The UAE Moving Checklist: Week by Week, From Notice to First Night

A move in the UAE rarely falls apart on moving day. It falls apart three weeks earlier, when nobody booked the service lift, the notice letter is still sitting in your drafts, and the school uniforms are somewhere in a box with no label. This checklist breaks the job into small weekly pieces. Do them in order and the final days feel surprisingly quiet.

As soon as you know you are moving

Start with the document that sets your deadline: your tenancy contract. Notice periods and renewal conditions differ from one contract to another, so read yours rather than trusting what a friend did last year. Then speak to your landlord or agent and agree a handover date in writing.

• Check the notice terms in your tenancy contract and give notice the way it asks.
• Ask your landlord what condition the home must be in at handover.
• Choose a moving date, and a backup date if you can. The end of a tenancy cycle gets busy.
• Start a single note on your phone for every date, name and reference number.

Four weeks before: quotes and permissions

This is the week for the phone calls you would rather avoid. Ask at least two movers for a written quote, and show them what you really own, including the storeroom and the balcony. Then contact building management at both ends. Many towers and communities ask for a move permit and a service-lift booking, and each one has its own rules, documents and time slots. Ask them directly and get the answer in writing.

• Collect written quotes that show the same scope.
• Ask both buildings about permits, lift bookings, permitted hours and any deposits.
• Decide what you will sell, donate or throw away. Never pay to move something you dislike.

Three weeks before: sort and start packing

Work through one room at a time, starting with what you use least: books, seasonal clothes, decorations and the kitchen gadget you bought during a brave moment. Label every box with the room and a short list of what is inside. Writing only 'kitchen' on twelve boxes is how you end up eating dinner with a serving spoon.

• Pack rarely used items first.
• Gather important documents, passports and certificates in one folder that travels with you.
• Measure large furniture and check it fits the new lift, doors and stairs.

Two weeks before: accounts and addresses

Now deal with the invisible parts of a home. Contact your electricity, water, gas, internet and cooling providers to ask how to close or transfer your accounts, and what they need from you. Update your address with your bank, your employer, the school and any regular deliveries. If you need the air conditioning serviced at the new place, book it now. After a summer move, you will thank yourself.

The final week: confirm everything

Call your mover and confirm the date, arrival time and final list of items. Confirm the lift bookings too. Use up what is in the freezer, wash the bedding you will not need, and plan which wardrobes must be emptied before the crew arrives.

• Defrost and dry the fridge the day before if it is moving with you.
• Pack valuables, medicine and chargers in a bag that stays with you.
• Take photos of the empty home at handover, plus meter readings if your landlord or provider asks for them.

Moving day and your first night

Stay reachable and keep one person in charge of questions. Walk through every room and cupboard before the truck leaves, then do the same at the new home before the crew finishes. Pack one open-first box for the night: bedding, towels, toiletries, kettle, mugs, snacks, phone chargers and something the kids love. Make the beds first. Everything else can wait for the morning.

If you would rather hand over the heavy part, Al Mizan Movers can take care of packing, furniture dismantling and reassembly, with a clear written quote before any work begins.