9 moving mistakes you should avoid!

Last Updated on 2 months by David Bergmann

Moving is a big challenge and can take a lot of time and nerves. Even if a move rarely goes without any incident, you still want to make it as smooth and relaxed as possible. To help you succeed, we have listed 9 common moving mistakes that you should avoid when moving!

1. Not planning the move (in time)
2. Forget to declutter
3. Move without professional help
4. Not comparing offers
5. Not labeling moving boxes (correctly)
6. Not terminating contracts on time
7. Forget about the final cleaning
8. Not securing the washing machine
9. Not reserving a parking space

1. Not planning the move (in time)

If there’s one thing that works against you when moving, it’s time. A move is a big undertaking, the moving checklist is correspondingly long and the clock is ticking even faster than in other stressful everyday life!

It is therefore important to start planning and preparing for your moving day as early as possible. Ideally, you should have about 2-3 months to organize your move. This gives you enough time to clear out, complete all the formalities, pack the boxes and give your old apartment a final clean.

As soon as you have found a new apartment and signed the new rental agreement, you can get started! The best place to start is with a checklist on which you write down all the tasks that need to be completed. You should also record the approximate sequence of the move preparations here. This ensures that you keep an eye on all your to-dos.

Further Tips and tricks for a relaxed move can be found here .

2. Forget to declutter

Even if going through, organizing and decluttering your belongings is tedious, it will save you time and money in the long run. Because the fewer things you have to move, the quicker you’ll be done with packing and transportation.

In collaboration with our moving partner MoveAgain, we offer a clear-out-service of your old furniture. Click here for the booking!

3. Move without professional help

If you are a student, a minimalist and are moving into a shared flat with your three belongings, there is of course nothing to stop you from organizing your move yourself.

However, if you have already accumulated a lot of household goods and especially if you own heavy pieces of furniture, hiring a moving company is definitely advisable! Trained moving helpers not only have the necessary experience and physical requirements for lifting and carrying moving goods, but also have all the packing materials needed for the move (bubble wrap, stretch wrap, packing paper, etc.).

A professional moving company will literally take some of the burden off your shoulders and, thanks to their years of experience, the move will be largely stress-free and more efficient.

About Relock you can book your moving company at a fixed price! Click here to the booking.

4. Not comparing offers

This applies equally to every moving service: Moving companies, cleaning companies, moving vans (transporters) as well as to the conclusion of a moving insurance.

Anyone who obtains and compares several quotes before placing an order has a clear advantage here and can save a lot of money. Many moving companies want to get a picture on site before submitting a quote, which can be quite time-consuming for you.

We therefore recommend that you choose your moving or cleaning company via our partner MoveAgain to book. You can use the online form to calculate the removal and cleaning costs yourself and then book the offer at a fixed price.

5. Not labeling moving boxes (correctly)

Sounds logical, but is often forgotten. Labeling moving boxes not only makes moving day easier for you, but also for your helpers. Thanks to the labeling, they know immediately where to put the moving boxes at your new address – without having to ask you every time.

You’ll also find it much easier to unpack if you don’t have to spend hours looking for toothpaste and the like on the evening of the move!

The following information should be on every moving box:

• Contents (e.g. crockery, clothing etc.)
• Destination (room)
• Note for fragile or heavy objects
• Numbering (so that you know whether all boxes have arrived)

6. Not terminating contracts on time

An unpleasant but unfortunately necessary evil: canceling or reregistering contracts. It starts with the timely termination of your rental contract, continues with the registration/re-registration of your internet, electricity and gas provider and ends with changing your health insurance.

You should always keep an eye on the contractually agreed notice period in order to terminate the contract on time, because in the worst-case scenario you will be paying double rent and operating costs for months.

7. Forget about the final cleaning

After you have vacated your old apartment, you should definitely allow enough time for the final cleaning and small cosmetic repairs (e.g. filling holes).

Depending on the size of your home, a thorough clean can easily take a whole day. Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom alone takes several hours. It is therefore essential that you reserve 1-2 days before handing over the keys so that your landlord has nothing to complain about and you get your deposit back in full.

Alternatively, you can of course also pay for the final cleaning professional help: Via Relock you can book your final cleaning online with just a few clicks.

Tip: Don’t forget to defrost the fridge! Ideally, you should do this two days before you move so that it has time to dry and you can clean it afterwards.

8. Not securing the washing machine

If you’ve never moved before, you’ve probably never heard of it. However, securing the washing machine during transportation is incredibly important in order to avoid shocks and thus damage. For example, if the drum is not transported properly, it could become unhinged and you will suddenly no longer be able to use your washing machine in your new home. You can find out how to activate the transport lock in the operating instructions.

A washing machine usually weighs between 60 and 100 kilos and is therefore very heavy. It should therefore only be transported with a wheelbarrow to avoid injury.

Tipp: For further tipps, how to prepare your washing machine for your move, check out this article: Preparing the washing machine for the move.

9. Not reserving a parking space

In densely populated areas, it is highly advisable to set up a no-stopping zone in front of the house. You can apply for so-called “no stopping signs” from your local authority. These must be set up in advance (usually 72 hours in advance) to reserve your desired parking space.

Remember to get no-stopping signs for your old AND new home so that you can load and unload without being disturbed!

Conclusion:

There is hardly a move that goes completely smoothly. However, by avoiding the most common mistakes, you can largely optimize your moving experience and make it more pleasant for you and everyone involved.

We wish you a successful relocation without any (major) moving failures and lots of fun in your new home!

Image by Drazen Zigic on Freepik