Moving House at the Last Minute: How to Cope When Time Is Short
On a last-minute move, book the removal first, pack in a fixed order from the loft to the kitchen, keep an essentials box with you, and line up storage in case the keys come late.
The quick answer
First: Book the removal, with a video survey on your phone
Pack: In a fixed order, loft first, kitchen last
Keep with you: An essentials box, plus documents, keys and medication
If the keys are late: Storage, the load waits in a sealed container
This guide is for when you need to move house quickly and the date is days away, not weeks. For a calmer timeline, see our house move timeline.
The Last-Minute Move Plan
At a few days’ notice a move will feel rushed. What matters is that everything arrives safely.
From the first call to moving day
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As soon as you know: call us and book a video survey on your phone.
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Within 24 hours of the survey: a fixed, itemised written price.
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The days before: pack room by room, or we pack for you one to two days ahead.
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Moving day: meter readings, keys, and the essentials box in your car.
Book the Removal First
Ring us before you pack a single box. At short notice the date is the hardest part to find, and a midweek move is usually easier to book than a weekend or month-end. Our number is 01903 893731, and our house removals page explains what the survey covers.
A video survey on your phone
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You walk us round your home on a video call; it takes ten to fifteen minutes.
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Show us on the call anything that needs taking apart or packing, so the price covers it.
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If your dates are still moving, book the survey anyway: the quote holds while the paperwork settles.
Parking at Short Notice
On a fast move, a parking bay suspension may not be possible: both Horsham District Council and Adur & Worthing Councils ask for at least five working days’ notice. Tell us both streets at the survey and we’ll plan where the lorry stands at each end.
Loading at the kerb
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In Horsham, a lorry can usually load and unload on yellow lines while the loading is continuous and it isn’t causing an obstruction (Horsham District Council).
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Don’t load or unload where there are yellow marks on the kerb and upright signs show restrictions (the Highway Code).
Pack in a Fixed Order
Start with what you won’t need again before the move and finish with the kitchen and bathroom, the same order as our guide to packing boxes for moving. The usual advice is to start on non-essentials at least two weeks out (Which?); with only days, the order matters more than the date.
The order to pack a house in a hurry
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The loft, the garage and anything stored away.
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The spare room and the rooms you hardly use.
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The living room: books, pictures and ornaments first.
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Your bedroom, leaving out what you need until the day.
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The kitchen and bathroom, last of all, with the essentials box.
While you pack
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Empty every drawer rather than taping it shut: clothes go into suitcases, holdalls or boxes.
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Wrap glass and china in packing paper, never towels or clothes; our guide to packing glasses and plates shows how.
Jobs to sort while you pack
- Beds and wardrobesTell us at the survey which pieces need taking apart; the crew comes ready to dismantle them and rebuild them at the new home.
- The freezerEat it down now. The day before, switch it off, empty it and defrost it if it isn’t frost-free; see our guide to moving a fridge.
- Label every boxOn the side of every box as well as the top, so the crew can read it when boxes are stacked.
- Rubbish as you goBin the obvious rubbish now; box the rest and sort it at the other end.
Short of boxes? Our box shop has boxes, tape and packing paper, and our packing hacks cover more time-savers.
Let Us Do the Packing
Having the removal firm pack is much quicker than doing it yourself (Which?). With crews of two to four we can often fit a pack in at a few days’ notice outside the busiest weeks, and we’ll tell you honestly on the phone what’s possible.
How much we pack
- The whole houseOur full packing service, usually one to two days before moving day.
- The bulkOur non-fragile packing service: books, clothes, linen, the garage and the loft.
- Just the breakablesOur fragile packing service, while you pack the rest.
Pack an Essentials Box to Keep With You
One box travels in your car, not on the lorry. Take anything especially valuable or sentimental in your own car too (Which?), along with documents, keys and jewellery. On the first night, make up the beds and open this box before you unpack anything else.
The box that rides with you
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The kettle.
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A few mugs.
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Phone chargers.
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Medication.
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Toiletries.
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A change of clothes.
The Admin That Can’t Wait
Sort these in moving week; the GP, subscriptions and the electoral register can wait until you’re in.
Moving week
- Meter readings at both homesPhotograph them on moving day, and tell your energy suppliers at least 48 hours ahead.
- KeysLabel every key, or leave each one in the lock it opens, including windows, sheds and garages.
- PostSet up a redirection now: it can take up to five working days to start, and Which? advises keeping it for at least a year.
- Council taxTell your council you’re moving, so it can send an updated bill.
- Contents insuranceAsk your insurer what’s covered during the move, including boxes you pack yourself.
Sources: Which? moving checklist (meters, keys, insurance, redirection timing), Citizens Advice (energy), Which? (redirect for a year) and Adur & Worthing Councils (council tax).
Once you’ve moved, register to vote at the new address, and update your driving licence, log book and any vehicle tax Direct Debit with DVLA (changing the address on your licence is free). If you have a dog or cat, update its microchip: GOV.UK says keeping it up to date is your responsibility.
If You Can’t Move Straight In
If you have to be out before you can get in, everything goes into our short-term storage until the keys are ready.
Old home, storage, new home
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We load at your old home on the day you have to be out.
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The load goes into its own sealed container in our store at Ashington.
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When the keys are ready, it comes out and we deliver it to your new home.
On completion day the keys aren’t released until the money has moved, which can leave a loaded lorry waiting. On a same-day move from Angmering to Shoreham-by-Sea we sent two vehicles because the afternoon after the keys come through is short; our completion-day move story shows how that day ran. A key wait waiver, added when you book, means you’re not charged if the crew is left waiting; our key wait waiver move story shows how it works. For living between homes, see our guide to living in between homes.
Keeping a Rushed Move Affordable
On a rushed move, most of the saving comes from what you decide not to take.
Where the savings are
- Move lessAs Which? puts it, “the last thing you want to do is pay to transport items that you end up throwing away”.
- Give it awayWest Sussex County Council’s reuse shops at the Billingshurst and Worthing recycling centres take items in good working order.
- Only the extras you needPacking, dismantling and storage are quoted separately, as our pricing page explains.
Moving Day When Time Is Short
On the day
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Be ready when the crew arrives: boxes packed and rooms clear, so loading starts straight away.
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Walk us round first: what’s going, what’s staying, and anything fragile or valuable.
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Let friends carry the light boxes and leave the heavy furniture to the crew; HSE notes there’s a difference between what people can lift and what they can lift safely.
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If children and pets can spend the day with family or friends, that keeps them clear of the lifting.
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Before you lock up, check every cupboard, the loft and the garden, and photograph the meters and each empty room; if you’re renting, those photos help at check-out.
Moving at short notice?
Call us on 01903 893731, or request a free video survey online.
We’re fully insured, and a LAPADA Approved Service Provider for antiques and fine art.
Jack Wolfe
Director, Wolves Removals · Ashington, West Sussex
Jack runs Wolves Removals, which has moved families and businesses across West and East Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Kent since 2016 from its Ashington base. The firm is fully insured, Checkatrade-verified and a LAPADA Approved Service Provider for antiques and fine art. More about us, or read our reviews.
Frequently Asked Questions
Often, yes. Ring as soon as you know: weekends and month-ends fill first, and a midweek date is usually easier to book. The video survey takes ten to fifteen minutes and the written price follows within 24 hours of it.
Book the removal, because the date is the hardest part to find at short notice. Then pack in a fixed order, from the loft to the kitchen, keep an essentials box with you, and do only the admin that can’t wait: meter readings, keys, post, council tax and insurance.
If time is tight, having the removal firm pack is much quicker. With our full packing service we usually pack one to two days before moving day, and we can often fit a pack in at a few days’ notice outside the busiest weeks. If you pack yourself, ask your contents insurer what they cover during the move.
No. Empty every drawer before moving day and pack what was in them in suitcases, holdalls or boxes.
It goes into storage. We load on the day you have to be out, keep everything in its own sealed container at our Ashington store, and deliver when the keys are ready.
