How Long Does It Take To Move Houses in Sydney?

Updated: December 2025 • Written by ZOOM Removals (AFRA Accredited)

Ever wondered just how long it takes to move house in Sydney? This is a common question among Sydneysiders. As leading Sydney removalists, we get asked this all the time. Unfortunately, this is hard to answer with any certainty, as every individual’s move is different.

While moving itself may only take a day, the entire process of planning, preparation and relocating can take up to 6 to 10 weeks in total.

Ready to turn the chaos into an orderly move? Here is your ultimate timeline for moving to Sydney in 2025.

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Key Takeaways On How Long It Takes To Relocate

• The Complete Timeline: Moving house takes 6-10 weeks total.
  • Planning (6-8 weeks before)
  • Packing (2-4 weeks before)
  • Moving Day (2-8 hours)
  • Settling In (1-2 weeks after)
• Moving Day Itself Time Estimations:
  • 2-4 hours for a 1-bedroom unit
  • 4-6 hours for a 2-bedroom
  • 6-8+ hours for a 3+ bedroom home in Sydney
• Interstate Moves: Add 24-48 hours for transport time, depending on your final destination

Your Biggest Time-Savers: Being organised Decluttering early Booking professional removalists

Hidden Time-Eaters: Decluttering (1-2 days) Organising/labelling boxes (3-5 hours) Difficult access (stairs, narrow hallways, parking restrictions) can double your timeline if not planned for

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The Moving Day Timeline: How Long Does It Usually Take To Move?

When people ask how long it takes to move, they’re usually only thinking about moving day itself.

In reality, it’s a little more complex than that. Here’s a realistic breakdown of what you can expect when moving locally in Sydney (based on common property sizes).

Type of Home	Estimated Moving Time (Local Sydney)	Estimated Packing Time	Key Influencing Factors
1-Bedroom Apartment/Unit	2 – 4 hours	2 – 2.5 hours	How much you’ve got in the way – furniture, stairs, lift bookings, and do you have a clue where things are packed already
2-Bedroom Apartment/House	4 – 6 hours	3 – 4 hours	The number of rooms, number of boxes, and whether any larger/bulky items need to be taken apart before your move.
3-Bedroom House	6 – 8 hours	4 – 5 hours	Includes garage/garden items. Can extend longer with speciality items like pianos, hot tubs or more complicated access to properties
4+ Bedroom Home	7 – 9+ hours	5+ hours	Requires a larger team (usually 4-5 movers). Time can depend on your organisation and your new home layout.

Please note: These times provided assume you are well prepared and have a professional team to handle your move. Delays can also happen due to traffic, poor weather, unforeseen circumstances, and other factors that complicate your relocation, such as difficult building access.

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Moving Task Timeline: How Long Does Each Job Usually Take?

If you like number crunching, you’re wondering where all that time is gone during a move, we’ve provided a comprehensive breakdown of every major task. These are ordered from the fastest to the most time-consuming jobs for a typical home move:

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What If I Move Interstate From Sydney?

If you’re moving interstate, then the dynamic suddenly becomes more complicated. Moving out of state requires more planning, more organisation, and you’ll need more movers involved if you’re hiring extra help, as the job is bigger.

We highly recommend using Sydney interstate removalists such as our team, who can plan and manage your entire move door to door and have many years of experience in moving items long distances.

Even with a professional team, it can still take anywhere between a few days and a week to transport your belongings, depending on the size of your move. Backloading removals may take longer, although it is a more cost-effective way to move your belongings.

Here are estimated times for moving interstate with ZOOM Removals (as you can see, we’re pretty fast!):

Metro – Sydney to:	Rough Timeframe
Melbourne	Within 24 hours
Brisbane	Within 24 hours
Canberra	Same day – 24 hours
Adelaide	Within 48 hours
Gold Coast	Within 24 hours
Sunshine Coast	Within 24 hours
Bundaberg (QLD)	24-48 hours
Mackay (QLD)	Within 48 hours

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Key Factors That Affect Your Moving Timeline

Whether you’re planning a short, local move to another suburb or further out, the factors influencing the duration of the move can massively differ. As we mentioned previously, it’s not just about the actual day of the move; the planning and preparation leading up to it are equally critical!

1. Size Of The Move

This is one of the most important factors to consider when planning for an upcoming move. The math is quite simple: the more items and rooms you have, the longer it will take to relocate everything.

Depending on the size of your property, we suggest planning as soon as you know you will be leaving your current address. This will prevent things like stress and last-minute issues from causing further problems down the line.

2. The Implications Of Distance On Move

The distance between your current location and your desired destination has a significant impact on the duration of your move.

Local moves within the Sydney metro area tend to be a whole lot quicker, whereas moving from an urban lifestyle to a rural area, like from Sydney to the Central Coast, will likely take longer, as would an Interstate move.

 

3. Accessibility Considerations

Another critical consideration is how accessible your current property and new address is.

If, for example, you live in a high-rise apartment without an elevator, or your new home is located in a narrow building with limited parking, then it’ll take more time to manoeuvre and transport your items through these obstacles. These types of challenges can result in significant delays in your move.

For this reason, we highly recommend checking that both properties have easy access and informing your removalists beforehand if not.

4. The Effect Of Weather Conditions

Adverse weather conditions, such as heavy rain or floods, can slow down the moving process.  It’s therefore vital to stay up to date with the latest news and to have a contingency plan for any weather-related delays, especially if you are moving during a season that is known for turbulent weather.

Sydney, for example, is known for southern storms, while winter has slightly wetter conditions that may slow down your relocation.

Your seasonal strategy plan for moving:

• Autumn (March–May): Usually the best time to relocate, offering lower humidity levels and milder weather conditions.
• Winter (June–August): the most affordable time to move due to lower demand. This is due to a high risk of rain in June, along with shorter daylight hours, which can complicate your trip more complicated especially for long distance removals.
• Spring (September–November): Offers pleasant temperatures and generally less rain than winter, though demand for removalists begins to surge during this time.

The impact of heavy rain and storms:

• Extra packing time is needed: To keep items dry.
• Safety delays: It’s vital to move and work more slowly to avoid accidents or slipping on wet pathways or staircases.
• Traffic considerations: Heavy rain can also increase traffic congestion throughout Sydney, leading to traffic jams.

The impact of hotter months:

• Reduced Efficiency: Hotter summers and heat waves can impact the speed at which movers can work to avoid heat-related illnesses.
• Equipment Risks: Increased temperatures can be a risk to vehicles and equipment, causing breakdowns or engines to overheat.
• Property Protection: Sensitive property, such as electronics or pharmaceuticals, may require climate-controlled transport.

5. The Use Of Professional Help

Hiring professional movers can significantly speed up the moving process. They’ll have the expertise, the tools and the necessary resources to speed up the process as they do this on an hourly basis.

This goes double when it comes to hauling larger items like pianos, hot tubs, fridges and other awkward items.

The other side is injury risk. Without proper training and equipment, a DIY move with family and friends will almost always take significantly longer and come with greater physical risk.

6. Speciality Items

If you own many bulky, heavy or delicate items, they will need extra care and attention to ensure they don’t get damaged during your upcoming move.

Items like hot tubs, ornate wardrobes and fridges may also need dismantling and extra packaging, which can slow down the moving process. This goes double if you are relocating your business and have company equipment that is expensive or sensitive to move.

Beyond the obvious time factor, there’s also the risk element. You may not have the experience to handle fragile items safely, which can increase the chance of accidentslike dropping items, which can cause irreparable damage.

Luckily for you, our fragile removalists team can assist through our speciality service.

You may also want to consider removal insurance for additional peace of mind, which we can help you out with.

7. Your Level of Preparation

Being well prepared can make or break a move and is the single biggest factor that you can control.

In other words: A decluttered, pre-packed, and clearly organised home will allow you to move your items with relative ease while last-minute chaos guarantees delays.

The more prepared you are, the faster and smoother your move will be. This includes having everything pre-packed, furniture dismantled and ready to move.

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The Full Moving Process: Your 6-10 Week Timeline Phase-by-Phase

To truly understand how long it takes to move homes, you need to zoom out. The moving day is just one phase of a much longer journey. If you have read our Moving House Checklist, you know that the moving process can generally be split into four stages:

• Planning
• Packing
• Relocation
• Settling into your new surroundings

Let’s break down what each phase involves and how long you should allocate for each one.

Phase 1: The Planning Stage (Weeks 6-8 Before Moving)

Allocating several weeks for planning can be a game-changer. This critical stage sets the tone for everything that follows. During this period, focus on:

• Research & Booking: Do your research and book your preferred removalists at least 2-4 weeks in advance for a local move and at least 6-8 weeks if moving longer distances. This guarantees you have extra help lined up well in advance.
• Budgeting for the move: Make sure you allocate a decent moving budget to factor in costs such as hiring movers, considering insurance and any additional services you may need, such as packing and unpacking or storage.
• Decluttering: If you’ve got lots of stuff, be sure to leave enough time to declutter. Go through your entire property room by room and consider selling, donating or discarding any items that you no longer use – be ruthless! Not only will this reduce the cost, volume and packing times, but it will also speed up the overall moving process.
• Administration: If you can, start notifying your utility providers as soon as possible, and inform your bank and other financial institutions about your address change. You can also download a free copy of our change of address checklist so you don’t miss a thing.
• Securing insurance offers additional peace of mind, especially if you are travelling interstate or to rural NSW.
• Scheduling cleaning services if you are renting a home, Consider end of lease cleaning services so that you are guaranteed a bond refund.

The list goes on, but these are some of the pivotal points that will make your move smoother.

Phase 2: The Packing Process (Weeks 2-4 Before Moving)

If you decide to do the packing yourself, you’ll need more time, so aim for 2 to four weeks, but use your best judgment. Remember, packing always takes longer than you think. Not to mention that you have to factor in how much packing material you’ll need and the amount of decluttering involved.

Start with non-essentials first:

• Books and magazines
• Seasonal clothing and items
• Items you won’t need until after the move

Pro Packing Tips:

• Pack smart: Use smaller boxes for heavier items (like books) and larger boxes for your lighter belongings (like linen)
• Carefully wrap all delicate items clearly and label them “FRAGILE” in capital letters so people know to take extra care.
• Work smart and pack systematically by focusing on one room at a time to avoid any chaos.

💡Pro Tip: Use ourpacking box calculator to figure out how many boxes you’ll need.

Remember: If packing feels overwhelming, our pre-packing service is available for just $55 per half hour (+ GST), where we’ll send two professional packers to do it all for you.

Phase 3: Moving Week & The Big Day (Week 0)

The final countdown! This phase is relatively quick if you’re relocating nearby and have professional help.

Before Moving Day:

• Make sure that all your moving details are correct with your chosen removalist
• Remember to pack an “essentials box” (toiletries, medication, phone chargers, a change of clothes, important documents, a kettle and coffee/tea)
• Dismantle large furniture if required (or let your movers do it)
• Do a final clean of rooms as they’re emptied

On Moving Day: A professional team will handle the heavy lifting. Your role is to:

• Be present and provide direction
• Point out any fragile or speciality items
• Do a final walkthrough of your old property to ensure nothing is left behind
• Be available at the new property to guide where items should go

For local Sydney moves, this entire process typically takes between 2 and 8 hours, depending on your home size. For interstate moves, your belongings could take several days to arrive at your new destination.

Phase 4: Settling In (1-2 Weeks After Moving)

The last phase can be as swift or as prolonged as you want it to be. You’ve arrived!

If you were organised during the planning phase, all that should be left is unpacking and getting acquainted with your surroundings.

Unpacking Tips:

• Start with your essentials box first
• Then tackle the kitchen (you’ll need to eat!)
• Move to the bedrooms and bathrooms next
• Move to the bedrooms and bathrooms next
• Take your time with living areas and decorative items

Some folks prefer to unpack immediately to feel settled, while others may take weeks to get everything just right. The choice is yours. Give yourself grace—it can take a week or two to feel truly at home.

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Final Thoughts On The Length Of Time It Takes To Move House

So let’s recap: The length of time it takes to move houses in Sydney can range massively. This is a thoroughly complex process, which includes a marathon of planning (roughly around 6-10 weeks total), while the physical move is a sprint executed by professionals (2-8 hours).

Remember to read all our advice above, as it cannot be overstated how important detailed planning and organisation are to the success of your relocation – especially the first two phases:

• Planning
• Packing

Ready to plan your Sydney move with confidence? Start by getting a clear quote from ZOOM Removals!

Get A Free Moving Quote

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Helpful Links To Streamline Your Move

• Ultimate Moving Checklist
• Change Of Address Checklist
• Packing Box Calculator
• Free Moving Boxes
• Professional Packing Services
• Last Minute Removalists
• Fragile Item Removals
• Interstate Removals
• Removals Insurance
• Moving Tips and Hacks