How to Prepare Your Mobile Home for a Move: A Checklist

A smooth move is mostly decided before the truck arrives. Almost every delay we see on move day traces back to something that could have been handled in the two weeks beforehand — a utility that was never disconnected, a deck nobody removed, a destination site that was not ready to receive the home.

Here is the whole thing in order, with a rough timeline. Your crew will confirm the specifics for your job, but if you work through this you will be ahead of most moves we take on.

Four weeks out

Confirm the destination is actually ready

This is the single most overlooked item, and it is the one that costs the most when it goes wrong. Before anything else, make sure the receiving site can take the home: the pad or footings are in, the approach is wide enough, and whoever needs to approve the installation has done so. If the home is going into a park, get their written acceptance now, not later — parks set their own rules on age and appearance and they are frequently stricter than the county.

Get your paperwork together

Find the title and any lien release, your insurance details, and the tax receipt if your state requires one to permit a move. Some states will not issue a moving permit without proof that property taxes on the home are current, and chasing that down at the last minute is a classic week-of-the-move scramble.

Find the data plate

The data plate is a paper or vinyl sheet inside the home, usually on or near the electrical panel, in a kitchen cabinet, or in a bedroom closet. It lists the wind, roof load and thermal zones the home was built for. Photograph it and send it to us. If you are moving toward a coast this matters enormously — see moving a mobile home to another state for why.

Two weeks out

Book the utility disconnections

Water, electricity, gas and sewer all need disconnecting, and gas and electric usually have to be done by the utility or a licensed technician rather than by you or by us. Utilities book out, so call now. Ask for the disconnection a day or two before the move rather than on the morning of it.

Arrange the destination hook-ups too

People remember to disconnect and forget to reconnect. Line up the utility connections at the new site so the home is not sitting there livable but dry.

The week before

Inside the home

• Pack or remove everything loose — dishes, electronics, anything on a shelf. A home in transit flexes far more than people expect.
• Take down mirrors, wall hangings and curtains, and pad anything glass that has to stay.
• Secure or remove interior doors so they cannot swing and split a frame.
• Empty and defrost the refrigerator, and empty the water heater and any tanks.
• Open cupboards you have emptied and tape shut the ones you have not.
• Remove or firmly secure anything wall-mounted: TVs, shelving, heavy pictures.

Outside the home

• Remove skirting, steps, decks, porches, awnings and carports. These almost never travel with the home.
• Detach anchors and tie-downs, and clear anything stored underneath.
• Cut back branches along the exit route — a home is taller and wider than you are picturing.
• Note any low utility lines across the path and tell your crew in advance.
• Clear the driveway and the approach so the transport truck has room to work.
• Move vehicles, trailers and equipment well clear of both the home and the turn.

What we handle, and what stays with you

The line is roughly this: anything structural or road-related is ours, anything personal or utility-account related is yours.

We take care of the tear-down and re-set — disconnecting the home from its foundation, removing blocking, fitting the hitch and running gear, hauling, and then setting, blocking, leveling and anchoring at the far end. We also handle permits and escorts for every state on the route. What we cannot do for you is close a utility account, produce a title, or get a park to accept your home.

Common mistakes worth avoiding

• Leaving belongings in cupboards — road vibration empties them, and the damage is rarely to the cheap things.
• Assuming the deck comes too — it does not, and dismantling it on move day burns crew hours you are paying for.
• Forgetting the destination approach — the last fifty feet stop more moves than the previous fifty miles.
• Booking too late — permits, escorts and seasonal road restrictions all need lead time.
• Not photographing the home first — take pictures inside and out before the move; it makes any insurance conversation afterwards straightforward.

Move day

Keep people and pets well clear of the home and the route, and make sure someone with authority to make decisions is reachable by phone at both ends. Have your paperwork on hand. Then let the crew work — the hitch-up, the walk-out and the first hundred feet are the parts where a spotter matters more than an audience.

Once the home is on its pad we level it, block it, re-join the marriage line on a multi-section home, and anchor it to code before we call the job finished. Ask for the final walkthrough: doors and windows operating properly, the home sitting level, tie-downs torqued.

Not sure whether your home is a good candidate for a move at all? Start with can you move an older mobile home. Otherwise, send us the details for a free quote and we will tell you what your prep list actually looks like.