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Choosing a Moving Company
What you need to know about choosing a Moving Company.
This detailed 6 Week checklist will help you in preparing and planning for your move.
6 Weeks Prior to Moving
- Tour your home (include your attic, garage, storage space, etc.) to determine what items you will be shipping. Have a garage sale or donate items you will not be shipping to a charity. Reducing your shipment size will reduce your moving costs.
- Make travel arrangements, flight, hotel, vehicle rental, etc.
- Start using up all extra food stocks: frozen food (cannot be shipped) and canned food. This will reduce the weight of your shipment and your shipping costs.
4 Weeks Prior to Moving
- Contact a Great Canadian Agent to arrange for an estimate.
- Notify Post Office of your new address.
- Mail change-of-address cards.
- Notify all accounts, such as mortgages, banks, leases, business or credit accounts of your new address.
- Notify schools.
- Return library books, DVDs, and other borrowed items and collect items loaned.
2 Weeks Prior to Moving
- Dispose of all flammables, aerosols, paint, propane tanks, etc.
- Start packing (if you are planning to do some or all of it yourself).
- Arrange to disconnect your utilities, etc.
- Arrange to connect utilities and phone at your new home.
1 Week Prior to Moving
- Arrange for a babysitter on moving day.
- Set up a specific area in your home for items you are taking with you personally.
- Finish packing.
- Label all boxes with your name and the name of the room you would like them moved into.
- Drain water from the garden hose and all oil & fuel from power mower and machinery.
- Arrange to have all your major appliances serviced before moving day.
The Day Before
- Empty refrigerator and freezer, defrost and wipe down.
- Clean and air your range.
- Finish packing all personal items.
Moving Day
- Make sure someone is available to answer your mover’s questions.
- Sign/Save copies of the Bill of Lading. Make sure your correct address, phone numbers and email address are in the delivery address section.
- Keep vacuum out to clean areas where furniture used to be.
- Complete a final inspection of your home with your mover, make sure all rooms, closets, etc. are empty.
- Contact Great Canadian Van Lines Dispatch to obtain your final moving costs so you can have the proper payment ready on your delivery date.
- Keep your Great Canadian Van Lines registration number handy in case you need to track your shipment.
