How far in advance should a senior move be planned?

Two to three months beforehand, because that is the notice period for tenants and how long sorting out usually takes. The most common mistake is to start only a few weeks beforehand. Submit the application to the care insurance fund before you commission anything; request the moving date as soon as the move-in date is fixed.

Which costs arise in a senior move?

The costs depend on volume, floor, lift, carrying distances and extras such as packing, unpacking or storage. Guide prices by number of rooms are in the price overview on this page; we give you the fixed price after a free survey. Check the tax bonus under § 35a EStG and, with a care level, a grant from the care insurance fund.

Who is liable for damage?

For damage to your goods we are liable under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre of loading space. For antiques or very valuable keepsakes, additional insurance makes sense. Report visible damage no later than the day after delivery, and hidden damage within 14 days.

Which typical mistakes should be avoided?

Starting too late, taking too much furniture, asking the care insurance fund only after the move, missing the notice period and leaving the older person alone on moving day. On top of that comes forgotten re-registration. With a floor plan of the new flat, a calendar and clearly divided tasks within the family, these mistakes can be avoided.

How does the process of a senior move proceed?

After a survey with the floor plan we give you a fixed price. In the weeks before, things are sorted out and packed, by us if you wish. On moving day we dismantle, transport and set the furniture up again according to plan; bed and armchair first. Then come registration and changes of address.

Can a clearance be organised as well?

Yes. Whatever is not coming along we take away for disposal on request; for larger quantities a household clearance makes sense. Clarify this before the survey, so the fixed price is right.

What happens to keepsakes during the move?

Decide together and without time pressure what comes along. It is best to transport keepsakes in separate, clearly labelled boxes that are loaded last and unloaded first. Photos and letters can be digitised, and individual pieces passed on to children or grandchildren.

Do you also offer long-distance moves for seniors?

Yes, we are based in Berlin and also plan moves to other cities, for example to the children; routes under Long-distance moves . A typical mistake is to let the older person ride along in the lorry – they are better travelling separately with someone accompanying them, arriving once the bed is already up.

How does the team support older people physically?

The older person does not have to carry anything: on request we take care of packing, dismantling, transport and assembly. Care, medication and accompaniment, on the other hand, are a matter for relatives or the care service – plan a familiar person for the whole day. This keeps the day calmer for everyone.

Can the move take place at weekends?

Weekend dates are possible by arrangement; this often makes it easier for relatives to accompany. Ask about it during the survey, and the date will be in the quote. Bear in mind, though, that authorities and landlords are often unavailable at weekends; the key handover should be agreed beforehand.

Where does the moving team come from?

We are based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and handle senior moves within Berlin and from Berlin to other cities. We do not have a branch in other cities; the journey there is included in the fixed price. The survey in Berlin is free and without obligation; relatives are welcome.

STRESS-FREE MOVING

A Senior Move: Avoid These Mistakes

Q: What makes a senior move special?

A senior move is rarely about long distances; it is about downsizing, saying goodbye and barriers. Often a large flat moves into a smaller one, into assisted living or into a care home. Sorting out takes time, relatives help organise, and sometimes an application to the care insurance fund is added. On request the moving company does the packing and unpacking so that nobody has to lift anything heavy.

The most common mistakes in a senior move – and how families avoid them with time and a plan.

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FROM BERLIN-MOABIT

Senior Move

Senior move: the mistakes that cost families the most energy

Avoid these mistakes

Unsere Firma is based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and plans with you in advance what comes along and where it goes in the new home.

The most common mistake in a senior move is too little time. Anyone moving out of a large flat after forty years needs weeks to decide what comes along – and these decisions cannot be made up for on the weekend before the move. The second mistake follows from this: too much furniture comes along, blocking paths in the smaller flat and becoming trip hazards. A floor plan with the furniture drawn in prevents this before the first box is packed. A third mistake: the older person is left out of these decisions. Those who have a say feel at home in the new place more quickly.

It gets expensive when deadlines are missed: tenants give three months' notice, and this period generally applies even when moving into a care home. Anyone with a care level (Pflegegrad) who only asks the long-term care insurance fund (Pflegekasse) after the move may have thrown away the grant for measures to improve the living environment – it is applied for before starting. And on moving day the older person should never be left alone among boxes and helpers. How we support senior moves is described under Senior move.

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Catching mistakes at the survey stage

A calm survey, then a fixed price

Many mistakes can be spotted during the survey: too much furniture for the new flat, a narrow stairwell, no space to park. Call us on 01625978461; we survey calmly, relatives are welcome, and then give you a fixed price. The survey is free and without obligation.

Quotes available individually based on workload, scheduling and the desired scope of services.

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FROM BERLIN

How we help you avoid typical mistakes

Planning with a floor plan

We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and, for a senior move, go through the floor plan of the new flat with you and your relatives during the survey: what fits, what stays, where do the bed and armchair go? On moving day we pack on request, dismantle, transport and set everything up again according to plan so that paths stay clear. Deadlines, applications and re-registration stay with you. We are liable for your goods under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre; for antiques, additional insurance is possible.

Floor plan in advance

We work out with you which furniture fits into the new flat – so that nothing comes along that later gets in the way during the senior move.

Packing calmly

On request we pack crockery, books and keepsakes so that nobody has to lift anything heavy – with a packing service and labelling by room.

Clear paths

We place furniture so that there is room for a walking frame or wheelchair and no edges or cables are in the way – with furniture transport by floor plan.

The rest taken care of

Whatever neither the family nor a charity shop wants we take away for disposal on request, so that the old flat is handed over empty.

LEARNING FROM MISTAKES

Six mistakes and how to solve them

These six mistakes happen again and again in a senior move. Each one can be avoided if the family talks about it early. It is best to take this list to the first family conversation.

Started too late

Sorting out after many years takes weeks; start two to three months beforehand and plan in breaks and conversations.

Too much furniture

Whatever does not fit into the floor plan will block paths later; decide with a plan, not only when unloading in the new flat.

Care insurance fund asked too late

Apply for the grant under § 40 (4) SGB XI before starting; after the move it is often too late for the care insurance fund. Clarify this first.

Deadline missed

Tenants give three months' notice – generally even when moving into a care home; giving notice too late means paying double rent.

Alone on moving day

A familiar person should accompany the whole day, answer questions and take care of calm, food and medication.

Re-registration forgotten

Register within two weeks, give the new address to the pension insurance, health insurance and bank – otherwise important post will not arrive.

FOR SMALL LOADS

Don't plan too big

Shared load for a few pieces of furniture

With a shared load, several consignments share the loading area on the same route. For individual pieces of furniture or boxes, this lowers the costs considerably. A typical mistake here would be to plan the shared load for the day of moving into the care home: you get a time window, not a fixed day – so the essentials are better moved on a fixed date.

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AVOIDING MISTAKES

Before,
on the day, afterwards

Where most mishaps happen

Mistakes in a senior move happen in three phases: with deadlines and choosing furniture beforehand, on moving day and with the formalities afterwards. Which tasks are due in which week is shown in the senior move checklist. If someone is moving to the children in another city, you will find information under long-distance moves.

Beforehand

Started too late, too much furniture, care insurance fund not asked, notice period missed: most mistakes in a senior move happen long before moving day and can be avoided with a floor plan and a calendar.

On moving day

Nobody should be left alone among boxes: a familiar person accompanies, with a packing service and furniture transport the older person does not have to carry anything, and the bed is in its place by the evening.

Afterwards

Registration within two weeks, pension insurance, health insurance, bank, home emergency call: working through this list together after the move avoids lost post and unnecessary trouble with the authorities. The home emergency call and care service also need the new address.

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FAQ

Questions about mistakes in a senior move

Lead time, costs, liability, process, keepsakes and support – answered briefly.

A senior move is rarely about long distances; it is about downsizing, saying goodbye and barriers. Often a large flat moves into a smaller one, into assisted living or into a care home. Sorting out takes time, relatives help organise, and sometimes an application to the care insurance fund is added. On request the moving company does the packing and unpacking so that nobody has to lift anything heavy.

Typical mistakes in the senior move

Many families underestimate how long sorting out takes. After many years in a flat, many things have a story attached, and decisions need time and conversations. Starting too late means taking too much in the end or deciding under pressure – both are a strain.

Deadlines are just as often missed: the three-month notice period for the old flat, the application to the care insurance fund before the move begins, registration within two weeks. And on moving day there is sometimes no familiar person to accompany. With a floor plan, a calendar and clear tasks within the family, these mistakes can be avoided.

How to manage a senior move without these mistakes

Start two to three months beforehand. Get the floor plan of the new flat and draw in which furniture has room; the rest is passed on to family, sold, donated or disposed of. With a care level, ask the care insurance fund before commissioning anything: under § 40 (4) SGB XI up to €4,180 per measure is possible if this makes care at home possible or easier – the fund decides case by case whether a move counts.

Get a fixed price after a survey and plan in packing and unpacking so that the older person does not have to lift anything. For privately arranged moves, 20% of the labour costs, up to €4,000 a year, are tax-deductible under § 35a EStG. For moves to other cities you will find information under Long-distance moves.

Moving prices - transparent & fair

Size	Price from
1-room flat	€359
2-room flat	€599
3-room flat	€905
4-room flat	€1,299
House/villa	individual quote
Long-distance move	from €3.90/km

Transparency starts with a free survey.

This determines your moving price

The decisive factors are first of all volume and distance – we charge the latter from €3.90/km. The floor of your flat and whether there is a lift also go into the calculation. Sometimes a parking restriction zone (Halteverbotszone) is also needed. On request we also take care of furniture assembly and a shared load.

The services of our moving company

You can book these services individually for a senior move.

Office move - Office move: moving solutions specifically for businesses.
Private move - Private move: the move for private individuals and families.
Furniture transport - Furniture transport: transport of individual pieces of furniture.
Move with assembly - Move with assembly: including furniture assembly on site.
Shared load - Shared load: inexpensive groupage transport.
House clearance - House clearance: clearing flats and houses.

Moving to your children in another city

We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and also plan long-distance moves, for example when parents move closer to their children. The journey there is included in the fixed price; we do not have a branch in other cities. Places with their own pages are shown in the locations overview, and you will find routes from Berlin under Long-distance moves.

Specialist Moves

Beste Umzug Redaktion

August 6, 2026

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