Complete Los Angeles Moving Checklist: 8 Weeks Out to Your First Week

A move runs smoothly when the right things happen in the right order. Generic checklists miss the parts that take real lead time in Los Angeles — building certificates of insurance, service-elevator reservations, curb permits and utility appointments. This checklist is built around those, week by week.

8 weeks before

• Start decluttering room by room. You pay to move what you keep, so sell, donate or recycle now.
• Give notice to your landlord in writing — most LA leases require 30 days, some 60.
• Collect written quotes from movers and compare totals, not just hourly rates (see what movers cost in LA).
• If children are changing schools, start the LAUSD or district transfer — records can take two weeks or more.

6 weeks before

• Book your movers, especially for the last and first days of the month or a summer weekend.
• Ask both buildings for their move rules: certificate of insurance (COI) wording, elevator reservation, allowed hours and any move-in fee.
• Start packing things you won’t need: books, off-season clothes, décor.

4 weeks before

• File your USPS change of address; it can take a week or two to start forwarding.
• Update your bank, employer, insurance and subscriptions.
• Transfer medical and school records if you are changing providers.
• Take photos of your current place for the security-deposit walk-through (see the move-out checklist).

2–3 weeks before

• Reserve the service elevator at both buildings and send the COI requirements to your mover.
• Arrange temporary no-parking signs where the block needs them. Inside the City of Los Angeles that is LADOT’s Special Traffic Control Division, (213) 485-2298; Santa Monica, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank run their own processes and lead times. Details in our parking permit guide.
• Schedule utilities: LADWP (1-800-342-5397) for power and water in the City of LA, SoCalGas (1-800-427-2200) for gas, and internet, which often needs 1–2 weeks for an installation slot.
• Pack most of your belongings; label every box with its contents and destination room.

1 week before

• Confirm the crew, arrival time, both addresses, elevator reservations and parking.
• Take apart what you can — bed frames, shelving, table legs — and bag and tape the hardware to each piece.
• Arrange childcare and pet care for moving day.
• Build a “don’t pack” pile: medications, documents, laptop, chargers, valuables and a change of clothes.
• Defrost and dry the refrigerator 24–48 hours before the move.

Moving day

• Hold the curb with your car if you don’t have a permit, and meet the crew at the door.
• Walk the crew through what goes, what stays and what is fragile; point out the boxes that should load last.
• Do a final sweep of closets, cabinets, the garage and the balcony, then photograph the empty rooms.
• At the new place, note any existing damage before unloading starts and direct furniture to the right rooms.
• Tipping is optional: $20–$30 per mover for a half-day move and $40–$60 for a full day is typical in LA.

Your first week in the new place

• Update your California driver’s license and vehicle registration address with the DMV within 10 days — online at dmv.ca.gov, free.
• Return keys to your old landlord and get written confirmation; California landlords have 21 days to return the deposit or an itemized statement.
• Report any problems at the new place to your landlord in writing.
• Set up renter’s or homeowner’s insurance at the new address.
• Find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy and urgent care — and check the street-sweeping signs on your block.

Best Movers LA handles COIs, elevator reservations and parking coordination across Los Angeles County, 7 days a week. Get a free written quote or check local moving details.

Related questions

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