Tenant Move In Checklist for Letting Agents and Property Teams

A useful tenant move-in checklist distinguishes permission to enter the property, permission to use the building and confirmation of the moving service. A signed tenancy does not, on its own, tell a driver where to stop or tell a tenant when keys will be released. Keep those decisions separate in your notes, then bring them together in the final moving brief.

Ask the tenant to describe their actual move before recommending a service. A furnished room with six boxes needs a different plan from an unfurnished flat with wardrobes, beds and kitchen appliances. The property description is a starting point; the belongings and access determine the work.

This guide covers the practical moving handover. Keep your tenancy documentation, property-condition reporting and compliance procedures alongside it. The moving checklist is not a replacement for those processes.

Use this sequence as a planning aid, adapting it to the time available. It is not a promise of booking availability or a set of mandatory notice periods. Where dates are provisional, mark them as provisional instead of letting an estimate become a commitment.

Ask when the tenant wants to move and when they will have access to the property. Keep the key-collection appointment, tenancy start date and preferred moving time clearly recorded.

If a date is provisional, say so. The tenant should understand which arrangements are confirmed and which still depend on another decision. A preferred moving date should not be presented as a confirmed booking.

Before passing the move on, check:

• The pickup and delivery addresses, including flat numbers.
• The preferred moving date.
• When keys can be collected and where.
• Who will be present at each address.
• A contact number for questions on the day.

Ask for a furniture and box list rather than relying on “a small flat” or “just a few things”. A room containing a bed, wardrobe and sofa needs a different plan from several packed boxes.

Record large or awkward items and any requested packing or dismantling. If the tenant is still buying furniture, explain that the move details need updating when the inventory changes.

For a landlord-funded move, also establish which items belong to the landlord and which belong to the tenant. Clear item lists help avoid confusion at collection.

A property address does not explain how furniture gets to the front door. Ask about stairs, lifts, entrance dimensions, parking and the distance between the vehicle and the property.

Where the building requires a lift reservation or loading slot, identify who must arrange it. Record permitted times and any vehicle restrictions. Ask the tenant to confirm the pickup access too.

Building permission and moving-team availability are separate checks. Both need resolving before anyone relies on the plan.

Movesmith Business lets your team prepare a move for the client to review and pay, or book an organisation-paid move. Team permissions control who can accept prices and approve changes.

Choose the payment route early. Name the person who can respond if the scope changes, and agree who will confirm completion. That person should be available during the move.

Send a short summary containing the date, key instructions, access arrangements and moving-service contact. Keep property queries with the property team and explain where moving-service queries should go.

If you only want to introduce the tenant to a moving service, the Movesmith referral route is available. A referral alone does not reserve a moving team or date.

The property's inventory records what is supplied with the tenancy and its condition. The moving inventory lists the tenant's belongings that need transporting. Calling both documents an inventory without explaining the difference can leave everyone assuming the other list covers the job.

For the moving list, record item names and quantities, approximate dimensions for large pieces, the number of packed boxes and anything requiring assessment. Ask about items in cupboards, a loft, a shed or another address. A photograph helps explain a piece of furniture but does not replace the access details.

For example, replace “bedroom furniture” with “one double bed frame, one double mattress, one two-door wardrobe and two bedside tables”. Record whether dismantling is needed and who is doing it. Recheck the list if the tenant buys furniture after the first enquiry. Do not assume a later purchase can be added to the agreed move without review.

An agency can coordinate the handover without taking responsibility for every part of the move. A short responsibility table makes that distinction visible. Confirm the named people with the tenant and organisation rather than allocating responsibility to someone who has not agreed to it.

Share only the practical information each person needs. A moving team normally needs access instructions and a contact; it does not need an agency's entire tenancy file. Use the organisation's approved process for sharing contact details and any sensitive access information.

Keep a single current version of this brief. Put the date of the latest update at the top and send material changes through the agreed booking or support route. Avoid separate message threads holding contradictory versions of the item list.

• Move reference and last-updated date: [complete].
• Collection and delivery addresses, including flat numbers: [complete].
• Requested date and confirmed arrangements: [complete; identify anything provisional].
• Keys: [collection location, person and timing].
• Belongings and extra services: [attach current list; identify packing or dismantling].
• Access at both ends: [floor, stairs, lift, entrance, parking/loading and carrying distance].
• Building restrictions: [permitted hours, reservations, vehicle limits and contact].
• Payer, change approver and on-site recipient: [name the roles and reachable contacts].
• Unresolved points: [question, owner and next action].

Illustrative example: a tenant expects to collect keys from the agency at lunchtime, but the building's reserved move-in slot starts earlier. The tenant has also arranged to travel separately from the moving load. Three individually reasonable arrangements now conflict.

The useful response is to identify the constraint before confirming the final plan. Ask the key holder when access is genuinely available, ask the building about an alternative slot and ask the moving service to assess the resulting timing. Agree who will receive the goods. Do not tell the driver to wait indefinitely or leave belongings outside the property.

If the problem emerges on the day, report the facts through the booking or support route: what access is unavailable, the expected update time and who can make the decision. Let the service assess the options and any revised arrangement. Do not promise free waiting, a different date or additional work on its behalf.

Ask the tenant to keep the property's condition report separate from any moving-service issue. A pre-existing mark in the flat, a missing key and a concern about an item delivered are different matters with different reporting routes. Recording which issue belongs where prevents the same concern being passed between the agency and moving team.

After the move, update reusable building notes if an entrance or loading instruction proved inaccurate. Remove personal details from any general template. That small review gives the next tenant a better starting point without treating one resident's booking as a permanent building rule.

Before the day, confirm:

• Addresses and the full inventory.
• Keys and access arrangements.
• Lift, parking and loading permissions.
• Packing and any additional work requested.
• Who pays and who approves changes.
• Who meets the moving team and confirms completion.
• Where the tenant should ask for help.