Administrative checklist when moving home 

After a long search and many viewings, have you finally found the flat of your dreams or the ideal house for your little family?

Leave thepacking and transport of your belongings to the professionals and focus on another aspect of moving that can become tedious if poorly prepared: the administrative formalities.

Formalities to start several months before:

• Order an extract from the debt enforcement register (some landlords want to see this document before signing the new lease)
• Sign the lease for the new home (checking that it is legally valid if you are not going through an estate agency)
• Give notice on your current home within the period specified in your lease. Note that your letter must reach the landlord by registered post before the last day preceding the start of the notice period
• Combining yourhousehold contents insurance / legal protection insurance
• Contact your internet / TV / phone providers to cancel or transfer your subscriptions. Book the installation of a new internet line in advance, as technicians’ waiting times can be long. Also arrange a meter reading in your presence
• Change your address for the radio/TV licence fee
• If you have school-age children, contact the municipality of your new address to find a new school.

10 days before the move:

• Ask your post office to forward your mail, covering about 10 days before and 2 weeks after the move
• Inform the following organisations of the date of your change of address and your new address (most of these updates can be made online on their websites)
• Health insurance
• Car insurance (report any change in parking conditions that could affect your premium: garage, outdoor parking)
• District command / civil protection / civilian service
• Employer / update your emergency contact
• Doctors
• Bank / PostFinance / credit card company
• Schools / nursery

You are entitled to at least one day of paid leave for your move: discuss it with HR or your manager to set a date.

On the day you hand over the keys:

Carry out the inspection with the landlord, filling in the move-out report completely and accurately, and compare it with the move-in report.

Only hand over the keys to your old home when everything has really been cleaned and settled. Handing over the keys marks the final return of the property. After that, you will no longer have the right to enter, even for repairs or cleaning.

Once you have settled into your new home:

• List any damage not noted when the keys were handed over and ask the landlord to come and see it if necessary. In any case, send a registered letter to report these omissions. If the landlord finds damage at the end of the tenancy, the tenant can declare it to their household contents / personal liability insurance. In that case, the tenant may cancel their personal liability or household contents insurance within 14 days of reporting the claim
• Ask for your deposit back, if this has not already been done
• Make sure you notify the landlord of any damage to the rental property not yet mentioned in the inspection report and have it added to the document.
• Change the address on your driving licence and vehicle registration (within 10 days)
• Register with the electricity provider of your new place of residence
• Put a label with your name on the doorbell or the door of your new home,
• register with the residents’ registration office of your new municipality within the deadline.