Are you planning to move? - Checklist for a stress-free move

It cannot be denied: moving is connected with great effort. Many administrative things have to be planned and done a few weeks before the removal. Even after the move is over, there are many small things to take care of. In order to make sure that the move to your new home is as uncomplicated as possible, we provide you with a useful moving checklist. With these tips you can plan your change of residence perfectly.

Simply print out the moving checklist, tick off point by point and move without stress.

❯ Relocation checklist as PDF

As early as possible: You should organise these points as early as possible before you move

Rental contracts and insurance

• Only sign a rental contract that you have carefully studied. Is the monthly rent the one that was in the ad? Is it reasonable and not significantly higher than the previous tenant paid? Are the additional costs clearly regulated? And what about the rules, e.g. regarding subletting or animal husbandry ? You can find out more about the rental contract in Switzerland on the website of the "Mieterinnen- und Mieterverband" (it is available in German only).
• Don't forget to terminate the old rental agreement in due form within the period of notice. But do not do this until the new rental contract is signed.
• Are there any damages in the old apartment? Report it to your property management and to your liability insurance. And once you have the insurance papers in your hand:
• Check your insurance policies. You may have to adjust the coverage of your household insurance or report new building conditions.

List removal goods

• A furniture layout plan for your new home can help you organise your interior design.
• Make a list of the items to be moved. That way you won't miss anything and it will also help you to organize. You may need to discuss with former or future roommates what things you need to bring with you when you move.

Organising the removal and cleaning team

• Take one day or even several days off: By law, in Switzerland you are entitled to at least one day off for moving. Apply for this to your employer.
• Organise your removal team: hire a removal company and have the date confirmed in written form. Or: Find helpers and book a rental car. Please note: Transportation rental cars are especially popular for moving dates at the end of March, end of June or end of September. Plan ahead particularly early.
• Plan the final cleaning: If you hire a cleaning company, you should have the exact date confirmed in writing. If you want to clean yourself, we recommend that you hire suitable helpers. Also consider whether you need special tools such as a high-pressure cleaner and where you can rent or hire them.

Tidy up before the move

• Plan the clean-up and start it in time. For all things that should not come with you when you move, you have to organise a resale or a disposal.
• Consider storing certain items that you do not need in everyday life in a storage room near your new home. This will save you space and still give you access to your belongings at all times.

❯ Rent a storage room

• Put the garden in order, as far as this is specified in the contract.

Reporting to authorities and providers

• For children of school or kindergarten age: inform both the old and the new school authorities and discuss possible transition problems.
• For day-care centre children: find a new day-care nursery and terminate the old one in due time.
• Does anyone in the family take instrumental lessons or join a club? Sign out early and look for an alternative in your new place of residence.
• Telephone and Internet: observe your notice periods, check availability in your new apartment and make an appointment in good time for the change.

What you should do four weeks before the move

Announce change of address

"I know where your house lives!" It's amazing who needs your address, so change your address and make sure you're safe with

• Bank / Postfinance
• Power station
• Gasworks
• Waterworks (single family house)
• Radio and TV levy Serafe
• Register with the Residents' Registration Office “Einwohnerkontrolle” (consider the deadline)
• AHV compensation fund for self-employed persons and pensioners
• Doctor/Dentist
• Place of work
• School/kindergarten
• Road Traffic Office (“Strassenverkehrsamt”)
• Vehicle registration document / driver's license (please note the deadline)
• Health insurance and insurances
• Tax office
• Subscriptions to magazines and newspapers

Many of these address changes can be easily changed online. Find out more on the relevant websites.

• Don't forget to fill out a mail forwarding request form at the post office or online (tip: it's much cheaper online than at the counter)

Also take note in good time before the move:

• Adjust standing order for the rent
• For entrepreneurs: customize business cards, letterheads and other printed materials.
• If you want new furniture - order the new furniture to your new address and arrange a suitable delivery date.
• Sometimes it becomes apparent even before the move that the coordination of the individual dates does not quite work out: if there is a time lag between the handover of the old apartment, transport, moving into the new apartment, delivery of new furniture, etc., then self storage space is a good way of bridging the gap. At placeB, you can rent storage space in an absolutely flexible way, starting as early as one week. Because there is sometimes a lot of demand around the moving dates, now is the time to book a suitable storage box on the desired date.
• Are all house keys still available? Check with the rental agreement or separate key list.

What you should plan two weeks before you move

Planning the handover of the apartment

• For small repairs in the old apartment you are responsible as tenant. Do them or have someone do them for you.
• Discuss with the landlord the details regarding the apartment's delivery. If the schedule changes, you may have to inform the transport and cleaning company.

Packing things

• Provide sufficient moving boxes, protective material and tape for the move.
• Things you don't need until the move, you can already pack. This includes books, out of season clothes, collections, hobby equipment etc. Label the moving boxes clearly according to contents and room. Mark fragile items and liquids especially well!
  ❯ Pack moving boxes - tips and tricks

Ensure access, lift and parking space

• Depending on the situation, it may make sense to inform your neighbours and the housekeeper. Make sure that the lift is accessible and available on the day of the move. Note that on official moving dates, neighbours may also move. Coordinate with them.
• Reserve a parking space for the transport vehicle - both at the old and the new place of residence. If you have to park the removal van on public ground, you can reserve a parking space in Switzerland through the police.

What you should organise a week before you move

• Do you have children and/or pets? - Make sure you organise someone to look after them during the move.
• Eat all the food in your fridge. Do not forget the frozen food.

Prepare the move

• Provide toolbox
• Organize the transport trolley (especially if you are moving on your own. Professional removal teams usually bring these with them).
• Covering floors: Protect parquet, tiles or other delicate floors with a non-slip cover - both in the old and new location.
• Dismantle furniture if this is not to be done by the removal team. Pack screws, installation instructions, etc. in a bag, label them and stick them directly to the corresponding piece of furniture.
• Start packing, label everything according to contents and destination (room numbers).

Administrative matters for the new apartment

• Apartment takeover: Check the condition of your new apartment together with your landlord and record any defects in writing in the handover protocol. Only sign what actually applies.
• Write down the counter readings for electricity, gas, possibly heating and hot water. Make sure that you don’t have to pay for the previous tenant.
• Find out where you can dispose of the trash.
• Did you pay the deposit?

What you should do two days before you move

• Pack valuables and important documents separately and transport them yourself. If necessary, rent a storage room from placeB and store it temporarily.
• Pack plants properly. If necessary, add a little water now at the latest, so that they do not have to be watered again immediately before the day of the move. Protect them from frost.
• Close cabinet doors and empty drawers with adhesive tape. Label the keys and attach them to the appropriate piece of furniture.

Provide material

• Providing refreshments for the removal team: organising drinks and food.
• Provide important items (are only loaded at the end): tools, pharmacy, toiletries (toilet paper!), extension cord, adhesive tape, cardboard boxes, old blankets and towels to protect furniture during transport, thick pen.
• Keep cleaning material and waste bags ready.
• Withdraw cash for the transport and cleaning company and keep it in a safe place.

Prepare transport vehicle

• Pick up the rental car the evening before the move.
• Block the parking lot the evening before - both at the old and the new apartment.

The checklist for the day of the relocation

• Wear good shoes and suitable clothes.
• Check the parking lot for the moving vehicle. Keep access roads clear.

Instruct removal helpers

• Distribute responsibility: Give even older children their own tasks. They should be allowed to carry their favourite things themselves.
• Make removal helpers aware of fragile and dangerous objects.
• Hang the furniture plan in a prominent place in the new apartment and number the rooms if possible.

Note during transport

• Clever loading: play Tetris when stacking in the vehicle to save space. Secure sensitive items and put on top what you need first.
• Damage during the move: If something is damaged, ask the moving man for immediate written confirmation.

When moving into the new apartment

• Ensure sufficient lighting during daylight hours.
• Label the mailbox and the front door with your name.

Hand over the old apartment

• Leave lamp sockets with bulbs behind
• Fill in a complete handover protocol with the landlord. Only sign what actually applies.
• After you have returned the key, you are no longer authorized to enter the apartment. Not even for cleaning or repair work.

Checklist what you have to consider after the change of residence

• Did something break during the move? Please note that any damage to the removal goods must be reported to the transport company by registered mail within three days.
• Defects in the new apartment that were not noticed when the apartment was handed over: Check everything and make sure it works properly. If it is certain that the damage did not occur during the move, send a list of defects by registered mail to the administration as soon as possible.

Furnish the apartment

• Set furniture correctly: the distance to the wall should be at least two fingers wide. Only if air can circulate, humidity damage can be prevented. This is especially true for exterior walls.
• Less is more. Don't overload your new apartment, because you need space to live in. What you don't need at the moment, will find a place at placeB close to you. And because the placeB app on your smartphone is the key, you always have access to your storage box.

The right start at your new place

• Introduce yourself to the neighbours. An opening aperitif is certainly well received and is often the beginning of a good neighbourhood.
• Register with the residents' registration office in due time.
• For children, a change of apartment and school can be a burden. They therefore deserve special attention. Explore the surroundings and the safest way to school with them. Support them in finding new friends in the neighbourhood. The above-mentioned introductory aperitif can help here.

Et voilà - have you worked through the checklist for the relocation? - That means you have finally arrived in your new home. Welcome! Maybe you have noticed that one or the other item unfortunately has no place in your new home after all? But you don't want to throw them away? Then store it! placeB Self Storage offers you space and access to your favorite things around the clock.