What does a senior move cost on average?

There is no meaningful average, because volume, floor, lift and extras such as packing or storage vary widely. Guide prices by number of rooms are in the price overview on this page. We give you the fixed price after a free survey. Also check the tax bonus under § 35a EStG and, with a care level, a grant from the care insurance fund.

How far in advance should a senior move be planned?

Allow about three months, because that is the notice period for tenants. Older people often need more time than expected for sorting out and family conversations; start early. Request the moving date as soon as the move-in date is fixed, and apply for the care insurance grant before you commission anything.

Which documents should be kept ready before the move?

ID, tenancy agreement and confirmation of notice, the landlord confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) from the new landlord for registration, with a care level the decision letter and the application to the care insurance fund, documents from the pension insurance and health insurance, and an up-to-date list of medication. Keep everything ready in a folder that does not go into the lorry.

Can the household be downsized beforehand?

Yes. Whatever is not coming along we take away for disposal on request; for larger quantities a household clearance makes sense. Charity shops are often glad to take furniture in good condition. It is best to clarify this before the survey, so the fixed price is right.

What is especially to be borne in mind in a move into a care home?

Clarify early how much space there is in the room and which furniture the home allows – often only an armchair, a chest of drawers and pictures fit. For tenants, the three-month notice period generally applies even when moving into a care home; talk to the landlord about moving out earlier. A special rule applies to registration in a care home (§ 32 BMG); ask the home.

How is barrier-free access taken into account in the senior move?

During the survey we pay attention to steps, door widths and the lift. In the new flat we place furniture so that paths stay clear and there is room for a walking frame or wheelchair; rug edges and cables should not become trip hazards. Conversions such as a level-access bathroom are a matter for a specialist firm.

What happens to pets during the move?

Please transport pets yourself or have relatives do it; under § 451d HGB a moving company is not liable for live animals. On moving day they are best looked after by family or neighbours. Check beforehand whether animals are allowed in assisted living or the care home. Pack food, bowl and blanket in a separate bag so the animal quickly finds its way around the new home.

How does one handle keepsakes when clearing out?

Take your time and decide together with the family. Photos and letters can be digitised, and individual pieces passed on to children or grandchildren. Whatever comes along should have a fixed place in the new home; it is best to transport keepsakes in separate, clearly labelled boxes.

Are there particularities in a long-distance move for seniors?

With a long-distance move , for example to the children in another city, the older person is best travelling separately from the lorry – accompanied, by train or by car. Plan the arrival so that someone with a key is waiting at the destination. Registration there is also due within two weeks.

Who is liable if something breaks?

For damage to your goods we are liable under the German Commercial Code, under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre of loading space. For very valuable items such as antiques, additional insurance makes sense. Report visible damage no later than the day after delivery.

How can relatives be actively involved in the move?

Relatives can keep the list, handle appointments with the care insurance fund, the home and the landlord, help with sorting out and accompany on moving day. What matters is that the older person has a say in what comes along. Relatives are welcome at the survey; this way the whole family hears the same answers. Divide the tasks clearly beforehand so that nobody feels overwhelmed and one person is the contact for the team on moving day.

STRESS-FREE MOVING

Senior Move Checklist: Forget Nothing

Q: What is meant by a senior move?

A senior move is a move by older people, often from a large flat into a smaller one, into assisted living or into a care home. Unlike an ordinary move, the focus is on sorting out, keepsakes, barriers and sometimes applications to the care insurance fund. Relatives often help organise it, and on request the moving company also does the packing and unpacking.

The checklist for a senior move: deadlines, care insurance, choosing furniture and re-registration – so that nothing is missing in the new home.

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FROM BERLIN-MOABIT

Senior Move

Senior move checklist: from giving notice to the first evening in the new home

Nothing forgotten

Unsere Firma is based in Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21) and takes on the items on your list that cost strength and time.

A senior move often begins long before moving day – with the decision to give up the large flat and with many conversations in the family. The checklist for it is longer than for an ordinary move. At the very top are the deadlines: tenants give three months' notice, no later than the third working day of a month. Anyone with a care level (Pflegegrad) should clarify before the move whether the long-term care insurance fund (Pflegekasse) will pay a grant for measures to improve the living environment; under § 40 (4) SGB XI up to €4,180 per measure is possible, and the application is made before starting.

Then comes the hardest task: choosing what comes along. Draw the furniture into the floor plan of the new flat before you sort things out; this quickly shows what there is room for. For the rest there is family, selling, donating or a household clearance. After moving in, register with the registration authority within two weeks and inform the pension insurance, health insurance and bank. What we take on is listed under Senior move.

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PERSONAL CONSULTATION

Hand over one item on the list

A calm survey, then a fixed price

Call us on 01625978461. We survey the flat calmly, relatives are welcome, and then give you a fixed price in which packing, dismantling, transport and assembly are listed separately. 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

Which tasks we can take on

Sharing the list

We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and, for a senior move, take on the items that cost strength and time: packing boxes, dismantling furniture, transporting it and reassembling it in the new flat according to plan, hanging lamps and pictures by arrangement, applying for the parking restriction zone (Halteverbotszone). On request we provide interim storage or take furniture away for disposal. Giving notice, applications to the care insurance fund and re-registration stay with you or your relatives. We are liable for your goods under § 451e HGB at €620 per cubic metre; for very valuable items, additional insurance is possible.

Packing and unpacking

On request we pack crockery, books and keepsakes and unpack them again in the new flat – box by box with our packing service.

Assembly by floor plan

We place furniture where it is drawn in the floor plan, so that paths stay clear and the bed is up on the first evening – as part of furniture transport.

Interim storage

If the new flat is not free yet or the family wants to decide later, we put furniture and boxes into interim storage – with storage as a separate item.

What is not coming along

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

CHECKLIST

The list week by week

Sort the tasks for a senior move by deadline. These six stages cover the most important points, from the notice letter to re-registration.

Three months before

Give notice on the flat (tenants: three months), clarify the new tenancy agreement or care home place, and with a care level ask the care insurance fund before commissioning anything.

Eight weeks before

Get the floor plan of the new flat, draw in the furniture, and discuss with the family who takes which keepsakes.

Six weeks before

Survey by the moving company, confirm the fixed price, organise bulky waste collection or a household clearance for the rest. Offer furniture in good condition beforehand.

Two weeks before

Set up mail forwarding, secure medication and prescriptions for the week of the move, and tell the doctor and care service about the date.

On moving day

One person accompanies the whole day, a bag with ID, medication, glasses and phone stays to hand, and the meters are photographed.

Afterwards

Register within two weeks, give the new address to the pension insurance, health insurance, bank and broadcasting licence fee (Rundfunkbeitrag); have the home emergency call service transferred.

FOR SMALL LOADS

Only a few pieces of furniture?

Shared load for single items

With a shared load, several consignments share the loading area on the same route. For individual pieces of furniture or boxes, for example when moving into assisted living, this lowers the costs considerably. You get a time window instead of a fixed date; for the moving-in day itself, it is better to plan the essentials on a fixed date.

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WELL PREPARED

Before,
on the day, afterwards

The checklist in three parts

This checklist divides the senior move into three parts: preparation with deadlines, applications and choosing furniture, moving day itself and the formalities afterwards. The most common mistakes are shown in the article Senior move: avoiding mistakes. If someone is moving from Berlin to the children in another city, you will find information under long-distance moves. How the move is planned step by step and who takes on which tasks is explained in the article on planning a senior move – with a week-by-week schedule.

Preparation

Give notice, ask the care insurance fund, draw the floor plan, sort out, fix the date: writing these points down with dates and sharing them among several people makes the senior move easier and calmer for everyone involved.

Moving day

A familiar person accompanies, the bag with medication stays to hand, and with a packing service and furniture transport the bed, armchair and lamps are where they are drawn in the floor plan by the evening.

Formalities

Registration within two weeks, pension insurance, health insurance, bank, broadcasting licence fee and home emergency call: with this list the move is also done on paper, and the post arrives. Do not forget the doctor and care service.

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FAQ

Questions about the senior move checklist

Costs, lead time, documents, care home, pets, keepsakes and liability – answered briefly.

A senior move is a move by older people, often from a large flat into a smaller one, into assisted living or into a care home. Unlike an ordinary move, the focus is on sorting out, keepsakes, barriers and sometimes applications to the care insurance fund. Relatives often help organise it, and on request the moving company also does the packing and unpacking.

The checklist step by step

It starts with giving notice and the new flat: tenants give three months' notice, no later than the third working day of a month. Once the moving-in date is fixed, the question of grants follows: anyone with a care level asks the care insurance fund about a grant for measures to improve the living environment before commissioning anything. Then it is time to choose the furniture – ideally with the floor plan of the new flat on the table.

Six weeks beforehand we survey the flat and give you a fixed price. In the weeks up to the move, things are sorted out and packed, by us if you wish. On moving day a familiar person accompanies; we dismantle, transport and set the furniture up again according to the floor plan. Then come registration within two weeks, mail forwarding and the new address for the pension insurance, health insurance and bank. Giving each item a date helps you keep track.

Costs of a senior move at a glance

The costs of a senior move depend on volume, floor, lift, carrying distances and extras such as packing, unpacking or storage. Because a large flat often moves into a smaller one, sorting out before the survey is particularly worthwhile: whatever is not coming along is not charged. We give you the fixed price after the survey.

Two routes can lower the costs. For privately arranged moves, 20% of the labour costs, up to €4,000 a year, reduce income tax (§ 35a EStG) if payment is made by bank transfer. And anyone with a care level can apply to the care insurance fund for a grant for measures to improve the living environment – up to €4,180 per measure if this makes care at home possible or easier. The fund decides case by case whether a move qualifies; apply for the grant before the move.

Moving prices at a glance

Size	Costs from
1-room	€344
2-room	€579
3-room	€884
4-room	€1,269
House/villa	individual quote
Long-distance move	€4.20/km

Clarify all your questions conveniently during a free survey.

What do you really pay in a move?

Volume of your furniture and boxes
Number of kilometres (from €4.20/km)
Which floor
Lift yes/no
Need for a parking restriction zone

Additional services: furniture assembly, shared load.

Moving help – our services in detail

You can book these services individually for a senior move.

House clearance: professional clearance of flats and houses.

Move with assembly: complete service including furniture assembly.

Furniture transport: safe transport, even of single items.

Shared load: inexpensive and flexible thanks to groupage transport.

Private move: your personal moving service.

Office move: for offices and businesses of any size.

Moving to your children in another city

We are based in Berlin (Stromstraße 21) and also plan moves to other cities, for example when parents move closer to their children. You will find routes from Berlin under Long-distance moves, and places with their own pages in the locations overview.

Specialist Moves

Beste Umzug Redaktion

August 1, 2026

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Specialist Moves Senior Move Moving Tips