Start from the hand back time
Ask your landlord or the halls office what time the keys and fobs have to be back, and when the room has to be empty. Plan the morning backwards from that time, not forwards from when you would like to set off.
- Agree one day with everyone who is leaving
- Count your big pieces and boxes so you know your share of the van
- Ask the halls office where a van is allowed to stop
Settle the shared things first
The toaster, the hoover and the sofa nobody remembers buying: decide whose they are, or whether they go on a tip run, before the van arrives. A debate on the pavement eats into the time on the job.
Photograph the room before you go
Once your things are out, take a few dated photos of the empty room, the walls and the floor. If anything about the deposit is questioned later, pictures from the day are far more useful than memory.
Have it all by one door
Put everything in one room, or by the front door, before the van is due, so carrying can begin straight away. In halls, a corridor of bags by the lift saves more time than anything else.
Sharing one van
An entire house share often fits in one full van. Load the person going furthest first, so their things come off last, and keep a list of whose boxes are whose. Splitting one load price usually costs each person less than a quarter van on their own.