Checklist for Your Move in Switzerland

This moving checklist guides you through your move in Switzerland: from the new lease and packing to the change of address and the apartment handover. Work through the tasks along the timeline — tasks that only apply if you move or clean yourself are marked "Without a moving company" or "Without a cleaning company" and shown in gray. The list was tested by the author during his own move and is updated regularly.

You can check off the tasks directly — your progress is saved on this device — or print the checklist (free, no sign-up).

As early as possible: contracts, budget and moving date

• Read the new lease carefully and have it reviewed professionally if anything is unclear — the Swiss Tenants' Association can help (www.mieterverband.ch).
• Terminate the old lease on time and in the proper form (only once the new lease is signed) — the letter must reach the landlord at the latest on the last day before the notice period begins. If you terminate outside the official dates, propose suitable, solvent replacement tenants (details from the Swiss Tenants' Association).
• Arrange the handover date for the old apartment with the property management.
• Arrange the handover date for the new apartment with the new property management.
• Set the moving date.
• Create a moving budget: factor in transport, cleaning, packing material and any temporary storage.
• Organize the rental deposit for the new apartment and clarify the payment deadline with the property management.
• Set the cleaning date.
• Check whether your internet and TV provider covers the new address and what speed is available. If there is no coverage, ask the provider whether you have a right to terminate early.
• Compare at least 2–3 quotes from moving companies via top-quotes.ch. Have the date and price confirmed in writing (see Hire a moving company).
• Check whether the quotes include disassembly, reassembly, packing material and any special transport tasks. Record who is responsible for what in writing.
• Without a moving company: reserve a moving vehicle and arrange pickup for the evening before. Check whether moving blankets and tie-down straps are included or have to be rented separately.
• Without a moving company: organize helpers and clarify insurance coverage for possible damage.
• Compare cleaning companies with at least 3 quotes and have the date and price confirmed in writing.
• Without a cleaning company: organize helpers for the cleaning and clarify insurance coverage.
• Children: deregister from school or kindergarten at the old location and register at the new one.

1–2 months before: organize the move and get supplies

• Clarify the exact handover time for the old apartment with the landlord.
• Clarify the exact takeover time for the new apartment with the landlord.
• Report any damage to the old rental property to the property management and your liability insurance.
• Request the floor plan of the new apartment from the landlord or measure it yourself; note ceiling heights and sloped ceilings.
• Declutter the cellar, attic, garage and patio. Give away, sell or dispose of furniture you no longer need; if necessary, arrange a pickup by a second-hand store.
• Arrange furniture repairs before the move and organize delivery to the new address.
• Check with your employer whether you are entitled to time off for moving day (common depending on your employment contract or collective labor agreement) and book the day.
• Get moving boxes and protective material; plan floor-covering material for the new apartment. Ask the moving company or a moving supply shop about buying, renting, delivery and returns.
• Use up frozen food and emergency supplies.
• If needed, choose new furniture and have it delivered directly to the new address — expect longer delivery times for new furniture.

2–4 weeks before: change addresses and start packing

• Prepare your address changes and set up mail forwarding with Swiss Post. Who to notify in which order — municipality (eUmzug), authorities, banks, insurance companies, providers and subscriptions — is covered in our change-of-address checklist for your move.
• Start packing rarely used items (cellar, attic and garage first, then office and living space). Label boxes with contents and destination room — also on the side, so the contents stay readable in a stack. Do not use garbage bags, so your belongings are not mistaken for trash.
• Load boxes to a maximum of 25 kg. Stand books, records and pictures upright; stand porcelain and glasses upright and cushion them well.
• If needed: have a parking space reserved with the police or municipality (at the old and the new location). Check access, stairwell and elevator at both addresses; clarify with the property management whether and how the elevator can be used for the move.
• Create a furniture layout plan for the new apartment based on room and furniture measurements; take electrical, phone and TV connections into account. Make several copies for moving day.
• Check that all keys to the old apartment are accounted for.
• Inform the caretaker and neighbors.

One week before: confirm appointments and prepare furniture

• Go through the details of the move with the moving company and confirm the date.
• Discuss the details of the apartment handover with the landlord and the cleaning company and confirm the exact date.
• Without a cleaning company: get enough cleaning products and supplies.
• Depending on the transport, water large plants only sparingly — this makes a considerable difference in weight.
• If possible, move valuable and fragile small items personally and separately.
• Finish packing the living areas. Empty furniture and drawers completely; take out loose shelves.
• Dismantle furniture as agreed with the moving company. Put screws and small parts in labeled bags and keep them within easy reach.
• Remove nails, screws and wall anchors from the walls and fill the holes with filler.
• Carry out small repairs if needed.
• Organize childcare for small children.
• If applicable: organize care for pets.
• Plan meals so that the refrigerator and your supplies are as empty as possible by moving day.

The day before the move: keep everything within reach

• Keep parking spaces free or mark them, if you can do so yourself (at the old and the new location).
• Set aside cleaning supplies and garbage bags separately.
• Organize food and drinks for moving day.
• Clearly label items that should not be moved and collect them in one place.
• Have a cooler ready for frozen food; defrost the freezer.
• Without a moving company: pick up the rental vehicle (bring your driver's license).
• Pack a personal bag: keep IDs, keys, medication, chargers and clothes for the first night with you.
• Pack the essentials for the new apartment so they are within easy reach: toilet paper, soap, kitchen towels, garbage bags, cleaning supplies, tools, tape, extension cords, light bulbs and lamps.
• Make sure there is lighting at the new place, so you can keep assembling and setting up after sunset.
• Finish packing the entire household before the moving company arrives — unfinished packing causes extra work.
• Depending on the agreement with the moving or cleaning company, get cash.

Taking over the new apartment: check condition and keys

• Walk through the apartment together with the property management and record existing defects in the move-in inspection report.
• Photograph any noticeable damage.
• Document the keys handed over and the current meter readings.
• Keep a copy of the fully completed report.
• Label the doorbell and mailbox.

On moving day: coordinate transport and move-in

• Have cash ready as agreed — but only pay once the move has been fully completed.
• Instruct the moving crew (especially the team leader): show the team every room and side room that items are coming from. Point out fragile and valuable items. Say what you will need first at the new place — that gets loaded last.
• Without a moving company: load the vehicle wisely — load last what you need first; start with boxes; secure large, heavy items well; observe the maximum weight and, for trailers, the drawbar load.
• After loading, do a final walk-through of all rooms yourself.
• Leave enough lamps behind for cleaning the old apartment.
• In the new apartment: protect the floors with non-slip floor fleece, label the rooms, hang up the furniture layout plan clearly visible and make sure there is lighting.

Handing over the old apartment: cleaning, report and keys

• Agree with the cleaning company who will be present at the handover inspection. Prepare payment according to the agreed terms.
• Keep a copy of the handover inspection report. Explicitly note any complaints you disagree with in the report (e.g. "I do not agree with the noted excessive wear of the carpet").
• Return all keys against a receipt (house, mailbox, garage, cellar and attic keys).
• Report possible damage to the old apartment to your personal liability or household contents insurance.

After the move: registrations and remaining tasks

• With a moving company: inspect your furniture for damage you had not noticed and report it to the company in writing within the deadline in its terms and conditions (often 3 days).
• Check the new apartment for further defects during the first days and report them to the landlord promptly by registered mail (common recommendation: within 10 days).
• Re-register your vehicle registration and driver's license with the road traffic office within 14 days — possible online.
• Register with the residents' registration office at your new place of residence — within the local deadline (usually 14 days, shorter in some municipalities), unless already done via eUmzug. If you own a dog: report the change of address for the Amicus registry to your municipality.
• Within 30 days: check the status of the rental deposit refund for the old apartment.
• Compare health insurance premiums at your new place of residence — premiums depend on where you live.

Frequently asked questions about planning a move