Planning a Family Move: Timeline from Giving Notice to Moving In
Planning with children
A family move needs a schedule
Step by step
A family move has more moving parts than a single person's move: notice period, nursery or school, both parents' days of leave and a moving date that fits the children's routine. If you draw up a timeline early, you will see in good time which deadline expires first. As a tenant you usually give notice with a three-month period (§ 573c BGB) – that is the first date in the calendar. How we take care of the transport is explained under Private move.
As soon as the moving day is fixed, book the survey: afterwards we quote you a fixed price, and you know what the move costs. Your household goods are covered under the German Commercial Code (HGB) (§ 451e: €620 per m³ of loading space), and additional insurance is available on request. In the last few weeks you take care of the children and the authorities, and we take care of boxes, furniture and the lorry. Call us on 01625978461 if you would like to arrange a date.
Fix the moving date early
Survey, fixed price, fixed date
The sooner the moving day is fixed, the easier it is to arrange nursery, school and holidays around it. We survey your flat, then quote the fixed price and reserve the date. Call us on 01625978461. We are based in Berlin and travel nationwide – you can see which destinations have their own page under Locations.
Offers available individually, depending on effort, scheduling and the scope of services required.
What we take care of in the timeline
You plan, we carry
In a family's timeline, the transport is only one item – but one with many dependencies. After the survey we set the fixed price, and on request we pack and apply for the parking restriction zone. Your household goods are covered under the HGB, and additional insurance is available on request. We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and operate within the city as well as nationwide with a long-distance move.
Site survey
Packing service
No-parking zone
Assembly service
The timeline at a glance
A good timeline for a family move works backwards from moving day. The six stages show what is due when, which deadlines cannot be moved – and where we can take work off your hands.
Three months before
Eight weeks before
Four weeks before
Two weeks before
Final week
After moving in
Part load: when your date is flexible
If you have leeway in your timeline, you can choose a part load for small quantities: your household goods travel on a trip that is heading in your direction anyway. This suits, for example, furniture that follows on after the actual family move.
Three
phases of a family move
This part of the series puts the family move in chronological order: what must be settled three months beforehand, what belongs in the last few weeks and what is due after moving in. Deadlines that cannot be moved – notice, nursery application, no-parking zone, registration – come first, and you arrange everything else around them. If you plan like this, in the last week you only have to pack and no longer have to make phone calls.
Before the move
On moving day
After moving in
Frequently asked questions about the timeline
The right timeline for a family move
A family move starts in the calendar earlier than you might think: as a tenant, you usually give notice with a three-month period (§ 573c BGB). By then at the latest, the rough moving date should be fixed so that you can request leave and compare quotes. Eight weeks beforehand comes the nursery or school at the new place of residence, and four weeks beforehand the parking restriction zone and mail forwarding.
Children benefit from visible stages, such as a wall calendar with moving day marked on it. With long-distance moves it is worth contacting the school and nursery at the new place even earlier. You can find a weekly plan in the article Planning a move in eight weeks, and more on long distances under Long-distance moves.
When it is the children's room's turn
The children's room appears twice in the timeline: three to four weeks beforehand you sort through toys and clothes together with your child, but packing only happens in the last few days. That way children keep their familiar surroundings for as long as possible. Seasonal clothing and rarely used games can go into boxes earlier, while favourite toys stay within reach until the very end.
Involve your children actively, for example by letting them paint and label their own boxes. At the new place, the children's room is the first room to be set up – if you tell us this during the survey, we will plan the loading order accordingly.
What a family move costs – guide prices
| House/villa | individual quote |
| 4-room flat | from €1,309 |
| 3-room flat | from €879 |
| 2-room flat | from €579 |
| 1-room flat | from €339 |
| Long-distance move | from €4.15/km |
Book the free survey early in your timeline – after that the fixed price is settled.
What influences the price
- Distance (from €4.15/km)
- Volume of the household goods
- Floor and lift
- Parking restriction zone – plan it early: in Berlin the signs must be in place at least 72 hours beforehand
- Optional: furniture assembly, part load
Services you can build into your timeline
The more we take on, the more breathing space you have in the last few weeks for the children and the authorities:
- Office move (Office move): professional and reliable
- House clearance (House clearance): fast clearance guaranteed
- Furniture transport (Furniture transport): for single items
- Part load (Part load): cost-saving
- Move with assembly (Move with assembly): everything from a single source
- Private move (Private move): with personal support
Long-distance move with a family: allow more lead time
With a long-distance move, the timeline moves forward. We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and travel nationwide – destinations in the locations overview, more under Long-distance moves.
Related Articles
Changing School During a Family Move: Registration, Documents and a New Federal State