Six weeks out is the sweet spot. It’s far enough ahead that good crews still have your date open, and close enough that you can start making real decisions instead of vague intentions. If your move-in day is locked in, the next month and a half is less about heavy lifting and more about sequencing the small tasks so nothing pileup happens in the final scramble. Here’s how to spend that time.
Book Your Crew Before the Calendar Fills
The first call you make should be to a moving company, not the utility provider or the landlord. Movers get booked solid faster than most people expect, especially for month-end dates, summer weekends, and the stretch around when leases turn over in London’s rental-heavy neighbourhoods near the universities. A crew that had wide-open availability in the off-season can be fully committed weeks ahead once demand climbs.
Start by drawing up a short list of companies worth contacting. Word of mouth from people who recently moved is worth more than any glossy ad, and browsing local discussion threads about the best moving companies london ontario residents actually recommend will surface names that keep coming up for the right reasons. Once you have three or four candidates, reach out early to check whether your date is still available before you get attached to any single option.
Sort and Purge Room by Room
Every box you don’t pack is money and time saved, so the weeks before moving day are the moment to shed what you don’t want to carry into the new place. Work one room at a time rather than roaming the whole house, which only leaves half-finished piles everywhere. Give each item a quick verdict: keep, donate, sell, or toss.
Be honest about the basement and the back of closets, where things accumulate for years without being touched. Anything you’re paying professionals to lift and load should earn its spot on the truck. Schedule a donation drop-off or a curbside pickup for larger discards well ahead of the date so you’re not tripping over a broken bookshelf on the morning the crew arrives.
Gather Quotes and Compare the Right Way
Once you’ve thinned your belongings, you have a much clearer picture of what you’re actually moving, which makes quotes more accurate. Ask each company for an estimate based on the same information so you’re comparing like with like. A number scribbled over the phone with no details behind it isn’t really a quote.
Look past the headline price. Ask what’s included, how they charge for stairs or long carries, whether there’s a minimum, and how they handle the time spent driving between addresses. The cheapest figure can quietly become the most expensive one on moving day if it’s built on assumptions that don’t match your home.
Label Boxes So the Crew Moves Faster
A labelled box tells the crew where it goes without anyone stopping to ask. Mark each one with its destination room and a short note about the contents. Colour-coded tape or a marker system both work; the point is that a mover glancing at a box knows to carry it to the kitchen and not the spare bedroom.
Keep a rough inventory as you go, even just a running list on your phone. It helps you notice if something didn’t make it, and it makes unpacking on the other end far less overwhelming.
Confirm Parking and Building Access Ahead of Time
A truck with nowhere to park burns time you’re paying for. If you’re moving into or out of an apartment or condo, check with the building about elevator bookings, loading zones, and any certificate of insurance the property manager requires from your movers. On downtown streets and in older London neighbourhoods with narrow driveways, arrange a temporary parking permit if the truck needs curb space.
Pass every access detail to your crew before the day so they arrive ready. A quick heads-up about a tight staircase or a gate code saves everyone the friction of figuring it out in the moment.
Prepare a Survival Kit for the First Night
Set aside a box or bag you keep with you rather than loading it on the truck. Pack a change of clothes, toiletries, phone chargers, medications, basic tools, and enough dishes to get through the first meal. Add anything you’d hate to dig through twenty sealed boxes to find at eleven at night.
With the crew booked, the clutter gone, and the details confirmed, you’ll walk into moving day ready to hand off the heavy work and focus on settling into the next chapter.