The boxes can be ready while the move is not. If you cannot collect the new keys until midday, your old building only allows loading in the morning, and the sofa will not fit in the new lift, packing faster will not solve the problem.
A useful house-moving checklist for Nairobi starts with those dependencies. We would settle the two addresses, access permissions and moving scope before buying supplies. Then the packing plan can follow a date that is actually workable.
This guide is for an ordinary household relocation within Nairobi. For the service itself, see our house and apartment moving options. The checklist below helps you prepare the details a mover needs, whichever company you choose.
First, establish when you can leave and when you can arrive
Write down four things separately: the date your current tenancy ends, the time you must return the old keys, the date the new property becomes available, and the permitted moving hours at the destination. These are often treated as one moving date, although they can create very different constraints.
Ask both landlords or managers for the arrangements in writing. Confirm who releases the keys, whether cleaning or repairs must happen first, and who can authorise access if the usual contact is absent. Do not organise the entire day around an assumption that a caretaker will be available.
If the windows do not overlap, make the gap visible before booking. It might require a different date, an agreed holding arrangement or temporary storage. Keeping a loaded vehicle waiting is not automatically included in the moving price.
Three to four weeks before: define the move
Make an inventory that includes the forgotten spaces
Walk through each room and list the large items. Include the balcony, laundry area, store, garage and furniture you have lent to someone else but intend to collect. Note beds that need dismantling, a bulky sofa, glass tables, plants and unusually heavy pieces. Photograph items whose size or condition could affect handling.
Separate the list into moving, selling, donating and disposing. A quotation based on everything in the house will not become accurate simply because you hope to declutter later. Finish the important decisions and send the revised inventory before confirming the vehicle and crew.
For boxes, give an initial estimate and update it as packing progresses. A room count alone says little about accumulated books, kitchenware or a home office. The point is to describe the load, not to produce an impressive spreadsheet.
Compare the same work in each quotation
Ask whether each quotation includes packing labour, materials, furniture protection, dismantling, loading, transport, unloading and reassembly. Discuss appliance preparation separately. Record anything you will handle yourself so both sides know where the crew’s work begins.
Use our Nairobi moving-cost guide for budgeting context, then compare written quotations for the actual inventory. A transport-only price and a packing-and-moving price are different services, even if both are described casually as moving a one-bedroom home.
Check the route through each building
Follow the largest item from its current room to the loading point, then imagine the same journey at the destination. Check doors, corridor turns, stair landings, lift dimensions and the entrance to the new room. Measure the narrowest points where a bulky piece may struggle.
A lift that carries people comfortably may not accept a long sofa. A truck may also be too tall for a basement entrance. In that situation, the important number is the carrying distance from the permitted parking point, not the distance between the two homes.
For a Kileleshwa apartment move, our existing guide explains basement clearance and upper-floor access. The Kilimani building-access guide covers lift bookings and management rules. Use the questions that apply to your buildings rather than assuming either estate follows one set of rules.
Send the mover a short access brief
- Written addresses, building names and map pins for the correct entrances.
- Floor numbers and whether a service lift can be reserved.
- The agreed loading point and any vehicle-height restriction.
- Permitted moving hours and the contact who authorises entry.
- Large items needing a separate handling assessment.
Share changes promptly. A different entrance or a lift becoming unavailable can change the labour and schedule even when your inventory stays the same.
One to two weeks before: organise the household, not just the boxes
Confirm the booking date, proposed arrival window, contact person and payment stages. Keep the accepted quotation and any updates together. Ask how to notify the company if access or the inventory changes; messages scattered across several contacts can lead to different versions of the plan.
Arrange internet and other household services directly with their providers. Check what must be transferred, disconnected or installed, and avoid promising yourself that every service will work immediately after furniture arrives. If you work from home, identify how you will handle a delayed connection.
Decide where children and pets will be during loading. The doorway, staircase and lift are working areas, and the person directing the move cannot always supervise dependants at the same time. Organise a separate responsible adult or a suitable arrangement before the day becomes busy.
Discuss professional packing support early if you want help with the kitchen, fragile items or the whole household. Partial packing only works when the division of tasks is explicit and the materials will arrive in time.
During the final week, pack in the order you stop using things
Begin with seasonal clothing, spare linen, books and decorative items. Keep the everyday kitchen and bathroom usable for as long as you need them. Packing by room is useful, but packing by how soon you will need an item prevents repeated reopening of boxes.
Number boxes and mark the destination room on the top and a side. Keep private or valuable contents off labels that will be visible in corridors. A simple record such as “Box 12, bedroom, linen” is enough to help locate something later without advertising everything it contains.
Keep fittings with the item they belong to. Put labelled screw bags and instructions in a controlled container, and photograph furniture before dismantling. Avoid a single unlabelled bag containing parts from several beds and wardrobes.
Review appliances with the mover and their manuals. Empty and dry what needs to be empty and dry; confirm who will disconnect anything requiring technical work. Do not assume a moving crew is also the installer for every gas, water or electrical connection.
The day before: create a small no-load zone
Set aside documents, medication, keys, phones, chargers, money and the items needed for the first evening. Add a change of clothes, toiletries, drinking water and essentials for children. Keep these in a clearly separate area and tell the crew they will travel with you.
Photograph the condition of valuable items and any existing marks. Photograph the old property’s rooms and meter readings as appropriate, and arrange a handover record with the landlord. This is practical documentation, not a guarantee about deposit deductions or legal outcomes.
Confirm that the receiving home has usable rooms, working access and somewhere safe to place the load. If it is not ready, discuss storage between moving dates before collection. Improvising at the gate leaves fewer useful options.
Moving day: one person directs, another record checks
Introduce the person who can make decisions and walk the crew through fragile items, furniture requiring dismantling and anything excluded from the load. Confirm the plan for the largest pieces before the smaller boxes obstruct the route.
Use an inventory at collection. Retain a copy and take photographs where useful. Keep walkways clear and avoid asking several people to give conflicting room-placement instructions. At the new home, simple room labels can save repeated carrying.
Before leaving the old property, check cupboards, balconies, bathrooms, stores and behind doors. Complete the agreed key handover and retain your records. Make sure the receiving person has the crew’s contact and understands the delivery arrangements.
At arrival, count boxes and large pieces against the list. Note missing items or visible damage promptly, with photographs where relevant. Ask for the written reporting process if an issue arises. Do not sign a statement you have not read or describe an unchecked load as fully inspected.
Keep the booking contact and delivery records accessible on your phone, with a second copy available if your battery runs out.
Make the first evening functional
Start with beds, bathroom essentials and the basic kitchen items you need. Keep empty packaging away from exits. Check that essential household equipment can be used safely before reconnecting it, following the relevant manufacturer’s instructions.
There is no prize for emptying every box on the first night. Put frequently used belongings where you can reach them, find the important fittings and keep the inventory until the checks are complete. Report an issue while the details are clear rather than waiting until every cupboard is organised.
If you are requesting a quotation from us, send the inventory and access brief through our moving enquiry form. The most useful preparation is a plan that the household, both buildings and the moving team can all follow.