There is no getting away from the fact that moving house can be a headache. There are all sorts of things to remember and some say it is as stressful as death and divorce, but not as much fun.

Fear not! Removals specialist Anthony Ward Thomas has provided the following moving checklist to make the move as painless as possible.

Advance to do list:

Cancel and transfer home insurance.

Notify car and life insurance of your change of address.

Make sure utilities are transferred to the new address (TV, phone, internet). The right Internet when moving house is important, so be sure to do this.

Round up utility bills (electricity, gas, council tax)

Redirect your post.

Have change of address cards sent out.

Start the registration process of a new doctor if required.

Book in the removal with plenty of notice.

Have parking for the removal secured (a removals specialist such as Ward Thomas can organise that for you)

Book in a cleaner.

Start packing, if the removal men are not packing everything.

Start sorting out your possessions: what is going with you, what is staying, what is being thrown, given away, sold, put into store.

Become familiar with your new home, parking, access requirements (the size of corridors and rooms. Will everything fit?).

Lists and separate your belongings:

List your main possessions, appliances, large furniture etc. and have a clear idea of where it’s going in the new home. Ideally label them as it will make the move easier.

Label items if they are going into storage, being sold or thrown away. It helps to colour code between these different destinations.

If you feel it’s necessary to have an exact list of what is in each box, number the box and write a list on paper with that number as a reference. If you try to list everything on the box itself it will be come unreadable.

It helps add to your moving checklist a small survival kit that you can pack for your first night in the new house or your last night in the old house, when everything is packed:

Toothbrushes, toothpaste and general toiletries.

Loo paper.

Towels.

Tea, coffee, sugar.

Crockery and cutlery, one for each of the family.

A change of clothes and pyjamas.

Emergency toys and books to keep the children happy.

Takeaway menus.

Last minute ‘to do’ list.

Record all meter readings.

Make sure you have keys to the new house, ideally before the move as waiting for keys can be the biggest cause for frustrating delay.

Check every nook and cranny for forgotten items when the house is empty.

Switch off water, gas and electricity.

And most importantly – make sure you have a good bottle of champagne to crack open in the new house.

It is best to start working through such a checklist early and planning the run up to the move on a day-to-day basis. And of course, while this moving checklist aims to be the Holy Grail, look for personal specifics to your move. You might own a giant sofa that you’re moving from your open barn conversion into a basement via impossibly narrow corridors. It is wise to use this removal checklist as a guideline and add to it whatever is relevant to your move.

Our Features Editor Amy said: “Every time I move home I buy a new toothbrush. Is that weird?”

Yes Amy. Yes it is.