Your first move, briefly.
Nobody hands you the rules for a lease, a bond or a truck booking. Here is what a first move asks of you, and the four mistakes that cost the most.
- What a lease and a bond require
- What a removalist needs to quote you
- The four mistakes first timers make
Three things nobody mentions
The lease comes first
Two leases set your dates, not your calendar. Read the notice periods on both before you pick a day.
Photograph it on arrival
The condition report is your evidence at the end. Dated photos beat a tick in a box every time.
Volume decides the vehicle
A studio and a one bedroom flat are different loads. Guessing low is the most common first-move error.
What renting actually requires
A first move runs two jobs at once. One is the tenancy, which is paperwork with deadlines. The other is the physical move, which is a booking.
Packing craft is a separate skill, and our tips for moving house cover the boxes, the labels and the fragile pieces. This page is the part a first-time mover has not seen.
The bond and the report
Your bond is lodged with the authority rather than handed to the agent, and it comes back if the place matches its condition report. Fill that report in properly in your first week, and keep dated photos of every mark.
| Requirement | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Notice in writing | Your end date follows the notice, not the move |
| Condition report | The record your bond is judged against |
| Bond lodged | Held by the authority, refunded after inspection |
| Final inspection | The agent's standard sets the last clean |
| Keys returned | Rent runs until the keys are back |
What a quote actually needs
Removalists are not being difficult. Every question maps to a truck size, a crew or a carry, and a vague answer becomes a vague price.
| Detail | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Rooms, or an item list | Truck size, and how many haulers turn up |
| Flights, or a lift | The carry at each end of the day |
| Distance from the kerb | How long every trip in and out takes |
| Both addresses | The drive between them |
| Anything oversized | Whether it comes apart first |
Four first-time mistakes
All four are avoidable in an afternoon, and all four are expensive on the day.
| Mistake | The fix |
|---|---|
| Booking too late | Lock the date once the new lease is signed |
| Underestimating volume | Count cupboards and shelves, not rooms |
| Not measuring the door | Measure the sofa, the fridge, the hallway |
| Leaving the garage | Treat it as a room, and start there |
Getting the booking right
A first booking goes wrong in predictable ways. Fifteen minutes with a tape measure and a phone camera heads off most of it.
| Step | What to do |
|---|---|
| Count the rooms | Include the garage, the balcony and the shed |
| Measure the awkward pieces | Sofa, fridge, wardrobe, and each door they clear |
| Photograph the access | The stairwell, the street and the entry |
| Check the building rules | Lift bookings and loading windows, both ends |
| Confirm both dates | The old lease as well as the new one |
Have this to hand
- Both addresses, and the flights at each
- A room count, or a list if it is furniture only
- Photos of the stairwell and the street
Fixed at booking: the number is agreed before the truck arrives, so flights and carries are priced up front.
Bring your own boxes: we do not offer packing and we do not supply cartons. The crew lifts, carries, loads and rebuilds what you flag.
Before you compare quotes: our guide to how much removalists cost explains what the number is built from.
First move facts
Google rating and review count pulled June 2026. Item and crew figures are per booking.
First move questions
How early should a first move be booked?
As soon as both dates are certain, which usually means the day the new lease is signed. Preferred windows go first, and a first mover has less room to shuffle than they expect.
The trap is assuming the two dates meet. Leases often overlap by a day, or leave a gap, and each changes the booking. An overlap lets you move in stages. A gap means the load needs somewhere to sit, which is not with us, because we hold no storage.
What goes in the condition report?
Every mark you can find, however small, with a photograph of each. Scuffed skirting, a chipped bench, a stained carpet, a window that sticks.
Walk it before your own furniture arrives and hides anything, then go outside as well. The letterbox, the fence, the garage door and the state of the lawn are all looked at when you leave. Store the file somewhere other than your phone, because the report helps only if it still exists when the bond is assessed.
How do I estimate what I have?
Count what holds things, not floor area. Every cupboard, wardrobe and set of shelves turns into cartons, and a full garage holds more than a lounge does.
Then look at the pieces that set the vehicle rather than the volume: a three seat sofa, a fridge, a wardrobe that will not come apart. The cartons fill in around them. If your list sits between a small booking of one to ten items and a full home, describe it and let the quote decide.
Should I measure the doorway myself?
Yes, and before you book rather than on the day. Measure the sofa, the fridge and the widest wardrobe, then every door and turn each has to pass.
The measurement people miss is the diagonal. A sofa narrower than the door still has to swing through a hallway corner, and a stairwell with a half landing is where it usually stops. Name anything close at the quote and the crew takes the legs off instead. Nothing gets forced through a frame.
Is the garage really a whole room?
Often more than one. Tools, paint, bikes, camping gear, and whatever went in there and never came out again.
It is also the slowest room to finish, because nothing in it is ready to travel. Shelving comes apart, a workbench may not fit back through the internal door, and loose tools want a box of their own before anyone can carry them. Start the garage the same weekend you start the house and the day itself holds no surprises.
Start with the rooms.
Tell us the rooms, the flights and both addresses. Your price comes back in about a minute, fixed at booking.