End-of-Tenancy Moving Timeline & Checklist

Vacate Cleaning · Wellington · 6 min read

Moving out of a rental is far less stressful when you spread the work over a few weeks instead of cramming it into the final 48 hours. Here's a simple countdown to follow, from the moment you give notice right through to handing back the keys.

4 weeks before

• Give written notice to your landlord or property manager (check your required notice period).
• Confirm your move-out date and the time of the final inspection.
• Book your removal company early — good movers get booked out, especially at month-end.
• Start decluttering: sell, donate, or bin anything you don't want to take.
• Gather your entry condition report and move-in photos.

2–3 weeks before

• Order or collect packing boxes, tape, and bubble wrap.
• Start packing things you rarely use (books, off-season clothes, spare kitchenware).
• Notify key contacts of your change of address (see our change-of-address checklist).
• Arrange to transfer or set up power, internet, and gas at your new place.
• Book your end-of-tenancy clean for the day your home will be empty.

1 week before

• Pack room by room, labelling boxes by room and contents.
• Run down your fridge and freezer so there's less to move and defrost.
• Confirm times with both your movers and your cleaners.
• Set aside an "essentials box" (chargers, toiletries, snacks, paperwork) for moving day.

Moving day

• Do a final pack of last-minute items and strip the beds.
• Movers load up — check nothing's left in cupboards, the garage, or the shed.
• Once empty, the cleaners come through (or you tackle the checklist).
• Take dated photos of every clean, empty room.
• Return all keys and remotes, and attend the final inspection if you can.