Finding the right moving company

How do I find the right moving company?

Tip 1

Ask around among your friends and colleagues or search online. If you want to play safe, you can also check whether the company is listed in the Commercial Register. The online register is available at zefix.ch.

Tip 2

Invite the companies to come and look at your current home. Ask them to estimate the time, number of employees and van size needed for the removal – and to give you a cost estimate.

Tip 3

Request quotes from several moving companies and compare the estimated costs.

Tip 4

Save time by submitting your information once to our comparison platform and obtaining quotes from multiple tested moving companies. The price can vary considerably depending on how far away the company is located from your home. For example, you might live in Zurich, but the removal company of your choice is from Bern and needs to transport your furniture to St. Gallen. On a comparison platform, you can quickly compare your options and have the most suitable ones pre-selected for you.

Example: Moving the contents of a 3-room apartment usually requires three removal men and a large van with a substantial shipping volume. If the crew or van are too small, this does not save you money because it may take quite a bit longer to move all the furniture and boxes. Typical removal quotes for a 3-room apartment start at 700 francs.

What information should the removal quote contain?

• Date and time

• Old and new address

• Number of removal men, size of van

• Estimated time needed for removal (from departure until return to the company's location)

• Hourly rate per removal man

• Remuneration of breaks – the lunch break is not considered labour time, but the mid-morning break usually is

• Additional costs, for instance for waste disposal, floor surcharges, meals and VAT

• Extra costs for heavy objects such as a piano or a safe

Note: The costs should be calculated on the basis of an hourly rate, but with a cost ceiling. We advise against negotiating an all-inclusive price.

Example: The moving company estimates the time needed for the removal at 4 to 5 hours and the cost ceiling is set at 8 hours. This means that the company may not charge you for more than 8 hours even if they end up needing 9 hours for the removal.

Will the moving company pay for any damage caused during transportation?

Make sure that the company has carriers’ and business liability insurance. The premium is usually already included in the relocation costs.

Note: Do not pay the deductible/excess if a company requests this of you.

If you have expensive goods you need to move, you may want to consider taking out ‘goods in transit’ insurance. This insurance will pay out regardless of who caused the damage or whether it was a matter of gross negligence. It may be particularly useful if friends are helping with the move, as it helps avoid potential arguments. However, the insurance policy only covers the current value, not the original value, of your possessions.

Note: The removal company's insurance only covers breakage during transportation if the company packs the moving boxes. If you have organized transport privately, liability insurance does not usually cover damage caused during the move.

Will the moving company also do the end-of-tenancy cleaning?

It may be all new and exciting to move into a new apartment, but before handing your old home over to the new tenant, you need to arrange end-of-tenancy cleaning. If you would rather not scrub floors and clean windows yourself, you can leave this task to a professional cleaning company. Some moving companies also offer final cleaning services at an extra charge. We recommend comparing quotes for this, too.

What payment method do I use?

It is still very common to pay movers in cash right after the work is done. If you explicitly ask to pay by bank transfer early enough, most movers will also agree to issuing an invoice.

However, you should not pay in advance. Reputable companies will not ask you to make an advance payment. Our tip in such cases: choose a different company!

What do I do if I have problems with the moving company?

If the move does not go according to plan or the way you imagined it – if too many things were damaged, for example – you should under no circumstances pay directly on site.

The same applies if the company suddenly asks for more money than agreed. Depending on the situation, you can make a partial payment of the agreed amount. We strongly recommend that you ask for a receipt on which you can note details and objections.

In case of minor damage, it may be a good idea to negotiate a discount on the spot.

Am I expected to tip the moving company?

We recommend 10 francs per person for half a day's work. Tips are not included in the additional costs listed in the quote.