Mini move: move small, without moving-company prices
Flat-share room, one-room flat, or a few pieces to your parents' place: small moves don't need a removal firm – a van with driver and carrying help is enough.
- Instant price before booking
- Insured transports
- Carrying help bookable
How the mini move succeeds
Declutter and pack
Fewer boxes mean a smaller vehicle and a cheaper move. Heavy items in small boxes (about 20 kg max), label everything, wrap fragile items in towels.
Estimate the volume realistically
A flat-share room is usually 5–10 m³ – that fits a 3.3 m van in one trip. Disassembling furniture saves volume and nerves in the staircase.
Plan carrying help and time window
Book carrying help as an extra instead of bribing friends, organize parking at both doors – and a flexible time window is cheaper than a fixed slot.
Which vehicle do you need?
For a flat-share room, the 2.7 m class usually suffices; for a one-room flat take the 3.3 m van or the 3.5-tonne box – better one size up than driving twice. All dimensions and payloads in the van guide →
How much fits in one trip? Estimating volume and weight
A mini move rarely fails on the distance – it fails on a misjudged load. Work with two figures: volume and weight. For volume, the vehicle classes help. The compact van holds three to four cubic metres – enough for boxes, bags and a small shelf. The 2.7 m class van takes five to eight cubic metres, the 3.3 m class Sprinter around ten, and the 3.5-tonne box lorry 13 to 20.
When it comes to weight, many people underestimate books. Pack them in small boxes and fill the large ones with bedding and clothes so every box stays carryable. With Maxmove you book up to 900 kg of payload in the 2.7 m class van and up to 1,000 kg in the Sprinter – almost always enough for a room in a shared flat, but not necessarily for a large library.
Measure the bulkiest items beforehand: wardrobe side panels, the bed frame, the sofa. The longest panel determines the load length you need, the tallest piece of furniture the interior height. When in doubt, book one vehicle class bigger – that costs less than a second trip. The transport cost calculator shows the price for your route.
Parking, lift, keys: what to sort out before the day
The van needs to get as close to the front door as possible, and in many central parts of Cologne, Düsseldorf or Münster that only works with a temporary no-parking zone. In Cologne, the application should ideally be made at least three weeks before moving day. You obtain the signs yourself from a specialist company, and they must be in place 96 hours before the date; for a 7.5-tonne lorry the city reckons with about 15 metres, so a van needs correspondingly less. Other cities handle this in a similar way through their road traffic authority – check deadlines and fees in good time.
In the building, find out whether you may use the lift and protect it with blankets, and whether the house rules set quiet hours. Keys for cellar, attic and bike room, access codes and the name on the doorbell go into a short note for the driver.
When booking, state the floor and lift situation for both pickup and delivery addresses; that tells you whether you need the bookable carrying help. Everything else to finish before moving day is listed step by step in our moving checklist.
After the move: registration, landlord confirmation, handover
The last box is not quite the end of the move. Under § 17 of Germany's Federal Registration Act (Bundesmeldegesetz), you must register with the registration office within two weeks of moving in. For that you need the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung): under § 19 of the same act, the landlord or a person they appoint must confirm your move-in in writing or electronically. Request the form early so the deadline does not depend on a missing signature.
For the old flat, a handover report is worthwhile, with meter readings for electricity, gas and water, the number of keys returned and photos of every room. Record the meter readings in the new flat on moving-in day as well.
And for the transport itself: Maxmove documents the handover at the destination digitally with a timestamp and photos. When unloading, check that everything has arrived undamaged and note anything unusual straight away. Our damage report gives you a template for that.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the transport cost?
Route, vehicle, carrying help – your mini move has a fixed price instead of an hourly estimate.
Calculate the price in seconds