Moving house over Christmas in Sydney: the dates to plan around

If you want to move house before Christmas, the calendar is tighter than it looks. By our count, the NSW summer school holidays hold 29 weekdays, and four of them are public holidays. Three of those four fall in the seven weekdays from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day.

That count comes from two government pages. The summer holidays run Fri 18 Dec 2026 to Wed 27 Jan 2027 for the Eastern Division. The NSW public holidays inside that stretch are Christmas Day on Fri 25 Dec, the Additional Day on Mon 28 Dec, New Year's Day on Fri 1 Jan and Australia Day on Tue 26 Jan.

Renters on a periodic lease face an earlier deadline. If you want to hand back the keys before the holidays start, count back the 21 days a periodic agreement needs from Thu 17 Dec. That lands on Thu 26 Nov (our working).

Here is how we at Burwood Removals would plan a December or January move, working back from those dates.

Moving house before Christmas: which dates set your deadline?

Three dates do most of the work.

The first is the end of term. Term 4 runs Tue 13 Oct to Thu 17 Dec 2026, so a family that wants to move without pulling children out of class has from Fri 18 Dec onwards.

The second is the extra holiday. Boxing Day falls on Sat 26 Dec this year. When Christmas Day or Boxing Day falls on a weekend, an additional public holiday is gazetted on the following available weekday, which is why Mon 28 Dec is a holiday too.

The third is the return to school. Term 1 2027 starts Wed 3 Feb for Eastern Division students. Western Division's summer break runs to Wed 3 Feb.

The weekdays either side of New Year are the thinnest part of the break. If your dates are flexible, plan around that week rather than into it. Our guide to moving house around NSW school holidays covers the general timing. This page is about the Christmas stretch.

Moving house over Christmas: what should your quote lock in?

Before you sign

• Itemised written quote
• Pick-up address
• Delivery address
• Dates and times
• How payment is made
• Any extra storage costs if there are delays

Put the date and the time in writing. Under the consumer guarantees, when no time is set, a removalist's service must be provided in a reasonable time. What counts as reasonable depends on the task and on factors such as busy periods and public holidays. In late December you'll want a set date, not a reasonable one.

NSW Fair Trading says to get an itemised written quote. The contract should list:

• the pick-up and delivery addresses
• the dates and times
• how payment is made
• any extra storage costs if there are delays.

That last line matters more over the break, when a settlement or a lease start can slip past a public holiday.

If you are looking at a public holiday date, ask whether it changes the quote and get the answer in writing. In most cases an employee who works on a gazetted public holiday is entitled to extra payment, usually a penalty or loading, with the detail set by the award or agreement.

Check your cover if your goods might sit in storage over the break. Removalists are not required by law to insure your property, and most only carry cover for their vehicle. AFRA-accredited removalists can offer transit cover, and storage cover is a separate premium. A removalist must be qualified to sell you transit insurance, so ask for the PDS and FSG. Our removalist insurance guide covers the rest, and our Australian Consumer Law guide explains your guarantees.

In a Burwood or Strathfield apartment block, the lift and loading dock are a second booking that also has to fit the holiday calendar. See booking a lift and loading dock for a Burwood tower move.

Renting? When to give notice for a move before Christmas

Minimum notice to end a NSW residential tenancy

Who gives notice	Situation	Minimum notice
Tenant	Periodic agreement	21 days
Tenant	End of a fixed term	14 days
Tenant who has received a landlord termination notice	Under a fixed term	Early exit notice of at least 14 days
Landlord	Sale, renovation, change of use or landlord moving in	90 days
Landlord	Same reasons where a fixed term of 6 months or less applies	60 days

Your notice period is usually the first domino. For tenants, a periodic agreement needs 21 days, and the end of a fixed term needs 14.

Our working for a hand-back on Thu 17 Dec:

• Periodic lease: 21 days back from Thu 17 Dec is Thu 26 Nov.
• Fixed term ending Thu 17 Dec: 14 days back is Thu 3 Dec.

Giving notice a day or two earlier than that leaves you a margin.

Tenants cannot end a fixed-term agreement early except in special cases. One of those cases matters here. If you get a termination notice from your landlord, you can leave early, and under a fixed term you give at least 14 days' early exit notice.

Owners plan on a longer clock. A landlord gives 90 days for sale, renovation, change of use or moving in, or 60 days where a fixed term of 6 months or less applies.

Can you avoid paying two bonds over the break?

old rental

4 weeks: vacate the old home within 4 weeks of entering the new one

Claim on the original bond must be submitted within 4 weeks of the transfer request; any amount owed back is invoiced by Revenue NSW, payable within 28 days

new rental

Conditions

• Same tenants move
• Transfer completed within 4 weeks of moving in
• Not available if a claim is already in progress on the old bond
• Small administration fee (amount on the Smart Rental Bonds page), plus any extra if the new bond is higher

Often, yes. Smart Rental Bonds lets a renter transfer their bond to a new NSW rental through Rental Bonds Online, but the conditions are tight:

• The same tenants must move.
• You must vacate the old place within 4 weeks of entering the new one.
• There is a small government administration fee; the Smart Rental Bonds page shows the current amount. You also pay any extra if the new bond is higher.
• It can't be used if a claim is already in progress on the old bond, or if the transfer isn't completed within 4 weeks of moving in.

Here is how that plays out over Christmas, in our working. Get the keys to your new rental on Mon 14 Dec, and four weeks takes you to Mon 11 Jan. Christmas Day, the Additional Day and New Year's Day all sit inside that window, so plan the clean and the final load early in it, not at the end.

After the transfer, a claim on the original bond must be submitted within 4 weeks of the transfer request. Any amount you owe back is invoiced by Revenue NSW and payable within 28 days.

What does the summer outlook mean for moving day?

Bureau of Meteorology outlook, November to January

What	Where	Chance
Daytime and overnight temperatures above average	Most of Australia	Over 80% (very likely)
Unusually high maximum temperatures	Eastern NSW	Over 70% (the highest chance)
Rainfall above average	North-eastern NSW	60% to over 80% (likely)

Plan for heat and keep a wet-weather fallback. The Bureau's outlook says November to January daytime and overnight temperatures are very likely (over 80% chance) to be above average across most of Australia. Eastern NSW has the highest chance (over 70%) of unusually high maximum temperatures.

Rain is the second variable. Rainfall is likely (60% to over 80% chance) to be above average across north-eastern NSW, and the wet signal strengthens in the east during December. The Bureau also notes that warmer seas can fuel storms and raise the potential for high-intensity rainfall. A strong El Niño is underway, though its impacts on Australian weather are not guaranteed.

In practice:

• Ask for an early start time.
• Pack bedding and soft goods in plastic tubs or wrapped cartons, not open bags.
• Keep a dry path clear from the front door to the truck.
• Agree in the quote what happens if a storm stops loading.

Which items need sorting before the truck arrives?

Summer is barbecue and pool season, and several of its usual items need attention on moving day. AFRA lists gas BBQ cylinders, pool chemicals, lawnmowers or garden equipment with flammable liquids, fire extinguishers, plants and animals as needing special care.

Two of these need action before moving day:

• Gas cylinders: a BBQ cylinder is not carried without a certificate from a Gas Cylinder Test Station certified by Standards Australia stating it has been purged.
• Mowers: the petrol must be drained.

If the Christmas barbecue is happening at the old house, plan to move the cylinder yourself.

Your Christmas move at a glance

Your Christmas move at a glance

• Term 4 last dayThu 17 Dec 2026School holidays
• Summer holidays (Eastern Division)Fri 18 Dec 2026 to Wed 27 Jan 2027School holidays
• Additional public holiday (Boxing Day falls on Saturday)Mon 28 Dec 2026Public holidays
• Term 1 first day (Eastern Division)Wed 3 Feb 2027School holidays
• Tenant notice, periodic agreement21 daysMinimum notice periods
• Tenant notice, end of fixed term14 daysMinimum notice periods
• Landlord notice, sale or landlord moving in (fixed term over 6 months or periodic)90 daysMinimum notice periods
• Smart Rental Bonds feeSmall administration fee (amount on the Smart Rental Bonds page)Smart Rental Bonds
• Smart Rental Bonds overlap limit between old and new rental4 weeksSmart Rental Bonds

Keep this card handy for the dates, notice periods and bond rules above, each with its source.

Is December the best time of year to move house?

It can be, if the date is fixed early. Many Sydney households move in December because school is out. It gets risky when the date stays loose, because a "reasonable time" stretches around busy periods and public holidays.

So the order is simple:

1. Pick your date.
2. Give your lease notice.
3. Get the date, times and any storage costs into a written quote.

If you're moving in or around Burwood, Strathfield or Croydon this summer, send Burwood Removals your addresses and preferred dates through our moving quote page, and we'll talk through how the holiday calendar affects your move. If the packing is what you're dreading, our packing timeline can help you plan it.