3 months before:

• Get at least three quotes from movers or truck rental companies.
• Check the insurance provided by the movers (such as for breakages and bedbugs).
• Ask the owner of your future apartment for permission to get measurements to make sure that all of your furniture will fit into the apartment.
• Let your employer know: you may be entitled to paid leave.
• Enrol your children at their new school or daycare.

1 month before:

• Sort out what you want to move and what you want to get rid of.
• Sell or give away anything that no longer suits you. You’ll be able to get a better estimate of the size of truck you’ll need.
• Get your hands on some boxes. Some grocery stores give boxes away when people ask.
• Start to save newspapers and ads for packing materials.
• Get a hand truck or moving straps, if necessary.
• Notify your electricity, phone, cable, internet, and insurance companies, as well as your bank, of your new address.
• Register on the Quebec government’s website (Service québécois de changement d'adresse) to notify government departments and agencies of your new address.
• Have your mail forwarded to your new apartment for the first six months by Canada Post. Don’t rely on the kindness (or lack thereof) of your old apartment’s future tenant.
• Start eating up what’s in your freezer and refrigerator so that you don’t have to move too much food.
• Return anything you’ve borrowed from your neighbours.

1 week before:

• Take all frames and shelves off the walls and fill all holes.
• Pack your boxes and write (on the sides and not on top) what they contain and which room they should go in.
• Confirm that the charitable souls who’ve agreed to give you a hand will still be available when the day comes.
• Plan the meals that you’ll serve to your friends.
• Check if your new apartment is empty so that you can clean before moving in.
• Ask your current apartment owner when and how to return your keys.

The day before:

• Confirm the meeting time with the mover and/or your friends.
• When possible, disassemble furniture. Don’t forget to put screws and small parts into Ziploc bags and tape them to the furniture so that you don’t lose them.
• Get everything together that you'll need for the next day and put it within easy reach, such as a cleaning kit, markers, scissors, and tools.
• Take photos of the current condition of your furniture to check if there are any new scratches after the move.
• Prepare your plants and avoid messes by covering pots with bags.

On moving day

• Put all fragile objects in your car, as well as anything you’ll need immediately when you get there.
• Sweep the floors out of respect for the new renter.
• Have as much fun as possible!