Moving tips
Essential Steps to Take After Moving to a New Home
The move is done — now what? A practical checklist for the first days and weeks in a new home in Quebec: safety, utilities, addresses, paperwork and settling in.
The truck is gone, the boxes are in, and the new home is officially yours. The first days after a move are when small tasks pile up — and when a few important ones are easy to forget. This checklist covers what to do in the first day, the first week and the first month after moving in, with the Quebec-specific steps most people miss.
The first day: safety and essentials
Walk through with the crew chief
Before the movers leave, walk through the home with the crew chief. Check that every room has its furniture, beds are assembled, and nothing is missing from the inventory. If anything is damaged, note it and photograph it now; it is much easier to resolve on the spot than weeks later.
Check the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
Test every smoke alarm and, if the home has a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage, the carbon monoxide detector. Replace batteries or missing detectors immediately. Find the electrical panel, the main water shut-off valve and, if there is one, the gas shut-off.
Change or rekey the locks
You do not know who has keys to a previous owner’s or tenant’s home. Changing or rekeying the locks is inexpensive. In a rental, ask the landlord; in a condo, check the building’s rules for the entrance fob.
Unpack the essentials first
Make the beds, set up the bathroom, and unpack the essentials box: toilet paper, towels, chargers, medication, a kettle and a few dishes. The rest can wait until tomorrow.
The first week: utilities and services
- Electricity: transfer or open your Hydro-Québec account at the new address, and close the one at the old address.
- Gas: if the home uses natural gas, open an account with the gas distributor.
- Internet and phone: book the installation early — technicians can be booked out for days, especially around July 1.
- Home or tenant insurance: update your policy to the new address from the day you move in, including your belongings.
- Water heater and heating: find out whether the water heater is rented or owned, and how the home is heated — it affects your monthly costs.
The first two weeks: change your address
Changing your address in Quebec involves several organizations. Some of the most important:
- SAAQ — your driver’s licence and vehicle registration.
- RAMQ — your health insurance card.
- Revenu Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency — for taxes and benefits.
- Canada Post — mail forwarding catches anything you forget, for a period you choose.
- Your employer, bank, credit cards and insurers.
- Schools, daycare and doctors.
- Élections Québec and Elections Canada — to vote in your new riding.
- Subscriptions and online stores — the ones that are easiest to forget.
The Quebec government offers an online address-change service that notifies several provincial departments at once; it saves time, but check which organizations it covers and update the rest yourself.
If you bought the home
Homebuyers in Quebec pay a transfer duty, commonly called the “welcome tax”, which is billed by the municipality after the purchase. Set the money aside — the bill arrives a few months after closing and surprises many first-time buyers. Also register for municipal services such as garbage and recycling calendars, and keep all closing documents and warranties in one place.
Unpacking without losing a month
Unpack room by room, in an order that makes daily life easier: kitchen and bathroom first, then bedrooms, then living areas, then storage. Open one box completely before starting another. Flatten empty boxes as you go and set them aside for recycling or for your movers to collect. If you want the whole home done at once, our packing services include unpacking and removal of all the materials.
Check the home properly
In the first weeks, look for problems you did not notice at the visit: leaks under sinks, drafts around windows, heating that does not reach every room, appliances that do not work. In a rental, report issues to the landlord in writing early. In a purchase, check what the seller disclosed and any warranties that apply.
Get to know the neighbourhood
Walk the neighbourhood. Find the nearest grocery store, pharmacy, clinic, park and transit stop. Learn the garbage, recycling and street-cleaning schedules — in Montreal, parking signs for street cleaning and snow removal are enforced strictly. Introduce yourself to your neighbours; in a plex, the people upstairs and downstairs are part of daily life.
Take care of yourself
Moving is one of the more stressful events in life, even when it is a happy one. Give yourself a few evenings off from unpacking. Keep a few routines from before the move — meals, walks, a regular bedtime. The new place becomes home faster when life in it starts to feel normal.
A quick checklist
- Walk through with the movers and note any damage.
- Test smoke and CO alarms; find the shut-offs.
- Change or rekey the locks.
- Transfer electricity, gas, internet and insurance.
- Change your address with the SAAQ, RAMQ, Revenu Québec, the CRA and Canada Post.
- Budget for the welcome tax if you bought.
- Unpack room by room, starting with the kitchen and bathroom.
- Learn the neighbourhood and its parking rules.
Planning your next move, or helping someone with theirs? See local moving or check prices on the pricing page.
