the building has rules and they are not negotiable on the morning.
- Lift bookings. Many Cape Town buildings require written notice to the managing agent or body corporate before a service lift can be booked and padded. Some want 48 to 72 hours. Ask early.
- Access hours. A number of complexes do not allow moves on Sundays or public holidays, and some restrict moving to specific hours.
- Contractor clearance. Estates with controlled access often need the moving company's details registered in advance so the crew is not turned away at the gate.
- Truck size and parking. Not every complex can take a large truck down its driveway, and in the City Bowl, Sea Point, and Camps Bay there may simply be nowhere legal to stop. Tell us in advance and we will bring the right vehicle.
The final sweep
Before you hand over the keys, walk the empty property once more. In an empty house you notice what you missed when it was full. Check:
- Every cupboard, including the tops of built-ins and the back of the linen press
- The roof space or loft hatch, and the space under the stairs
- The garage, the garden shed, and anything on the roof of either
- The braai, the Weber, and the outdoor storage box
- The postbox, and the meter box if you keep anything in it
- Behind and under the fridge, the washing machine, and the bed
Take meter readings, photograph them, and note the date. Do the same at the new place. It settles the municipal account cleanly and takes two minutes.
Looking after the crew
Tipping is not expected in South Africa, and no reputable moving company will ever ask for it. If your crew has worked hard and you want to acknowledge it, anything from R50 to R100 per person on a normal day's move is a generous gesture.
Honestly though, cold drinks on a hot Cape summer day, or coffee on a wet winter morning, land just as well. A crew that has been looked after works better, and the day goes faster for everyone.
We keep a printable version of the day-of checklist that sticks on the fridge while you pack. WhatsApp us and we will send it through, no charge, whether or not you book with us.
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