First 30 Days Post Move Checklist for Australians: Deadlines to Meet

Secure the property, confirm your utilities are connected, and update myGov before anything else — that trio prevents most of the headaches new movers face. From there, work through mail redirection, safety checks, and insurance updates within the first week, then tackle the slower admin (electoral enrolment, bank records, subscriptions) across your first 30 days.

TL;DR:

Changing external locks and confirming all utilities are operational should be completed within the first 48 hours to ensure property security.

Updating government records requires separate steps: myGov covers linked services, but electoral and driver’s license updates need individual attention within their respective deadlines.

Book internet installation early and verify final meter readings to prevent delays or disputes with providers during the first week.

Documenting property condition and safety features with photos before unpacking helps protect against future disputes or claims.

For high-value or fragile belongings, professional moving services with tracking and specialized handling offer faster, safer relocation options.

EasyMove Services

Move Your Belongings With Confidence

EasyMove Services combines live tracking with personalised moving and packing services to help keep your goods safe and secure in transit.

Visit EasyMove Services

Post move checklist: what to do in the first 48 hours
Post move checklist: government and admin updates that have deadlines
Utilities, internet and the other services people forget
Safety checks to run before you unpack another box
Insurance, warranties and paperwork to file straight away
Unpacking without losing your mind
When it’s worth calling in professional help
Sorting out the packing material chaos
Telling your bank, super fund and subscriptions where you live now
Don’t forget your pets in the move
Getting your security sorted in the new place
Getting to know the street you now live on
The first 30 days matter more than people expect
Let EasyMove Services handle the heavy lifting
Where to check the details yourself
Sources
FAQ

Post move checklist: what to do in the first 48 hours

The first two days set the tone for the whole settling-in period. Get these done before you worry about anything else:

Change or rekey the external locks. You don’t know how many keys are floating around from previous tenants or owners, so treat this as non-negotiable, not optional.
Take meter readings and photograph them. Do this for electricity, gas and water on the day you get the keys, then confirm final reads with your outgoing address if you’re the one moving out of a previous lease.
Confirm utility connections are live. Test power points, hot water and gas appliances immediately so you can flag a fault while it’s still fresh.
Set up Australia Post mail redirection and keep the confirmation receipt somewhere safe. It’s your buffer against lost bills and correspondence while everyone else catches up with your new address.
Unpack your first-night box and confirm your phone and internet access works for anything urgent.

Pro Tip: Photograph every meter reading with your phone’s timestamp visible, then email the photos to yourself. If a provider disputes a reading later, you’ve got a dated record ready to go.

Post move checklist: government and admin updates that have deadlines

This is where most people lose momentum, mainly because Australia doesn’t have one button that updates everything. There’s no single centralised address-change service — you’ll need to notify several organisations separately, and the timelines aren’t all the same.

Start with myGov, which updates your address across linked services including the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and Medicare in one go. It’s the single most efficient move you can make in your first week.

But myGov has limits. It won’t touch everything on your list:

Centrelink payments need updating within 14 days if you’re a recipient, since a late update can delay or interrupt payments.
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) enrolment is not automatically updated through myGov — you have to lodge a separate change with the AEC, and there are state-specific timeframes for how quickly you need to act.
Vehicle and driver’s licence registration also runs on state-specific deadlines, so check your state transport authority directly rather than assuming a national rule applies.
Banks, superannuation funds and insurers usually want proof of your new address, such as a lease agreement or a utility bill, before they’ll update their records.
School and medical records need direct contact with the relevant school, GP or specialist. They won’t pick this up automatically.

Missing the Centrelink window is the most common costly slip. A 14-day deadline sounds generous until you’re three weeks deep in unpacking boxes and haven’t thought about it once.

Utilities, internet and the other services people forget

Getting your household running properly means more than flicking a switch. Confirm these are sorted in your first week:

Record final meter readings for electricity, gas and water, and pass them on to your previous address’s provider if you were the one relocating out.
Book your NBN or internet service provider connection as early as possible. Installation windows vary, and a delay of a week or two isn’t unusual if you book late.
Have a mobile hotspot or data plan ready as a stopgap if there’s a gap between move-in and connection.
Sort your council’s bin and recycling collection days, since they’re rarely the same as your last address.
Update streaming and pay-TV account addresses for billing purposes.
Arrange for medical records to be transferred to a new GP if you’ve moved outside your old practice’s area.

Safety checks to run before you unpack another box

A few minutes spent here saves a lot of grief later. Before you get absorbed in unpacking, run through this:

Test every smoke alarm and replace batteries if they’re due — this is often overlooked entirely by outgoing tenants or sellers.
Find your switchboard, water main and gas shut-off so you’re not searching for them in the dark during an actual emergency.
Change the external locks if you haven’t already, and test any existing security system. A locksmith visit for a standard rekey is a small cost against the alternative.
Photograph the property’s condition, room by room, noting any existing damage. Documenting condition with dated photos is one of the simplest steps that pays off if an insurance claim or a bond dispute comes up later.

Pro Tip: Do the switchboard and shut-off check on move-in day, not week two. You want to know where these are before you need them, not while water is pooling on the kitchen floor.

Insurance, warranties and paperwork to file straight away

Your home and contents insurance needs updating to the new address, with cover confirmed to start on move-in day, not some date after you’ve settled in. If you’re in a strata property, check whether building insurance is handled separately by the body corporate.

Gather appliance manuals, builder warranties and any service records into one folder or a labelled box. It’s tempting to bin these during the move, but they’re far harder to track down later if something breaks.

Keep every confirmation you receive for address changes and mail redirection. Insurers and banks often ask for exactly this kind of proof when you lodge a claim or open an account.

Unpacking without losing your mind

Trying to finish everything in one weekend is how people burn out. Work through it in this order instead:

Pack a first-night box before the move: bedding, toiletries, basic kitchen items, phone chargers, medicines and any important documents you’ll need immediately.
Prioritise high-use rooms — bedroom, bathroom, kitchen — over the spare room or garage, which can wait weeks without anyone noticing.
Label boxes by room, not by category, so removalists or family helping you carry can place them straight where they belong.
Set a daily target rather than trying to finish in one go, and keep a staging area free for sorting items you haven’t decided where to put yet.

If you’re clearing out items you no longer need as part of the move, this guide to what to keep when downsizing is a useful reference for sorting sentimental items from clutter.

When it’s worth calling in professional help

Some jobs are worth paying for rather than DIYing badly. Bulky items like pianos or pool tables, high-value furniture, and moves involving accessibility needs or NDIS supports usually go faster and safer with trained hands.

Professional moving services can handle packing and unpacking, disassembly and reassembly, live tracking for goods in transit, specialist handling for fragile or valuable items, and moving support compliant with NDIS requirements. Before booking anyone, have ready:

A photographed inventory of valuable or fragile items.
Clear access details for both properties (stairs, lifts, parking restrictions).
Written confirmation of what’s included in the quote, including insurance cover for goods in transit.

Sorting out the packing material chaos

Once the boxes are empty, you’re left with a mountain of cardboard, bubble wrap and tape that somehow multiplies overnight. Dealing with it properly matters, both for your council bin limits and for your own sanity.

Flatten cardboard boxes rather than leaving them whole. Most councils accept flattened cardboard in recycling, but whole boxes take up space and can jam collection trucks. Check your local council’s specific recycling rules before you dump everything in one bin, since some councils separate soft plastics like bubble wrap and packing peanuts from standard recycling.

Don’t bin good moving boxes straight away. If they’re intact, offer them to a neighbour, a local Buy Nothing group, or a charity that resells moving supplies. Someone in your new area is almost certainly planning a move of their own.

Bubble wrap, foam sheets and packing peanuts usually aren’t kerbside recyclable in most council areas. Check for a soft plastics drop off point at a local supermarket, or reuse the material for storage if you’re keeping boxes long term.

If you used a removalist, ask whether they collect and reuse crates or packing blankets. Many do, which saves you the disposal problem altogether. And if you’re still deciding how to source materials for a future move, this guide to finding moving boxes is worth bookmarking for next time.

Telling your bank, super fund and subscriptions where you live now

Financial institutions are usually stricter about address updates than most other organisations, mainly because they’re bound by identity verification rules. Expect to provide proof such as a lease, a rates notice, or a recent utility bill in your name at the new address.

Work through this list in order of how much it costs you to forget:

Banks and credit card providers first, since a missed statement or a fraud alert sent to your old address is the costliest thing to overlook.
Superannuation funds, particularly if you’re expecting statements or have recently changed jobs.
Insurance providers for car, health and life policies, not just home and contents.
Subscription services like streaming, software and gym memberships, which often bill through a card linked to an old billing address and can trigger a payment failure if the mismatch flags fraud checks.
Loyalty and rewards programs, low priority, but worth batching into the same session so you’re not doing this one at a time for months.

Most banks let you update your address through their app or online banking portal now, which cuts this down to minutes rather than a phone queue. Super funds are usually slower and may require a signed form, so don’t leave that one until the last week of your 30 day window.

Don’t forget your pets in the move

Pet registration is council based in most states, which means it doesn’t move with your address automatically the way some government services attempt to. You’ll usually need to update your pet’s registration with your new local council directly, and in some states, you have a set window (often around 14 days) to do this before you risk a fine for an unregistered animal at your new address.

Update your microchip registry details separately. This is arguably more important than council registration, because it’s the microchip database, not the council record, that reunites you with a lost pet. Check which national registry your chip is linked to and update the address and phone number online.

Transfer veterinary records to a new local vet if you’ve moved outside your previous clinic’s area, especially if your pet is on ongoing medication or has a chronic condition. Ask your old vet for a written summary or a referral letter rather than relying on verbal history when you register with someone new.

If your new home has a different council area with different rules around fencing, leash laws, or off leash zones, it’s worth a quick check of the local council website before your first walk. Rules vary more between councils than most new residents expect.

Getting your security sorted in the new place

A rekey handles the obvious risk, but a proper monitored security system is a separate decision worth thinking through in your first few weeks rather than your first few days.

If the property already has a security system installed, don’t assume it’s disarmed or that old codes are void. Contact the monitoring company directly to transfer the account into your name, or to confirm the system has been wiped of the previous occupant’s access codes and users.

For a new setup, decide early whether you want a monitored system with a call centre response, or a self-monitored setup that alerts your phone directly. Monitored systems typically involve an ongoing monthly fee on top of installation, while self-monitored options shift the cost toward one-off hardware.

Smart locks and video doorbells are worth considering if you want visibility without a full alarm system, particularly for apartments or units where a hardwired system isn’t practical or permitted by the strata by-laws. Check your lease or strata rules before installing anything that alters the exterior of the property, since some buildings restrict modifications to shared or visible areas.

Whatever you choose, test it properly before you rely on it. A security system that hasn’t been checked since the last occupant left is not a system you can trust yet.

Getting to know the street you now live on

Settling into a house is one thing. Settling into a neighbourhood is another, and it’s the part people tend to skip entirely in the rush of admin and unpacking.

A short introduction to the neighbours either side of you is worth the five minutes it takes. It’s practical, not just polite. They’ll often know things you can’t find online, like which bin day actually applies, whether the street has a strata or precinct issue you should know about, or who to call about a shared fence.

Local Facebook groups or community noticeboards for your suburb are usually more useful than they sound. They’re often the fastest way to find a reliable local tradesperson, hear about upcoming council works, or get a heads up on anything affecting your specific street.

If you’ve got kids, check whether the local school or community centre runs any welcome sessions or has a parents’ group for new families. Councils in many areas also run new-resident information sessions, worth a look on your local council’s website if you want a faster way to learn what’s actually available nearby.

None of this needs to happen in week one. But it’s easy to let it slide indefinitely once the admin settles down, and a lot of the practical value of knowing your neighbours only shows up later, when you actually need a hand.

The first 30 days matter more than people expect

Skipping the boring admin in favour of unpacking feels natural, but it’s exactly how bills go missing and cover lapses go unnoticed. A simple 30-day plan, with confirmation receipts kept for every address change, is the difference between a smooth settle-in and a stressful one.

— EasyMovers

Let EasyMove Services handle the heavy lifting

If you’re staring down a pile of fragile boxes, a piano that needs three people to shift, or a move that requires NDIS-compliant support, that’s exactly where EasyMove Services earns its keep. Unlike doing it yourself and hoping nothing gets damaged in transit, some moving services offer personalised packing and unpacking combined with live tracking, providing customers visibility of their goods throughout transit.

Specialist moving services may include handling of fragile and high-value items, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and moving and packing support compliant with NDIS standards for participants requiring extra care with mobility equipment or personal belongings. If tracked visibility on a move matters to you, particularly for valuables or a long interstate haul, it’s worth reading about why tracked moving services give you more control over the process than a standard removalist run. Get in touch to talk through what your move actually needs.

Where to check the details yourself

For the government processes covered above, go straight to the source:

Services Australia: changing your address
Change of address checklist: ATO, Medicare, Centrelink

Sources

FAQ

What should be my first priority after moving in?

Secure the property by changing or rekeying external locks, confirm your utilities are connected and working, and set up Australia Post mail redirection within the first 48 hours.

How long does Australia Post mail redirection last?

Most people redirect mail for at least three months as a buffer while government agencies, banks and subscription services update their records at their own pace.

Does myGov update every government service automatically?

No — myGov updates linked services like the ATO and Medicare, but electoral enrolment through the AEC and some other services require a separate update.

How soon do I need to update Centrelink after moving?

Centrelink recipients generally need to update their address within 14 days of moving to avoid payment delays or interruptions.

Is it worth hiring professional movers for a house move?

For bulky or high-value items, long interstate moves, or NDIS-related relocations, professional movers with live tracking and specialist handling, like EasyMove Services, typically move goods faster and with far less risk of damage than a DIY move.