Moving Checklist: An 8-Week Plan for a Los Angeles Move

Most moves don't fall apart on moving day. They fall apart a month earlier, when nobody reserved the freight elevator, the parking signs went up too late and the movers you wanted were already booked. A moving checklist is there to catch those problems while they're still cheap to fix. Los Angeles adds a few of its own: parking rules that change from one city to the next, buildings that may want a certificate of insurance before a crew touches the elevator, and tall furniture that should be strapped to the wall once you arrive.

The plan below starts eight weeks out and runs into your first week in the new place. When you're planning a move, checklist order matters more than checklist length, so anything that depends on someone else's schedule comes first: the mover, the building manager, the city, the utilities. Only have four weeks? Keep the same order and cover two weeks of this moving timeline checklist at a time. Other people's deadlines won't shrink just because yours did.

8 Weeks Before: Make a Moving Plan and Start Decluttering

Week eight is for decisions, not boxes. Overkill for a studio? Maybe. But the building and parking steps take just as long whatever the size of the place.

• Set the date and give notice. For a month-to-month rental, California's default is at least 30 days' written notice (Civil Code 1946). Your rental agreement can set a different period, so read it now rather than the week you leave.
• Selling a home? A house moving checklist has a few extra lines, and one is easy to miss: California requires the seller to certify in writing that the water heater is braced, anchored or strapped against earthquake motion (Health and Safety Code 19211).
• Decide how the move happens. A rental truck and friends, a crew that loads while you do the packing, or a full-service move where the packing is handled too. That one choice shapes the rest of your moving to-do list.
• Start one folder for estimates, the moving agreement, building rules, the lease and receipts. Paper or cloud, just one place.
• Walk through the house and make a moving list of the big pieces. Mark each one keep, sell, donate or leave behind. Measure anything large against the new doorways, stairwell and elevator. Finding out the sectional won't fit is annoying in week eight and a crisis on moving day.
• Start decluttering, one or two rooms a weekend. Garage and closets first, since that's where forgotten things pile up. Every item you let go of is one less thing to box, carry and unpack. Our 6-week decluttering plan for LA and Orange County breaks this down, including where to donate.

7 Weeks Before: Compare Movers and Get Written Estimates

If you're hiring help, shop now. The date you want is a date plenty of other people want, and I'd rather have three estimates on the table in week seven than one rushed quote in week three.

• Get written estimates from at least two movers, ideally three. For moves within California, the Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS) says an estimate has to follow a visual inspection of your belongings, and it recommends an in-person walkthrough over photos or video (BHGS moving tips). An hourly rate quoted over the phone is not an estimate.
• Give every company the same details: the same inventory and the same notes on stairs, elevator and truck parking, or the numbers won't compare.
• Verify the permit before you compare prices. A company moving household goods within California needs a BHGS permit, and a move to or from another state requires operating authority from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (Business and Professions Code 19237). Look the mover up with the License Search on the BHGS website. No permit number, no deal: the same law lets a customer of an unpermitted mover sue to get back everything they paid.
• Insist on a Not to Exceed price. For a move within California, the mover has to give you a written notice with a Not to Exceed amount, normally at least three days before moving day. That figure is the most you can be charged unless you ask for extra services and agree to a change order (Business and Professions Code 19246).
• Compare what the price covers. Moves of 100 miles or less are usually charged by the hour, while longer moves within the state must be charged by weight and mileage, per the BHGS consumer booklet in Maximum Rate Tariff 4. On an hourly job, ask when the clock starts, how stairs and long carries are handled, and whether furniture disassembly and materials are included.

6 Weeks Before: Choose Valuation Coverage and Plan for Storage

"Is my stuff insured?" tends to come up only after something breaks. The honest answer: it depends on what you choose on the moving agreement.

• Know what the basic level pays. Under the BHGS rules for moves within California, the protection included in a mover's rates is 60 cents per pound per article, so a lost 20-pound item pays out $12. Leave the declared value and protection level blank on the agreement, and the shipment defaults to actual cash value, meaning depreciated value, up to $20,000. Full value protection covers replacement cost and usually costs more (BHGS Maximum Rate Tariff 4).
• Check the insurance you already have. The same booklet suggests reviewing your own policies before paying for extra protection. One call to your renters or homeowners insurer settles it.
• Declare anything valuable. If you don't declare items of extraordinary value, the booklet warns, the mover may not be liable for their full value. NerdWallet's checklist suggests declaring in writing anything worth more than $100 per pound. Carry jewelry, documents and family photos yourself, as BHGS advises.
• Close the gap between move-out and move-in. If the dates don't line up, choose now: a self-storage unit, a portable container, or storage-in-transit if your mover offers it. A container on the street brings city rules with it. Santa Monica requires a separate Use of Public Property Permit for containers like PODS. Beverly Hills doesn't allow them to be stored overnight in the public right-of-way.

5 Weeks Before: Elevator, COI and Truck Parking

A generic checklist for moving treats parking as a footnote. In LA it can decide whether the truck sits at your door or the crew carries a dresser half a block, so give this week the same weight as hiring the mover.

• Call management or the HOA at both addresses. Ask whether the freight elevator or loading dock needs a reservation, which days and hours moves are allowed, whether elevator pads, a deposit or a fee are required, and whether the mover has to provide a certificate of insurance (COI). Get the answers in writing.
• Pass the COI requirements to your mover word for word, including who must be named on the certificate. Ask for it to go straight to property management, then confirm it arrived.
• Learn the parking rules for both streets. They change from city to city. Beverly Hills sells temporary "No Parking" signs at City Hall; they have to be posted at least 72 hours before the move, residential moves run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and posted street sweeping restrictions still apply (City of Beverly Hills).
• Santa Monica works differently. Signs there are advised but not required. If you use them, every step, sign inspection included, has to be finished at least 24 hours before the reservation starts, and curb space can be held for up to 72 hours (City of Santa Monica).
• Don't count on signs posted the same morning. Under state law, signs warning that a parked car may be removed for an authorized street use have to go up at least 24 hours before the removal (Vehicle Code 22651). Moving somewhere else? Search the city's name with "temporary no parking signs" or "moving van permit."

Moving into or out of a high-rise? Our guide to apartment moves in LA goes further into elevator windows, loading docks and building rules.

4 Weeks Before: Utilities, USPS Change of Address, Schools and Doctors

• Schedule utilities at both ends. Stop service at the old place the day after you move out, so the lights and water still work for the last clean. Start it at the new place a day or two before you arrive. Around LA, providers for power, water, gas and trash vary by city, so look each one up for the new address, and book any internet install that needs a technician early.
• File your change of address with USPS. Online there's a $1.25 identity verification fee, or you can file in person at a Post Office with photo ID. Forwarding may begin within 3 business days, but USPS says to allow up to 2 weeks, and standard forwarding lasts 12 months (USPS).
• Then update everyone USPS doesn't. A change of address updates your mailing address with the Post Office only, not with government agencies or companies (same USPS page). Make the list: employer and payroll, banks and cards, insurance, subscriptions, voter registration.
• Schools, doctors and pets. Ask the current school how records transfer and confirm which school serves the new address. Request medical, dental and vet records, and refill prescriptions before moving week.

2 to 3 Weeks Before: Pack, Label and Take Furniture Apart

Pack from the rooms you use least toward the ones you use most. Guest room, garage, books and décor go first. The kitchen and bathroom go last.

• Put heavy things in small boxes. Books and tools in small ones, pillows and lampshades in large ones. A big box of books is how backs get hurt on stairs.
• Label two sides, not the top. Write the room and a short note on contents, and number every box. Stacked boxes hide their tops, and numbers tell you right away if one is missing.
• Take apart what you can live without. Shelves, desks, spare beds, the dining table. Bag the screws and bolts, label the bag, and keep every hardware bag in one box that rides with you.
• Photograph cables before you unplug. TV, router, desk setup. It takes a minute and saves an evening of guessing.
• Ask the mover what it won't take. Candles, cleaning products and grill propane tanks are often on that list, according to NerdWallet. Use up or properly dispose of paint, fuel and similar items now.
• Request the pre-move-out inspection. California landlords must tell tenants in writing that they can ask for an initial inspection, held no earlier than two weeks before the tenancy ends. You get an itemized list of proposed deductions and a chance to fix those items before you leave (Civil Code 1950.5).

Moving Week: Essentials Box, Cleaning and Cash for Tips

• Pack an essentials box for each person. Medications, chargers, a change of clothes, toiletries, toilet paper, sheets and a towel, snacks and water, a few tools and important documents. It travels with you, never on the truck.
• Defrost the fridge. Empty and unplug it at least a day ahead so it can drain and dry.
• Clean as rooms empty out. A California landlord can deduct cleaning costs only to bring the unit back to the level of cleanliness it had when you moved in, and can't charge for ordinary wear and tear (Civil Code 1950.5). Take dated photos when you're done.
• Confirm the details. Arrival window, both addresses, elevator times, the COI, parking signs posted on your city's schedule, and the Not to Exceed notice in hand.
• Get cash for tips. Tipping isn't required. NerdWallet calls 10% to 20% of the total cost common, or a set $20 to $50 per mover per day, and cites Consumer Affairs saying most movers prefer cash.

Moving Day: The Short List

• Be there when the crew arrives. Walk them through what goes, what stays and what's fragile.
• Before you sign, check the agreement against your notes: the Not to Exceed amount, the valuation level you chose and the services listed. Keep a copy of everything you sign.
• If the truck can't park where you planned, tell the crew lead right away, not halfway through the load.
• Do a final sweep of every closet, cabinet, drawer and top shelf. Then photograph each empty room.
• Give your landlord a forwarding address in writing, so the deposit and the itemized statement have somewhere to go.

After the Move: Earthquake Straps, the DMV and Your Deposit

• Unpack by priority and check for damage early. Beds, bathroom and kitchen basics come first. For a move within California, loss or damage claims have to be filed with the mover in writing within nine months of delivery (BHGS Maximum Rate Tariff 4), but damage is far easier to document in the first days.
• Anchor tall furniture before you fill it. The Earthquake Country Alliance recommends securing top-heavy furniture and appliances to wall studs and cites a UCLA study finding that 55% of injuries in the 1994 Northridge earthquake were caused by falling furniture or objects (Earthquake Country Alliance). An empty bookcase is also much easier to strap than a full one.
• Check the water heater. California requires residential water heaters to be braced, anchored or strapped (Health and Safety Code 19211), and the Earthquake Country Alliance's guidance is two metal straps into the wall studs. Renting and don't see any straps? Tell the landlord.
• Update the DMV within 10 days. California gives you 10 days after moving to report the new address for your driver's license and for your vehicle registration (Vehicle Code 14600, Vehicle Code 4159).
• Mark day 21 on the calendar. A California landlord has 21 calendar days after you move out to return what's left of your deposit, along with an itemized statement (Civil Code 1950.5).
• Close the loop. Check that mail is forwarding and the old utility accounts are closed.

Which Parts of This List You Can Hand Off

You can do all of this yourself, and plenty of people do. It gets heavy when the building wants a COI and a fixed elevator slot, when there are stairs and a lot of furniture, or when packing has to fit around a full workweek. Those are the parts a crew can take off your plate. Green Moving handles residential moves for houses and apartments across Los Angeles and Orange County, and a full-service move adds packing, unpacking and setup. Our rates are on the pricing page, and you can check our BHGS permit (CAL-T201327) and USDOT number (4312802) the same way you'd check anyone else's.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do first when I'm moving?

Start with anything that depends on someone else's calendar: give your landlord notice, get written estimates or reserve a truck, and ask both buildings about elevator and COI rules. Decluttering comes next, because it shrinks every task after it. Packing can wait a few weeks.

What if my moving checklist timeline is shorter than 8 weeks?

Keep the order and compress the weeks. The mover, the building, the parking signs and the utilities still come first. In California, even a mover booked on short notice can't start work until you've signed and received the Not to Exceed notice.

What goes on a do-it-yourself moving checklist?

Everything above, plus the jobs a crew would normally cover. Reserve the truck early, line up helpers weeks ahead, and get a dolly, furniture pads and straps. The parking signs are on you as well, so check the city's rules, and ask your auto insurer or the rental company what covers the truck.

How do I pack a house for moving without losing track of things?

Go room by room, starting with the spaces you use least. Number every box, write the room and contents on two sides, and keep a running list of box numbers on your phone. The essentials boxes and the hardware box stay with you.

How long does a California landlord have to return a security deposit?

No more than 21 calendar days after you move out, together with an itemized statement of any deductions (Civil Code 1950.5). Deductions can cover unpaid rent, damage beyond ordinary wear and tear, and cleaning needed to bring the unit back to the level of cleanliness it had when you moved in.