moving_house_planner v1.0.0

name: "moving_house_planner" description: "Plan a household move without the last week scramble: a weeks out timeline anchored to the move date, packing by room in unpacking order, an address and account change register, a utility transfer worksheet with a no gap date check, and a first night kit list. Triggers when someone is moving house, planning a move, changing address, transferring utilities, or asks what to pack first or when to book a mover." metadata: { "includeInPrompt": true }

Moving House Planner

Purpose

Turn a move date into a dated plan that holds up: bookings and notices happen weeks out, packing follows the order rooms will be unpacked, every address change is tracked to a confirmation, and no utility starts late or stops early. The deliverables are the timeline, the change register, the transfer worksheet, and the first night kit list in references/registers-and-worked-plan.md.

Workflow

1. Anchor everything to the move date. Run python3 scripts/move_plan.py --move-date YYYY-MM-DD to generate the dated timeline. Use those dates in the plan you hand over. Do not work in vague weeks from now.
2. Book and verify the mover early, at about 6 weeks out. Get written estimates from at least three movers and compare services, not price alone. For an interstate move in the US, check the mover or broker is registered with FMCSA and has a U.S. DOT number, check complaint history, and get the booklet Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. For a move within one state, say the FMCSA checks do not apply and check the state regulator instead if there is one.
3. Open the change register at about 4 weeks out. Copy the starter rows from references/registers-and-worked-plan.md. Work government and financial rows first, because USPS does not forward much of that mail. Tell the user plainly: a USPS change of address only changes the address with the Post Office and needs at least 7 to 10 business days to take effect, so each sender still needs a direct update. First-Class Mail forwards for 12 months, periodicals for 60 days.
4. Run the utility worksheet at 3 to 4 weeks out. Book internet and any service that needs a technician visit first. Set new address start for the day before move day and old address stop for the day after. Check every row with python3 scripts/move_plan.py --move-date YYYY-MM-DD --check-utility --new-start YYYY-MM-DD --old-stop YYYY-MM-DD. A row that fails gets fixed by moving a date, not by hoping. Get written cancellation with an effective date for the old address.
5. Pack in unpacking order. Storage and garage first, then spare and guest rooms, living room decor and books, kitchen non-essentials, bedrooms, bathrooms and daily items last in the final 48 hours. Label every box on the top and at least one side with destination room and contents. Heavy items go in small boxes, light bulky items in large boxes.
6. Pack the first night kit last, and keep it in the car. Use the kit list in references/registers-and-worked-plan.md. The kit and the rides-with-you bag never go on the truck. That bag holds documents, keys, medications, valuables, and the bill of lading.
7. Run moving day by the FMCSA checklist. Read the estimate, bill of lading, and inventory before signing anything. Stay with the movers during inventory, resolve condition questions on the spot, walk every room before the van leaves, and keep the bill of lading until goods are delivered, charges are paid, and any claims are settled. At delivery, note damage on the inventory before signing.
8. Close out on a schedule, not by memory. Day after: test power, water, hot water, internet, and locks, photograph meters at both addresses. One week after: check final bills and autopay. Thirty days after: every register row is done or has a named next date. Tell the user the licence and voter registration deadlines vary by state and must be checked with their state, do not quote a single national deadline.

Output Contract

Every move plan includes:

• Dated timeline: real calendar dates from the script, from about 8 weeks out to 30 days after, with the owner for each item if more than one person is involved.
• Change register: one row per organisation with category, method, date done, and confirmation. Government and financial rows first.
• Utility transfer worksheet: one row per service with new start date, old stop date, confirmation number space, and a pass or fail gap check per row.
• Packing order: rooms listed in the order to pack them, with what stays out until the last 48 hours.
• First night kit list: per room, plus the separate rides-with-you bag.
• Worked example when the user wants to see it filled in: point to the family home plan in references/registers-and-worked-plan.md, move day Saturday 2026-11-14, and adapt its dates with the script rather than copying them.

Operating Rules

1. No invented deadlines. State, provider, and landlord notice periods vary. Where a period is not verified for the specific state or provider, say it varies and name who to check with. The verified anchors are USPS at 7 to 10 business days to take effect with 12 months of First-Class forwarding and 60 days for periodicals, and the FMCSA rules for interstate moves.
2. USPS forwarding is a safety net, not a plan. Never present filing with USPS as updating an address with banks, the IRS, insurers, or anyone else. IRS updates use Form 8822, a new address on a tax return, a signed written statement, or phone or in person notice. That form does not update Social Security records.
3. Interstate price protection, US only: at delivery the household does not have to pay more than 100 percent of a binding estimate or 110 percent of a non-binding estimate, and extra charges are billed 30 days after delivery. FMCSA complaint line is 1-888-368-7238. Do not apply these rules to a move within one state.
4. Never advise signing a blank or incomplete bill of lading, estimate, or inventory. If a mover pressures for that, the advice is to stop and pick another mover.
5. The no gap rule is mechanical. New service starts on or before move day, old service stops on or after move day. If dates cannot overlap because a lease or closing forbids it, flag the exact day with no service and plan around it, do not hide it.
6. Medications, documents, keys, cash, jewellery, and the work laptop travel with the household. State this in every plan, not only when asked.
7. Keep account numbers and confirmation numbers in the register the user keeps, not in anything shared wider. Do not ask for passwords or full account numbers to build a plan, provider name and last four digits are enough to track a row.