As soon as you know your moving-in date and have the new rental agreement, you should give notice on the rental agreement for your current flat. Be aware of the required notice dates and organize a new tenant if necessary. If you own your home and have a fixed-rate mortgage, this can be transferred under certain conditions.

Schedule the day on which you will move into your new home and calculate backwards from this date. Note that on official moving days (dates differ depending on the canton and municipality) many removals companies and hire vans are fully booked and/or prices are higher. Contact the administration in good time to arrange a handover date.

Create a detailed checklist with all the tasks involved in the move. You can download one from the Internet and then customize it for your own purposes. You should adapt the checklist to your own schedule and assign the individual tasks to a specific period or date.

The link will open in a new window Go to the Swiss Post checklist at post.ch

The choice is large and the differences huge – everything from one-person companies to international freight forwarding operations. Our tips for your search:

• Ask your friends, family and work colleagues for recommendations.
• Research online and read reviews from previous customers.
• Get two to four quotes from different removals companies so that you can compare prices and services.
• Get advice from removals companies – by telephone or during a personal visit to your home.

The costs for a removals company vary greatly and depend on various factors.

• Size of the household: the number of rooms and the square meters influence the price – the larger the household, the greater the cost.
• Distance and location: the further away the new home, the greater the cost. The price also depends on the floor on which the apartments are located and whether there is a lift.
• Furnishings: if you have a lot of delicate items and furniture, this will drive up the costs.
• Requested services: additional insurance, help when dismantling and assembling the furniture, final cleaning, provision of moving boxes – the more services you request, the more expensive the move.

To assess the costs and services, you should obtain several quotes and compare them. How to get a quote:

• Online forms: you can get a quote from some removals companies via their website. You fill out a form and receive the quote by e-mail.
• Telephone consultation: some removal companies offer a telephone consultation where you can also request a quote.
• On-site inspection: to realistically assess the effort involved, a team member from the removals company will visit you in order to get an idea of the size of the household and your requirements.

A move involves numerous administrative tasks.

• Change of address: as soon as you know your new address, you can ensure that your contacts receive your new address. To do this, create a list of all your contacts and go through it. Check where you can change the address online and where you need to turn up in person. With a The link will open in a new window forwarding order from Swiss Post, you will receive all your letters even after your move and even if you failed to inform the sender of the new address.
• Cancel and re-register utility services: find out in good time how you can cancel and re-register contracts for Internet, TV, electricity, etc. Make a note of when you need to read the meters.
• Dealing with authorities: the authorities (registration office, tax office, driver and vehicle licensing office) will also want to be informed about your move. You should plan for this or do it immediately.
• Enter days off and holidays: as soon as you know your moving date, you should ask your workplace whether you will get any days off and how many. It may be worth using additional holidays days for your move.
• Parking and access: you may need a permit to park cars and vans on your moving day. Clarify the procedure and book early.
• Childcare and school: depending on how far away you move, you may need to change the school that your children attend. Make sure you register your children at the new school in good time, talk to the teachers, etc. You may also need to change their day nursery and after-school care.

That includes those old lamps that have been in the attic for ages. The ski boots that have long been too small for the kids. The balcony table that’s almost falling apart. There are bound to be things in your household that you’ve been meaning to get rid of. Don’t drag them with you to the new place, but use the move as an opportunity to have a full clear out and declutter.

You can sell or give away anything that’s still in good condition to friends, at a flea market or via online platforms, a second-hand shop or to charitable organizations.

If you need to dispose of items, you can do this yourself at a recycling center. Alternatively, you can use a specialized service (often also possible via the municipality) or pay the removals company to do this for you.

Remember to also use up any supplies instead of transporting them from A to B.

Organize enough moving boxes early on. As a rule of thumb, you will need approximately one box per square meter of living space. Other calculations are based on the size of the household:

• Single-person household: approx. 30 boxes
• Multi-person household: approx. 20 to 25 boxes per person

You can rent moving boxes from a removals company or organize them privately. If you opt for the latter, you can ask friends, advertise in social media groups or online services or use sharing apps. There are also insurance companies that support their customers with free moving boxes when they move. Of course, you can also buy the boxes from a garden center or furniture store.

Also remember to get hold of protective materials such as bubble wrap and blankets if this is not provided by the removals company. Clothes boxes, bottle packaging, adhesive tape and pens are also practical tools.

You can start packing around a month before the move. Start by packing things that you rarely use, such as winter clothes, if you are moving in the summer.

When packing, make sure that boxes are not too heavy (books!) and use special packing material, if possible – e. g. clothes boxes, bottle packaging, newspapers for crockery, book boxes and covers for mattresses.

Label all the boxes: Indicate what’s inside and which room they belong in at the new location. In particular, you should label boxes for the cellar and attic accordingly.

Valuable items and things that you will need immediately after the move should be packed separately. If necessary, you should transport them yourself.

As a tenant, you are obliged to leave the apartment in a clean condition. Whether you clean your current home yourself or prefer to hire a professional cleaning company ultimately depends on your budget and schedule. It’s important that the apartment meets the landlord’s requirements so that the handover goes smoothly and you receive your deposit back in full.

The cleaning costs for professional apartment cleaning in Switzerland vary depending on the size and condition of the apartment. For an average 3.5-room apartment with an acceptance guarantee, you can expect to pay around CHF 1,000. But this is only a rough estimate. The cleaning costs depend on many factors, such as the number of windows, the degree of soiling, the type of shutters, etc. Many cleaning companies offer an acceptance guarantee. That means that if the landlord has any complaints, the cleaning company will go in again and deal with it.

The additional investment can be worthwhile if you want to save yourself the effort and stress of cleaning. You can relax and take care of the move while the professionals handle the cleaning. Please note: appointments with cleaning companies are in high demand, especially during the moving period, so it is advisable to schedule them in good time.

To properly conclude your tenancy, you should fill out a handover protocol together with the landlord. This is more than just a formality, but your guarantee for a smooth handover of the apartment and repayment of the deposit. As when you moved in, the condition of the apartment is recorded in writing together with the landlord when moving out. This ensures you have a clear record of any damage or wear, preventing misunderstandings or potential disputes. As a rule, the landlord includes the handover protocol at the handover date.