Move step by step: your checklist with dates
Answer five questions about the move, and you will get a list with dates for everything from notice to move-out cleaning.
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Removal companies and cleaning companies we have checked, recycling centres, removal vans on the street and the landlords' rules where you live.
Step 1: When should I give notice on my apartment?
As a tenant you can always give notice on a rental apartment so that the contract ends at the end of the month that comes nearest after three months. If you give notice on the apartment on 15 October, the contract therefore ends at the turn of the month from January to February. Count back from moving day and give notice first of all. Keep the landlord's confirmation of the notice.
Source: Jordabalken, 12 kap. (riksdagen.se). 12 kap. 4 and 5 §§. The last sentence is our advice.
Step 2: How do I book a removal company in Gothenburg?
Book the removal company as soon as you know the date; our advice is six to eight weeks in advance. Ask for a quote where the labour cost is specified, since only the labour gives RUT tax deduction. Check the company's traffic permit in the Transport Agency's e-service. We have checked removal companies in 23 cities, with a favourite in each.
Source: Skatteverket: Ger arbetet rätt till rutavdrag?, Transportstyrelsen (the Swedish Transport Agency): Kontrollera trafiktillstånd, Konsumentverket (the Swedish Consumer Agency): Problem med flyttfirma. The timing is our advice.
Read the whole step: Book a removal company What does a removal company cost?
Step 3: When should I start packing?
Our advice is to start packing two to four weeks before and label every box with the room and contents. If you let the removal company pack, the packing also qualifies for the RUT tax deduction. The boxes do not: Skatteverket excludes moving boxes, removal van, fuel and storage rent from the deduction. Pack a bag of your own with what you need the first night.
Source: Skatteverket: Ger arbetet rätt till rutavdrag?. The timing and the bag are our advice.
Step 4: When should I make the change of address?
Notify Skatteverket of the move before you move or at the latest one week after. It costs nothing and is done in the e-service Flyttanmälan with an e-ID, or on form SKV 7845. The flyttanmälan changes your population registration. Mail forwarding is a different service that you order separately if you want your post to follow you.
Source: Skatteverket: Flyttanmälan.
Read the whole step: Change of address Skatteverket or Adressändring?Checklist for everything you switch
Step 5: What does the removal company do on moving day, and what qualifies for the RUT tax deduction?
On moving day the removal company packs, carries, loads and drives according to the quote. The work qualifies for the RUT tax deduction when the belongings are moved between your homes or to and from storage, and the company deducts at most half of the labour cost directly on the invoice. The deduction does not apply to the removal van, fuel or the company's journey to your home. The ceiling is 75,000 kronor per person and year for ROT and RUT combined.
Source: Skatteverket: Ger arbetet rätt till rutavdrag?, Skatteverket: Så fungerar rutavdraget.
Read the whole step: Moving day The RUT tax deduction for moving
Step 6: When should I do the move-out cleaning?
Do the move-out cleaning when the home is empty and before you hand in the keys, so that the cleaning is finished before the inspection. The cleaning company deducts the RUT tax deduction on the labour cost directly on the invoice. Before booking, ask what the company's guarantee covers if the inspection does not approve the cleaning. In Gothenburg you send a move-out cleaning request here on the site. In the other cities we have checked the cleaning companies.
Source: Skatteverket: Så fungerar rutavdraget. The guarantee question is our advice.
Step 7: What happens at the inspection and key handover?
The last step is handing over the home. Book the move-out cleaning so that it is finished before any inspection, and return all the keys. Keep the invoices from the removal company and the move-out cleaning, where the RUT tax deduction should be shown. Both deductions count towards the same ceiling of 75,000 kronor per person and year.
Source: Skatteverket: Så fungerar rutavdraget. Apart from the RUT tax deduction, the step is our advice.
What should you think about when moving?
What you need to do follows the seven steps above, and two things have fixed times: notice of termination, which has a three-month notice period, and change of address, which must be done no later than one week after the move. Also, ask for a quote where the labour cost is specified, and save the invoices where the RUT tax deduction is stated.
What should I pack first?
What you can do without until the move, such as the storage room, books and clothes for another season. At the same time, pack a bag with what you need the first night. More in step 3.
Why is Flytthandboken available?
Because a move is a mess. What you need to know is with authorities and companies, in laws and deadlines, and no one says in what order. We gathered everything in one place, step by step. Read why we created Flytthandboken.
Who is behind flytthandboken.se?
The site is run by Webraketen and written by the editorial team. How the firms are chosen and where a move-out cleaning request goes is explained on How it works.
Common questions
How long before the move should I book a removal company?
Our advice is six to eight weeks before moving day, and as soon as you know the date. It is advice, not a rule.
Does the RUT tax deduction apply to move-out cleaning and removal help in the same year?
Yes. Both count towards the same ceiling: 75,000 kronor per person and year for ROT and RUT combined, according to Skatteverket.
Do I have to make a change of address if I move within the same city?
Yes. The flyttanmälan to Skatteverket applies to every move, even within the same city. Make it before you move or at the latest one week after.
Can I give notice on a rental apartment with less than three months' notice?
As a tenant you can always give notice to the end of the month that comes nearest after three months (12 kap. 4 and 5 §§ jordabalken). An earlier end date requires the landlord to agree to it.
Which cities are on the site?
Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Uppsala, Linköping, Västerås, Örebro, Helsingborg, Jönköping, Norrköping, Umeå, Lund, Borås, Eskilstuna, Halmstad, Gävle, Sundsvall, Karlstad, Växjö, Kalmar, Karlskrona, Gotland, Falun and Nyköping. For each city, there are removal or cleaning companies we have checked and the city's own rules for recycling, moving truck on the street and residential parking.
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