Delhi house shifting checklist, from RWA permission to the final meter reading

Three to four weeks before the move

Delhi moves go wrong at the planning stage far more often than on the day itself. Truck rules, colony politics and winter pollution curbs all leave less room for last-minute decisions than people expect. Start here:

• Give your landlord notice as the rent agreement requires, and agree the handover date and deposit return in writing.
• Book a free pre-move survey through our contact page so crew size, vehicle size and any dismantling are worked out properly.
• Look at truck access at the new address. Is it a main road, a colony lane lined with cars, a builder floor or a DDA or group housing society?
• If you're moving between October and February, ask your move manager to keep an eye on GRAP stages for your dates.
• Decide what you won't take. Selling or giving away old furniture now makes the survey quote more accurate.
• If you're renting the new place, keep ID copies and photos ready, since landlords in Delhi are expected to get tenants verified by the police.

How do truck entry rules affect your moving day?

This is the first thing that separates a Delhi move from one in most other cities. Delhi Traffic Police notify no-entry periods for goods vehicles, and heavy trucks are kept off many roads for most of the day. Light goods vehicles face fewer limits but can still be barred from certain roads at peak hours. The rules differ by road and vehicle type, and they get revised from time to time.

In practice, that leaves a few ways to plan a local or outbound move:

1. Use one large truck and load it in the hours it's allowed on your roads, which usually means very early or late.
2. Split the load across two or three smaller vehicles that are allowed to run in the daytime.
3. For a long-distance move, time the dispatch so the loaded truck leaves the city within permitted hours.

Your move manager checks the rules in force for your roads before confirming a time. Trucks coming into Delhi from other states face their own entry limits, so deliveries into the city are timed with the same care.

RWA permission and a place for the truck to park

Almost every Delhi colony, DDA society and group housing complex has an RWA or managing committee, and plenty of guards won't let a truck in without a word from them. About a week ahead:

• Write to the RWA or society office at both ends with the date, time window, vehicle type and number, and your house or flat number.
• Ask whether the colony gates are locked at night. Many are, and a truck arriving before dawn can end up waiting outside a closed gate.
• Clear any maintenance dues, since some societies won't issue a gate pass without a no-dues slip.
• Book the lift if there is one, and ask whether they want padding put up inside it.

Parking needs its own plan in Delhi. In builder-floor colonies like Lajpat Nagar, Rajouri Garden or Malviya Nagar, both sides of the lane are usually lined with cars. Ask neighbours the evening before if they can move a car or two, and keep a couple of chairs in the spot early in the morning. If the truck has to stand at the colony entrance, the crew carries goods further and the day runs longer, so it's better to find that out on the survey than on moving day.

Moving between October and February, when GRAP applies

Delhi's air pollution plan, the Graded Response Action Plan, is usually in force through the winter months. As air quality worsens, the Commission for Air Quality Management moves the region up through its stages. At the higher stages, entry of many diesel goods vehicles into Delhi can be stopped, while cleaner trucks running on CNG or electricity, or meeting BS-VI norms, are generally still allowed, and construction and some other activities are curbed.

Stages can be announced at short notice, sometimes overnight. For a winter move, that means:

• Don't lock a date that can't move by a day or two, especially in November.
• Ask your move manager which vehicle is coming and whether it's permitted under the higher stages.
• If your own car is an older diesel or petrol model, check whether it's allowed on the road that week before planning to drive it across.
• Expect dense fog in December and January to slow trucks heading out of Delhi on the highways.

The last few days before shifting

With a few days to go, small jobs pile up quickly. Tick these off before the truck is due:

• Confirm the truck timing, vehicle number and crew arrival with your move manager, and pass the number on to both RWAs.
• Defrost and dry the fridge the night before, and disconnect and drain the washing machine hoses.
• Pack a first-night bag with medicines, chargers, a change of clothes, toiletries and important documents.
• Book a cleaner for the old house once the truck has gone, since many landlords check before returning the deposit.
• Have someone at the new address from early morning to open the gate and show the crew each room.
• In May and June, keep drinking water and ORS handy, because loading in Delhi heat wears everyone out.

Moving day and the handover

On the day, stay in the house until the last carton leaves, then do the handover properly. This is where deposits get argued over for months:

1. Walk through every room with the crew leader and check cupboards, lofts and the balcony for anything left behind.
2. Photograph the electricity meter reading clearly, with the date showing on your phone. Depending on the area, supply comes from BSES Rajdhani, BSES Yamuna, Tata Power-DDL or NDMC, and each has its own process for a final bill or name change.
3. Photograph the Delhi Jal Board water meter and, if the house has piped gas, the IGL meter as well.
4. Return the broadband router or set-top box if it's rented, and keep the receipt.
5. Photograph walls, fittings and floors after cleaning, and hand over every key, including the main gate and letterbox.
6. Get the landlord's written note on the deposit to be returned and by when.

At the new house, take the same meter photos before the first carton goes in. Our Delhi packers and movers page has routes and service details, the household shifting page explains how we pack, and for moves across the NCR, our Gurugram branch is close by. See moving in Gurugram.