2 min read

Student moving checklist and timeline

A practical week-by-week student moving checklist to help you pack, plan, and move between semesters without the stress.
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Student moving checklist and timeline

Planning your move can be difficult, especially when you’re juggling coursework, deadlines, and exams. This student moving checklist and timeline will help you stay organised and fully prepared for moving day.

3 months before

  • Secure your next accommodation.
  • Finalise your moving day and note any gap between leases.
  • Start decluttering to minimise your packing volume, time and money. 

Want to make packing easier and start fresh in your new space? Check out our decluttering guide packed with expert tips, viral Cleantok trends, and motivation to keep you going.

2 months before

1 month before

  • It's time to pack, starting with items you don’t use. You can even save time and hire a professional packing service to handle it for you.

2 weeks before

  • Arrange a professional clean before moving out. Confirm if your new place will be cleaned (by the previous tenants) before moving in.
  • Confirm the move-out time with your current landlord and your move-in time with your next landlord.

1 week before

  • Pack your final items, and put together a bag of essentials to keep with you on moving day.
  • Check in with your moving service to finalise the details.

Moving day

  • Walk through your current student accommodation with your landlord to note any damages (and hopefully secure your full deposit back).
  • Meet your movers and move!
  • Walk through your new student accommodation to note any pre-existing damages. Assess if you’ll need to book a cleaning service before unpacking.

After moving day

  • Start unpacking (or hire professionals to do it for you).
  • Set up your WiFi if needed.
  • Change your address with your university, bank, insurance, etc.

Moving as a student can feel overwhelming, but with a solid checklist, you’ll have everything under control from start to finish. Start early, stay organised, and lean on reliable student movers if you need help with the heavy lifting. Once the boxes are unpacked, you can focus on what really matters: settling into your new home and the year ahead.

Read our student moving guide for more tips on finding your accommodation, packing, budgeting and more, and start your new student life chapter with confidence.

What do our customers say?

Read reviews of Wise Move to learn stories from our customers.
R 1,250
L shaped modular couch
Cape Town
Cape Town
10
Pieter
Reviewed 15 hours ago
Hi was thoroughly impressed in the manner which Xolani from IB Logistics took care of the transport of our couch. Every aspect of the process was handled to a very high standard.
R 4,000
Theresapark, Akasia
Richmond, Johannesburg
10
Nadia
Reviewed 20 hours ago
All I can say is Wow, such professionalism ,very friendly and helpful, they truly go out of there way to help you and make you feel at ease, will definetly recommend them
R 900
Farningham Ridge, Pinetown
Sarnia, Pinetown
10
CLINTON
Reviewed 23 hours ago
I was very happy with their workmanship and punctuality. The move went smoothly.
R 6,000
Kilner Park, Pretoria
Waverley, Pretoria
10
Lisa
Reviewed 1 day ago
Andre's service was professional and punctual, and he took great care with my furniture. I'll certainly keep him in mind for future moves.
R 8,500
Joubertina
Noordheuwel, Krugersdorp
10
Louwrens
Reviewed 3 days ago
Enoch and his team were excellent. Very reliable. The updates give you peace of mind. Extremely satisfied.