Making a Moving Inventory Before the Truck Comes: Room by Room

The truck driver asks how many wardrobes there are, and the answer is "two, I think, or three". That is the moment you wish you had a list. People who finish a move calmly often have one thing in common: a plain notebook filled in before the truck arrived.

An inventory is not paperwork for its own sake. It helps you choose the right vehicle, describe the load to drivers, brief the helpers and check that nothing is missing at the other end.

What goes on the list

Walk the house one room at a time with a notebook or a phone. Write down every large item and count the small ones in groups.

• Furniture: beds, wardrobes, sofas, dining table, chairs, shelves, TV stand
• Appliances: fridge, freezer, cooker, washing machine, air conditioner, generator
• Boxes: kitchen, books, clothes, fragile items, documents
• Awkward items: mattresses, mirrors, a piano, a gym machine, a water tank
• Outside items: plants, garden chairs, the gas cylinder

Give each item a line. "Sofa, 3-seater, leather" is more useful than "furniture". For boxes, write the number and the room they came from.

Note the problem items

Beside each item, add anything the driver or helpers need to know. A wardrobe that does not fit through the door. A fridge that must stand upright for some hours before it is switched on. A mirror with a cracked corner. A heavy cabinet on the first floor with a narrow stair.

Photograph the larger pieces and any existing damage while you are at it. It takes five minutes and ends most arguments later.

Use the list to choose the vehicle

Count the big items first. A flat with a few pieces may suit a pickup van, while a four-bedroom house needs a truck. Our guide to choosing the right truck size shows how to read your list against capacity, and moving a four-bedroom family house gives a sample plan.

Use the list to cut the load

While you write, you will see what you do not need: a broken chair, a drawer of old cables, a pile of boxes you never opened. Mark these in a separate column and decide to sell, give away or throw. A shorter list means a shorter day. See downsizing before a move if the list is too long.

Use the list on moving day

Give a copy to the person supervising the loading. Tick each item as it goes on the truck, and tick it again as it comes off at the new place. Count boxes by room, not only in total.

If you have a second list for the new home, with a note of where each large item should stand, helpers will not keep asking you where the wardrobe goes. Pair it with labelled boxes and the first night will be easier.

Keep a second copy

Take a photograph of the finished list and send it to one other person, a family member or the friend who will be at the new house. Paper gets wet and phones get left in the truck cab, so one copy is never enough. If the move takes more than one trip, tick items off per trip so nobody has to guess what is still at the old place.

After the offload

Walk through the new home with the list in hand before the driver leaves. If anything is missing or damaged, say so on the spot and take a photograph. Leave the list somewhere safe until you have unpacked everything.

How to do this on Sphere

On Sphere, the list becomes your load description. Open the app, pick a truck or a pickup van, add the pickup and drop-off, and paste in a short summary: "2 beds, 2 wardrobes, 1 sofa set, fridge, cooker, 25 boxes". Mention stairs or tight gates. Propose a price, then nearby verified drivers accept or send counter-offers. A clear list helps them give honest offers. Agree loading and offloading help with the driver before you accept.

More on this: how to describe your load on Sphere and house moving in Lagos.