Moving house inventory list: a room-by-room guide for quote day

Before anyone quotes your move, walk your home room by room and write down every item you want the removalist to handle. Then hand that list over in writing. AFRA says the quote depends on how much you intend to have moved, and that an inventory of every item you want handled helps ensure an accurate quote.

Here is why it matters. In CHOICE's own example, a 3-bedroom metro Sydney move, one removalist estimated 4 to 6.5 hours. That is a 2.5-hour spread for the same house, so the top of the range runs 62.5% longer than the bottom. That figure is our estimate: 6.5 minus 4 is 2.5, and 2.5 divided by 4 is 0.625. AFRA's executive director, quoted by CHOICE, also names contents the customer did not estimate correctly as one cause of longer jobs. A list won't make the hours certain. It does give the quote something firm to stand on.

Why a moving house inventory list is what your quote runs on

An hourly quote is a quote on the rate, not the hours, and without an inspection, a detailed video or an inventory of the items and both locations, the move may be significantly more than first estimated. If certainty matters more to you, the same CHOICE article says a fixed price is best. Our guide to how removalist hourly rates work covers that choice in full.

The list does three jobs at once:

• It sets the scope. NSW Fair Trading says to give the removalist all the details about your move so they can quote accurately.
• It makes the quote checkable. The same page says the quote should be itemised, and the removalist should be able to account for every charge. You can only check line items against a list you wrote.
• It heads off the "I thought you were taking that" moment. AFRA says a full inventory means no dispute between what the removalist will move and what you will take care of yourself.

AFRA's own Inventory Form works on the same principle: the final quote is based on all items you check to be removed. Our advice at Punt Road Removals is to treat your list as the job description. Anything left off it becomes a conversation on moving day instead of on quote day.

How to build a household inventory list for moving, room by room

Start at the front door and walk the house in one direction, so you don't double back and miss a room. Go outside too. Count furniture and appliances one by one, and estimate cartons per room rather than listing every mug. Mark each line with its pile: removalist, you, or not going. Then walk it again a few days later. The second pass always finds something.

These room prompts are a starting point. Add whatever your home actually holds.

Kitchen

• Count: fridge, freezer, microwave, dishwasher if freestanding, table and chairs, bins, plus cartons for crockery, pantry and cookware.
• Often missed: the second fridge, the wine rack, the top shelf of the pantry.
• Watch: fridges are among the appliances that often need specialist attention. Preparing them is not the removalist's job, so check the manufacturer's instructions. AFRA also says don't leave food in the fridge.

Living and dining

• Count: sofas (note how many modules), TV and stand, entertainment unit, bookshelves, rugs, lamps, mirrors and artwork.
• Often missed: a wall-mounted TV, rugs under furniture, things stored on top of tall units.
• Watch: stereos sit on AFRA's list of appliances needing specialist attention.

Bedrooms

• Count: beds by size, with bases and mattresses listed separately, freestanding wardrobes, chests of drawers, bedside tables, cots, desks.
• Often missed: under-bed storage, and anything in built-ins, which stay with the house while their contents go.
• Watch: jewellery goes in your own pile, not a carton.

Bathroom and laundry

• Count: washing machine, dryer, laundry baskets, ironing board, shelving, cartons for linen and toiletries.
• Often missed: the cupboard under the laundry tub.
• Watch: the washing machine needs prep to the manufacturer's instructions. AFRA suggests you keep cleaning equipment apart so you can clean after the removalist leaves, and says not to leave dirty clothing unattended.

Study

• Count: desk, chair, filing cabinet, bookshelves, computers, printers, cartons of books and files.
• Often missed: the router and cables, the shredder.
• Watch: passports and valuable documents travel with you.

Garage

• Count: shelving, tool chests, bikes, the garage fridge, workbench, cartons of tools.
• Often missed: sports equipment, which CHOICE lists among items that might not be reasonably included in a quote.
• Watch: the lawnmower, fuel and fire extinguishers need action first. See the table below.

Outdoor and balcony

• Count: outdoor table and chairs, sun lounges, BBQ, pot plants, kids' play gear, garden tools, hoses.
• Often missed: CHOICE names outdoor furniture, sports equipment or pot plants as the things that might not be reasonably included. Count every pot.
• Watch: gas BBQs, pool chemicals and plants each have their own rules.

Storage, roof and loft

• Count: cartons you haven't opened since the last move, suitcases, seasonal decorations, spare furniture.
• Often missed: the roof space itself, and any storage cage that belongs to your unit.
• Watch: collections and special interest items are carried depending on company policy, so name them on the list and ask.

How to count boxes on a moving inventory list

Your list says "Kitchen: about 15 cartons". The cartons need to say "Kitchen" back. AFRA's packing advice is to group items that go together, such as one bedroom or the study, and mark the room destination on top and at least one side of every carton. That way each box matches a line on your inventory and lands in the right room.

A few carton rules from the same page change your count. Pack heavy items in smaller, heavy-duty cartons, which means more boxes for a bookcase than you'd guess. Pack to within 5 cm of the top of the carton, cushioned with crushed paper. Use unprinted butchers paper rather than newspaper. For what to pack first and what to leave until last, see the packing order.

Three piles in every room: moving, yours, and not going

Every item on your list belongs in one of three piles.

1. Moves with the removalist. This is the written inventory you hand over.
2. You move yourself. AFRA says to keep jewellery, passports and other valuable documents separate, to be conveyed by you. Add a box of things you'll need on arrival and put it in your car. CHOICE also suggests moving some items yourself or on a different date.
3. Doesn't go. CHOICE says to declutter and sell unwanted items first. Whatever is left in this pile on the day, AFRA says to set aside everything that is not being moved and tell the removalist on arrival.

Do the sorting before quote day, not after. A sofa you're selling still counts if it's on the list, and a pile that shrinks later leaves your quote describing a bigger move than the one you're having. If you're moving out of a larger family home, the downsizer's plan takes this sorting further.

What to sort before the truck arrives

Some items can't simply go in the truck. Flag each one on your inventory as "needs action" so it gets raised at the quote, not on the footpath.

• Gas BBQ cylinders. A removalist will not carry them without a certificate from a Gas Cylinder Test Station certified by Standards Australia, stating the cylinder has been purged. AFRA is blunt: never burn off or vent the gas.
• Mowers and petrol garden gear. Petrol must be drained from mowers. AFRA's do's list adds that you should empty petrol-powered items safely.
• Pool chemicals and fire extinguishers. Both are on AFRA's list of items requiring special attention. Ask your removalist how they handle them.
• Ammunition, aerosols and explosives. AFRA says don't pack ammunition, aerosol cans or other explosive items.
• Plants and animals. Both appear on AFRA's ineligible list, and plants may need a certificate. Plan for pets to travel with you.
• Appliances. Fridges, washing machines, stereos and computers need preparing to the manufacturer's instructions, because AFRA says that prep is not the removalist's responsibility.

AFRA's list also excludes items in unclean condition. If anything on your inventory is borderline, ask when you're quoted.

What to hand over on quote day

CHOICE notes that some removalists inspect and quote at your home. Either way, give your inventory in writing and keep a copy. If nobody is coming to look, a detailed video of the items and both locations is the other basis the AFRA executive director names for an estimate that holds up.

Film the access too: the driveway, the stairs, the lift, the street out front. CHOICE says a "ferry vehicle" may be needed if a large truck can't get close to the home. Our guides to steep streets, unit moves and Hunters Hill's heritage streets cover what to show for each.

Then check the paperwork against your list:

• The quote. Get a written quote, and expect it to be itemised. On an hourly job, ask about breaks, since CHOICE says staff breaks required by law may also have to be paid for.
• The contract. NSW Fair Trading says it should contain a household inventory of goods being moved. It should also list the pick-up and delivery addresses, dates and times, how payment is made, and any extra storage costs if there are delays. Compare that inventory line by line with yours.
• Before packing starts. AFRA says don't let goods be packed without the correct paperwork being received and signed.

What your inventory tells your insurer, and what a removalist covers

A removalist's duty is to an item's value at the time of the move, not its replacement cost, and for most second-hand goods that value is negligible. AFRA's executive director suggests considering "new for old" cover.

Know where cover does and doesn't come from:

• Removalists. NSW Fair Trading says removalists are not required by law to provide insurance for your property during a move, and most only insure their vehicle. AFRA-accredited removalists have public liability insurance and can provide transit insurance as a separate premium, which can be extended to storage.
• Who can sell it. A removalist qualified to sell transit insurance can give you a Product Disclosure Statement and a Financial Services Guide. AFRA's page says that if they can't, they may not be qualified. It also notes that not all damage and breakage is the removalist's liability.
• Your own policy. CHOICE says most home and contents insurers cover contents in transit, but many don't cover accidental damage during the move. Cover at both addresses usually lasts 14 days, up to 60 days for some insurers, and it is often event-limited.
• Packing yourself. AFRA says to ask whether unpacking your own boxes reduces the cost, but breakages may not be accepted as a claim if you pack or unpack.

It also helps to have a copy of your inventory to hand when you ask your insurer what's covered, so you can point to the actual list of what's travelling rather than a guess.

Your moving inventory at a glance

One walk-through, three piles and a written list answer most of the questions above. Tape the summary inside a kitchen cupboard and tick it off as you go.

Ready for a quote from Punt Road Removals

When your list is done, walk the house once more with it in hand. Then request a removals quote from Punt Road Removals and have the inventory, and any access video, beside you when you do. If you're not sure we cover your suburb, our service area page lists Gladesville and the streets around it.