Moving house checklist for NSW renters and owners: what to do, and when

If you rent on a periodic lease and want to be in your new place on Friday 18 December 2026, your notice should be with the landlord by about Friday 27 November. That date is our estimate. A tenant ending a periodic agreement must give a minimum of 21 days' notice, and 18 December is the first day of the Eastern division summer holidays. Counting 21 calendar days back from 18 December lands on 27 November. If your fixed term ends on 18 December instead, the end of a fixed term notice is a minimum of 14 days, which puts the date at about Friday 4 December. Give notice a few days before the bare minimum so you have some margin.

The other end of the move has its own surprise. Once you've moved, one online change with Service NSW updates four sets of NSW details. By our count, at least eight other places still need telling separately. The checklist below puts all of it in order, from six weeks out to your first month at the new address. This is the order Randwick Removals suggests working through, whether you rent or own. Owners can skip the notice step, and everything after it applies to you too.

Count back from your moving day

6+ weeks out give notice (periodic: minimum 21 days; end of fixed term: minimum 14 days), get a written, itemised quote, check your own insurance¹²
Final fortnight tell your energy retailer, mail redirection³⁴
Moving day meter readings at both places, out by the notice date, keys and security devices back, final inspection³⁵
Within 14 days tell NSW your new address⁶
After 1 month at the new address eligible to enrol there⁷

Pick the date first. Everything else hangs off it: notice and bookings before it, address changes after it.

The list runs in five stages. The first is six weeks or more out, for notice, quotes and insurance. Next comes the final fortnight, for power, gas and mail. Then moving day, with keys and the final inspection. After that come the first 14 days at the new place, for the NSW address change. The last stage is a month in, when the electoral roll catches up. If you want to set the day itself out hour by hour, try the Move Run Sheet Builder on this site.

Six weeks or more out: notice, a written quote and your own cover

Minimum notice a NSW tenant gives, in days

Ending a periodic agreement21
End of a fixed term14
Early exit notice (special cases only)14

A break fee may apply when ending a fixed term early. Sources: NSW Government, minimum notice periods for ending a residential tenancy; NSW Government, moving out of a rental home.

Notice, if you rent. The two numbers that matter are 21 days to end a periodic agreement and 14 days at the end of a fixed term, both minimums set by NSW. Leaving partway through a fixed term is harder. Tenants cannot end a fixed-term agreement early except in special cases, such as the 14-day early exit notice, and a break fee may apply.

A new rental with a pet. Since 2 October 2026, a renter moving into a new NSW rental can keep their pet at the property while waiting for the landlord's consent decision, provided they apply within 7 days of signing the agreement. Put that application in your diary for the day you sign.

The removalist quote. Ask for a written, itemised quote. The contract should list a household inventory, pick-up and delivery addresses, dates and times, how payment is made, and any extra storage costs if there are delays.

What the written, itemised quote and contract should cover

household inventory
pick-up and delivery addresses
dates and times
how payment is made
extra storage costs if there are delays

Source: NSW Government, choosing a removalist.

Insurance for your things. Don't assume the truck's insurance covers your belongings, because removalists are not required by law to insure your property, most only insure their vehicle in an accident, and Fair Trading recommends your own cover. AFRA-accredited removalists have public liability insurance and can provide transit insurance, so ask what is on offer. Check what your own contents policy says about goods in transit before you sign anything.

Moving in late December: the dates to plan around

Monday 14 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027

Thu 17 Dec 2026: Term 4 ends
Fri 18 Dec 2026: Summer holidays begin (Eastern division, to Wed 27 Jan 2027)
Fri 25 Dec: Christmas Day, public holiday
Sat 26 Dec: Boxing Day, public holiday
Mon 28 Dec: additional public holiday
Tue 29, Wed 30 and Thu 31 Dec: ordinary weekdays
Fri 1 Jan 2027: New Year's Day, public holiday

Sources: NSW Government, school holidays; NSW Government, public holidays.

Summer is when families move, and the calendar is tight. Term 4 runs to Thursday 17 December 2026. The Eastern division summer holidays run from Friday 18 December 2026 to Wednesday 27 January 2027. The public holidays fall on Christmas Day, Friday 25 December; Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December; an additional day on Monday 28 December; and New Year's Day, Friday 1 January 2027.

That leaves very few ordinary weekdays between Christmas and New Year. By our count from those dates there are three: Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December.

That matters for your contract. Removalist services carry consumer guarantees, including a reasonable time when none is set, and what is "reasonable" can depend on busy periods and public holidays. A late-December move is the one where you want the date and times written into the contract, not left open.

Two local checks belong on the six-week list as well. If either address is an apartment, book the lift with building management early; our apartment moves page covers that kind of job. For parking a truck on the street, check the current rules with Randwick City Council directly.

A white cab-over removal truck on a quiet Sydney street outside a brick Federation semi with a frangipani tree in flower, a blanket-wrapped dresser and a stack of cardboard boxes on the footpath.

The final fortnight: power, gas and mail

Power and gas. Tell your retailer early you are moving. If you don't, you might pay for energy used at the old address after you left. Give them your new address for the final bill, and photograph or write down meter readings at both places on the day. Renters set this up themselves, because under a standard residential lease tenants arrange their own gas and electricity retailer.

Moving into a newly built place? Move this step to the six-week list or earlier. In a new build gas and electricity may not be available yet, new meters might be needed, and switch-on can take a few months.

Mail. Australia Post redirection runs for 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, with up to 6 names on one application, and proof of identity is required. The price depends on how long the redirection runs, and with a valid concession card "you may be eligible for a reduced rate", so check the current price on the Australia Post page when you apply.

When you apply, you can opt in to notify selected entities, such as insurers and energy providers, of the new address. If you extend later, you'll need your 9-digit customer reference number, and the extension can take up to 3 business days. Miss the pay-by date on the extension letter and you must take out a new service.

Moving day for renters: keys, condition and the final inspection

Handing back a NSW rental

out by the date on your notice
all keys and security devices returned
all belongings removed
place left clean and empty
similar condition to when you moved in
damage beyond reasonable wear and tear repaired or paid for
move-in condition report to hand
attend the final inspection

Source: NSW Government, moving out of a rental home.

The NSW moving-out steps are short: give a termination notice, be out by the date on the notice, return all keys and security devices, and leave the place clean and empty.

"Clean" has a standard behind it. You need to remove all belongings, leave the property in a similar condition to when you moved in, and repair or pay for damage beyond reasonable wear and tear. Keep your move-in condition report to hand, because it helps in a dispute.

Go to the final inspection. The landlord or agent must give you a reasonable opportunity to attend, and if you don't show, the condition report may be completed without you. For the order that cleaning, inspection and the bond claim usually run in, see our guide to getting the bond back. If you're moving out at the end of a lease, our end of lease moves page covers that kind of move.

An empty apartment living room with timber floorboards and late-afternoon light through a sliding glass door to a balcony, with a ring of house keys and an access fob on the kitchen benchtop.

After the move: the address change checklist, in two groups

One MyServiceNSW address change (within 14 days)

driver licence and vehicle registrations

CTP insurance details update automatically
boat licence and vessel registrations
RSA/RCG card
Seniors/Senior Savers Card

No online licence renewal or upgrade for 14 days after an online change

Tell these separately

E-Toll account
electoral enrolment (eligible after 1 month at the new address)
transport concession card
Working with Children Check
Opal card address
Australia Post mail redirection
energy retailer
NSW Pet Registry

Sources: Service NSW, guide to moving house; Service NSW, change your address with NSW Government; NSW Government, changing your name or address; Australian Electoral Commission, update my details; Australia Post, mail redirection; Energy Made Easy, moving house or business; Office of Local Government, NSW Pet Registry.

People tend to leave this step for later, and that is a mistake: if you move house you must tell Transport for NSW your new address within 14 days, online, on 13 77 88 or at a service centre.

Group one: one change, four updates. A single MyServiceNSW Account change updates your driver licence and vehicle registrations, boat licence and vessel registrations, RSA/RCG card and Seniors/Senior Savers Card together. CTP is linked to vehicle registration, so CTP details update automatically. One catch on timing: after an online change, you can't renew or upgrade your NSW driver licence online for 14 days. If a renewal is due, think about which to do first.

Group two: tell these separately. These are the ones people miss. The NSW Government lists E-Toll account, electoral enrolment, transport concession card and Working with Children Check as separate from the one-go update. The Service NSW moving guide also lists mail redirection and the Opal card address. Add your energy retailer from the final fortnight, and your pets:

Electoral roll. When you move you must update your enrolment. You are eligible to enrol at the new address once you've lived there at least one month. You'll need one ID such as a driver licence number, passport number, Medicare details or citizenship number, or someone enrolled to confirm your identity.
Cats and dogs. NSW law requires owners to keep their details and the pet's information up to date in the NSW Pet Registry. When your contact details change, you must update them.

Every date and deadline on one page

Randwick RemovalsNSW moving checklist: dates and deadlines

Tenant notice, periodic agreementminimum 21 daysSource C
Tenant notice, end of fixed termminimum 14 daysSource C
Early exit notice14 daysSource C
Tell Transport for NSW your new addresswithin 14 daysSource E
No online licence renewal or upgrade after an online address change14 daysSource G
Electoral enrolment at the new addresslived there at least 1 monthSource H
Mail redirection1, 3, 6 or 12 months, up to 6 namesSource K
Term 4 ends Thu 17 Dec 2026; summer holidays Fri 18 Dec 2026 to Wed 27 Jan 2027, Eastern divisionSource A
Public holidaysFri 25 Dec, Sat 26 Dec, Mon 28 Dec 2026, Fri 1 Jan 2027Source B

Screenshot this one. It collects the dates, deadlines and options from the checklist above, each with its source, so you have them on your phone on the day.

Your next step

Once you have a date, send it to Randwick Removals through our Get a Quote page, and you get the crew size that fits your move, at the published rate, with a realistic hours range. Ask for the date and times to be written into the contract, because when no time is set, Fair Trading says what is reasonable can depend on busy periods and public holidays. If the summer holidays are your target, the six-week stage starts in early November, so now is a good time to begin the checklist.