Moving Checklist to Tick Off

A move is best tackled with a countdown: start eight weeks ahead and you get everything done without night shifts or last-minute panic. This free checklist to tick off takes you from the notice letter to re-registering after moving in – as a PDF to print, or as a Word file you adapt to your own move.

What needs to be done when?

The checklist follows the countdown – these are the key milestones:

• 8 weeks before: give notice on the rental contract, set the moving date, organise a van and helpers, book time off if needed
• 4 weeks before: set up mail forwarding, switch or cancel electricity, internet, and other contracts, get boxes, apply for a no-parking zone
• 2 weeks before: pack room by room, measure furniture and doorways, register bulky waste pickup
• 1 week before: pack a first-night box (bedding, chargers, coffee maker), transport important documents separately
• Moving day: read and photograph meter readings, complete the handover protocol, hand over the keys
• Afterwards: re-register your address at the Bürgeramt (mandatory within two weeks), re-register your car, inform banks and insurers

Checklist to tick off – free as PDF or Word

The template is built rigorously as a checklist to tick off: every task with a checkbox, grouped by the countdown phases from eight weeks before to after moving in. Print the PDF and stick it on the fridge – you tick with a pen, not in an app. Adapt the Word version first: delete tasks, add your own, fill in dates – then print and tick it off just the same.

Re-registering after the move: authorities and deadlines

After moving in, the paperwork starts. These re-registrations are due – with deadlines where they exist; the most important ones are also in the PDF:

• Residents' registration office (Bürgeramt): re-registering is mandatory within two weeks of moving in (§ 17 Bundesmeldegesetz) – book the appointment before the move if you can and bring the landlord's confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung)
• Vehicle registration office: have the new address entered in the vehicle documents, optionally new plates when changing cities – do it promptly, or fines may follow
• Broadcasting fee (Rundfunkbeitrag): change the address online; when moving in together, deregister one account
• Dog owners: deregister the dog with the old municipality and register for dog tax with the new one – deadlines vary by municipality, usually a few weeks
• Banks, insurers, employer, and health insurance: notify them of the address change
• Subscriptions, clubs, online shops: update delivery addresses – mail forwarding (6 to 12 months) catches whatever you forget

Which pro tips save the most nerves?

• Pack boxes to a maximum of 20 kg – books in small boxes, pillows and bedding in large ones
• Colour code per room: one tape colour per room, on boxes and room doors – helpers never have to ask where things go
• Photograph cable connections (TV, router, hi-fi) before dismantling – reassembly takes minutes instead of hours

Drive yourself or have it driven?

A rental van is cheap for small moves – in return you steer an unfamiliarly large vehicle through narrow streets, load everything yourself, and return it refuelled in the evening. If you would rather skip that, book a van with driver from Maxmove at a fixed price and only take care of packing and unpacking.