As soon as the new lease is signed
The first decisions set the framework for everything else. The sooner you make them, the more choice you have of dates and providers.
- Give notice on your old flat by the deadline, and look for a replacement tenant if you are moving out early
- Set the moving date and book the day off with your employer
- Decide whether to move with friends or with a moving company
- With a moving company: get quotes and award the job, for example through our quote request
- Decide whether to clean the old flat yourself or hire a cleaning company
- Cleaning it yourself: organise helpers
- With a cleaning company: compare quotes and book the move-out cleaning with a handover guarantee
- With children: deregister them from nursery, kindergarten or school at the old place and register them at the new one
Two to three months before
Now is the right time to declutter. Every box that never gets packed saves time later and space in the removal van.
- Cancel current subscriptions and contracts such as internet and phone, or transfer them to your new address
- Clear out the flat, cellar and attic
- Give away or sell what you have sorted out, or have it collected, for example through our disposal service
- Get moving boxes and packing materials
One to two months before
In these weeks the packing begins, starting with everything you do not need day to day. At the same time, make sure that the access and the lift will be free on moving day.
- Carry out minor repairs that tenants have to pay for
- Have enough packing material ready
- Pack what you can do without: books, records, binders, spare linen, clothes and your wine supply
- Label every box clearly with its contents and the room it is going to
- Let the neighbours and the caretaker know, so that the access and the lift can be used on moving day
- Reserve a parking space for the removal vehicle at the old and the new address: on private ground through the property management, on public ground through the police
Report your new address in good time
The following should know your new address before the first bill goes to the old one:
- Bank
- Insurance companies
- Electricity and gas utilities
- Doctor and health insurer
- Einwohnerkontrolle (residents' registration office) at your old and new place of residence
- Sektionschef or Kreiskommando (military administration), if you are liable for military service
- Employer
- AHV-Ausgleichskasse (state pension compensation office) and pension fund
- School and kindergarten
- Strassenverkehrsamt (road traffic office) for your driving licence and vehicle registration document
- Newspapers and magazines
- Clubs and friends
Two weeks before
Now things get concrete: most of the boxes are packed, and every piece of furniture gets its place in the plan of your new home.
- Pack the remaining boxes, apart from what you need every day
- Put together a toolbox for the move
- Decide who dismantles and reassembles which furniture, with our furniture assembly service if needed
- Set up a mail forwarding order with Swiss Post
- Tell your most important contacts your new address
- Draw a furniture plan for the new flat
In the final week
The last few days belong to appointments and to the things that stayed in use until the end.
- Arrange a date for handing back the old flat
- Arrange a date for taking over the new flat
- Have the property management or caretaker confirm the parking space for the removal van
- Organise transport for fragile items and valuables
- Plan how your pets will travel
- Dismantle and pack the first pieces of furniture
- Take down pictures, remove screws and fill nail holes
- Have moving equipment ready, such as carrying straps, dollies and blankets
On moving day
Once the tasks have been shared out beforehand, the main thing now is to keep track of everything. If you have any questions, you can reach us on 043 321 24 13, even late in the evening and at weekends.
- Keep a bag with chargers, medication, toiletries and bed linen for the first night within reach
- Note the electricity and gas meter readings in the old flat
- During loading, point out what goes and what stays
- In the new flat, show which furniture and boxes belong in which room
- Finally, check all rooms, the cellar and the attic so that nothing is left behind
After the move
The move is not quite over with the last box. These points are still part of it:
- Register with the Einwohnerkontrolle of your new municipality (usually within 14 days)
- Clean the old flat or have it cleaned, and return all the keys at the handover
- Read the handover report carefully and only sign it once you agree with it
- Report defects in the new flat to the property management promptly and in writing
- Put name plates on the letterbox and the door of the flat
- Pass on or dispose of empty boxes and packing material
Frequently asked questions
When should I start planning my move?
As soon as the new lease is signed. The notice period, getting quotes and decluttering all take time. A lead time of around three months is therefore a good guideline.
Which tasks can I hand over to a moving company?
You can hand over packing, dismantling and reassembling furniture, transport, cleaning and disposal, entirely or in part. Just state what you would like to outsource in the free quote request.
Where do I report my new address first?
At the Einwohnerkontrolle (residents' registration office): deregister at your old place of residence and register at the new one. After that come your bank, insurers, health insurer, employer and the other offices in the list above. A Swiss Post forwarding order catches letters sent to your old address during the transition period.
What do I do with things that are not coming with me?
Give them away, sell them or dispose of them, ideally two to three months before the move. We collect bulky furniture and larger quantities as part of our disposal service and pay attention to environmentally sound recycling.
