Changing jobs, a new partner, separation, or buying a house – there are many reasons why people move. In order for the move to go smoothly, you should plan your move well. The following tips for packing and labeling moving boxes, as well as a moving checklist, will help with organization.

Plan your move smartly

According to a study, almost five million households with over nine million consumers pack their bags and move into a new living environment every year. An impressive number considering the size of the overall population. Even if a move is not unusual in view of these figures, at least on paper – for the individual household, this often means a physical and mental effort.

It’s not just about picking the household effects in boxes and a moving truck. Every move must be organized and prepared down to the last detail. The situation is particularly critical for families with children. The latter often suffer from the sudden detachment from the traditional environment. You will make the move easier if you part with things in advance. Consequently, you should clean out your clothes and have a dress party.

Move easily and stress-free

If you want to move, you should plan well in advance. Because before you give notice of your apartment, you should sign your new lease. You should observe notice periods (usually 3 months) and clarify an early move-out with the landlord. Good organization is required to ensure that the move is stress-free. It can also be advisable to have a negative Schufa entry removed beforehand.

1) Plan your move on your own

When it comes to moving, opinions differ on the question of whether the change of residence should be handled with professional help or completely on your own. Ultimately, it is a personal decision and a question of money whether you hire professionals or fall back on the manpower of friends and relatives. The high time factor and organizational effort are offset by the cost savings. If you do everything yourself, you have to take care of the following things. Also, note useful tips for clearing out the apartment.

• organization of helpers
• procurement of means of transport
• Organization of packaging material
• Assembly and disassembly

2) Hire movers

If you want to move without spending a lot of time, you can plan your move with a professional moving company. Due to their daily experience with moving and their know-how when it comes to building kitchen units or wall units, the stress of moving is significantly lower for households that work with a moving company. However, moving companies come at a price. But you can often find student movers on the internet for a fair price. Basically, professional moving helpers outdo moving on their own when it comes to:

• organization
• dismantling the furniture
• Reconstruction of the furniture
• Transport of the removal goods and
• the time factor

3) Agree on a fixed price when planning a move

If you want to have your move done by a moving company, you should negotiate a fixed price. Although fixed prices often appear more expensive than offers on an hourly basis, such as 3 movers + truck for 8 hours = price, a fixed price protects you from nasty surprises.

If you go on an hourly basis, you will have to pay extra for each additional hour and this can get quite expensive if the move takes longer than planned. Also, a fixed price usually keeps the packers from dawdling. In addition, there are also portals on the Internet where you can make a kind of tender in which companies can “apply” for your order, for example on myhammer.de.

4) Moving Checklist: Insurance

Moving is time-consuming and takes patience. It gets all the more annoying when doors or furniture are damaged. At this point, it is generally advisable to clarify insurance issues in advance. That’s why your move checklist should include informing the insurance companies below. Household contents and liability insurance play a particularly important role here. Damage in the old or new apartment – for example on doors – can be regulated as rented property damage (if insured) via private liability insurance.

• Household insurance
• legal protection insurance
• car insurance
• other insurances and
• personal liability insurance

Personal liability also applies if the neighbor’s car is scratched. But: If the accident happens to a helper, their insurer is responsible for the damage. It is also important to clarify to what extent courtesy damage becomes a problem or not. Accident insurance can also be useful here.

5) Plan to move and unsubscribe from services

Likewise, when you move, you not only have to organize the actual move and its process. Changing electricity provider and internet may also have to be ordered. While the supply of electricity is generally secured via the regional supplier, the topic of telecommunications and the Internet should be tackled a few weeks in advance. It is necessary to check which providers offer services at the new address or whether the previous provider is available.

In addition, the mail should be delivered to the new address in the future and not end up in the old apartment. It is therefore important to set up a forwarding order. Swiss Post will then automatically forward consignments to the new address. If you save yourself the trip to the post office, the forwarding order can now also be issued online.

• phone
• Internet
• TV and electricity
• Forwarding order for the post office