Well-organized and uncomplicated move

Moving house is not just about transporting furniture, but also involves a lot of organization and bureaucratic tasks. With good planning, a checklist, and a schedule, you can keep track of everything and start your new chapter stress-free.

A young couple smiling as they pack moving boxes together; the man is taping up a box while the woman leans against it smiling — surrounded by many boxes, a plastic-wrapped armchair, and houseplants.

A delivery worker in blue workwear and a face mask stands in the dark loading area of a van, talking on the phone while holding a document; in the foreground a box with a red Fragile sticker.

Organizing and planning the move

The main task when moving house is transporting your belongings from one property to the new one. This is almost impossible to do without help. You can either hire a moving company or carry out the move yourself with the help of family and friends. In both cases, you need to be clear about the timing and estimate how many helpers you will need for the move and how long it will take to complete the entire move. Other things to consider when organizing your move: - Rent a suitable transport vehicle if you are organizing the move yourself - Provide moving boxes, bubble wrap, or fleece to protect fragile items - Measure access routes, hallways, and stairwells in the new apartment - Register for parking in front of the building and cordon it off on moving day - Register for bulk waste collection in advance - Label the contents of the moving boxes

An empty loft-like space with exposed brick walls and large windows; in the centre stands an office chair wrapped in plastic film, surrounded by moving boxes, with an empty shelving unit against the wall.

Arrange for the apartment to be vacated and handed over

Take a floor plan of your new apartment and plan the layout room by room. Go through the furniture and household goods in your old apartment. Write down what you want to take with you to your new apartment and what you no longer need. This will give you an overview of your new household goods. Make a note of which items you want to sell and which can even be thrown away as bulky waste. You can sell furniture to friends or via online marketplaces and classified ads. Many tenants give away some pieces of furniture at the end if they are dismantled and taken away in return. This also makes your move easier.

A man leans over a white marble table and signs contract documents on a blue clipboard; house keys lie beside it, and two people stand in the background, one of them holding a laptop.

Take time to discuss the details with the landlord.

In addition to organizing your move, there are other important things to consider regarding your tenancy agreement. Once you have cleared out your old apartment, you need to assess its condition. Clarify what renovations may still be necessary. And schedule time for an inspection with your old landlord. You can and should bring a witness with you. If anything needs to be repaired after the inspection, you will need to allow additional time for this. You will also need to arrange a date for handing over the keys to your new apartment. This will put you in a good position. But what else do you need to make your move as stress-free and efficient as possible?

A couple during a move: the man is balancing a tipping stack of moving boxes while the woman laughs and reaches for the top box; she is also carrying a basket with a plant.

Change your address and request mail forwarding

Make sure that you can be easily reached at your new place of residence. A circular letter with your new address or an email is not sufficient. Instead, it is essential to notify Deutsche Post of your change of address. This service is free of charge. A mail forwarding order offers you even more security. It will forward your mail to your new address for the next six months. This ensures that important documents do not end up in the wrong hands, but are delivered directly to you. Nowadays, mail forwarding orders can be conveniently arranged online. Also notify important authorities and, of course, your employer of your new address. After moving, you must re-register at the local government office and have your place of residence changed on your identity card. Incidentally, the Deutsche Post website not only offers the option of setting up mail forwarding, but also provides clear checklists for professional moving services.

A woman sits on the floor between the sofa and a coffee table working on a laptop, a notebook and pen lie in front of her, and in the background a man lies relaxed on the sofa looking at his smartphone.

Review and update your personal insurance situation

Another important step is to adjust your insurance policies. This applies not only to your address details, but also to the subject matter of the insurance policies. Moving house can fundamentally change your household contents. This should be taken into account with a suitable insurance package. Sometimes, other risks have to be covered at the new location that did not exist in the old home. This applies, for example, to glass breakage or theft. Car insurance may also change if, for example, you have your own garage at your new place of residence. Also, remember to notify all insurance companies and banks of your new address. If you are moving from a rented apartment to a condominium, you may have a completely new insurance situation. In this case, you should also check what kind of property insurance you need.

Two removal workers in red workwear pass boxes to each other from the open loading area of a removal van; in the background a brick building with a staircase entrance.

Telephone providers and energy supply in your new apartment

After moving, you should also check your energy supply and the online providers you use. Check in good time whether you can take your internet provider and telephone connection with you to your new location and whether a seamless transition is possible. If the provider does not supply your new home, this is grounds for extraordinary termination. To get out of your old contract, you must contact the service provider and take the necessary steps. Check which electricity or gas provider offers you the best deal at your new location. Here, too, switching to a cheaper provider can be beneficial. Online platforms provide you with a quick and up-to-date comparison, which is extremely useful when moving.

Close-up: a person in blue workwear removes a box labelled with a Fragile sticker from a van; in the background, more stacked boxes fill the loading area.

Conclusion

A well-organized schedule makes it easy to organize a move. Make sure that the moving boxes are labeled according to room. Give your moving helpers a copied or scanned floor plan of the new apartment. Then the boxes will end up in the right room and the move will go like clockwork. Secondly, you should definitely reorganize your insurance situation. Compare prices and, if necessary, change your telephone provider and electricity or gas supplier. In this regard, moving can even bring you financial benefits. It often gives you the opportunity to get out of bad old contracts by means of extraordinary termination. You should not miss out on such an opportunity.

All information has been compiled to the best of our knowledge. However, we cannot accept liability for the details.