Checklist for removal preparations

  • Think whether your removal can be done with the help of your friends and relatives. Or should you use a removal firm instead?
  • Check from your employment contract whether you are entitled to a salaried removal leave.
  • Start going through your movable property. You can sell your extra clothes, dishes and furniture at a flea market, donate them or take them for recycling, thereby reducing your removal goods.
  • Also think whether you need to buy new home appliances or furniture. Keep in mind that the delivery times may sometimes take several weeks.

Take out an insurance policy for your home and yourself before changing homes

  • Whether you are moving to a rental or a home you now own, we recommend you acquire additional security to your removal and everyday life with home insurance. A break-in, a fire damage or a TV damaged during your removal is never a pleasant surprise.
  • People with a family in particular should take out life insurance as supplementary cover. Your life can come to a halt because of a serious illness or unemployment, for example. Personal insurances provide you with financial aid for your daily life. Read more about Nordea MyLife personal insurances.

Make sure that your agreements and notifications are in order

  • Make the notification of termination or notification of surrender well in advance if you move out of a rental flat or a right-of-occupancy flat.
  • If you receive housing subsidy, inform Kela of your removalOpens new window because any changes may affect the amount of the subsidy.
  • Make sure that you update your heating oil or district heat delivery agreements if your new home is a single-family house or you move out of one.
  • Residents in single-family houses are also responsible for their waste management and water supply agreements. 
  • Contact the property manager of your housing company if you need help in reading flat-specific water consumption meters in a block-of flat or terraced house.
  • It is worthwhile to compare electricity agreements and to conclude an agreement well ahead once you know the removal date. This way you can ensure that the electricity is on when your furniture come in. Also remember to terminate your existing agreement.
  • Sign or assign where applicable. If your new home does not have an internet connection, sign an agreement on an internet subscription (if you need one) with the operator of your choice.
  • Register your children for a new daycare center or school.
  • Cancel or assign your gym and other possible memberships.

Submit a notification of change of address

  • A notification of change of address is an official notification. You can submit the notification one month before the removal date at the earliest, but it must reach the Digital and Population Data Services Agency no later than within one week from the removal. You can make it easily online at muuttoilmoitus.fi Opens new window.
  • Remember also to give your new address information to your employer, place of study and leisure activity providers. Many banks, insurance companies, magazines and operators receive the information through muuttoilmoitus.fi. You can check on the Digital and Population Data Services Agency’s website which parties automatically receive your information from the population register system.
  • Transfer your newspaper and magazine subscriptions and invoices to your new address.
  • Inform your friends and family of your new address.
  • When moving in a housing company, notify the property manager and the maintenance company, if necessary, of your removal to get your name on your door and the name board at the entrance of the building. In this connection, also sign up for a sauna shift and the queue for a car slot, if applicable. Write down the maintenance company’s contact information from the notice board in case you forget your keys at home or need help in removing air from the radiators, for example.
  • Get a parking permit if you need one.

Clean up and inspect your old and new homes

  • When you move in, check that the home has enough functioning smoke alarms. If they are missing, buy them before you move in.
  • When you move in your new home, make an inspection and clean the place. If you detect something to complain about, contact the property manager and your real estate agent. Send them a written notification via email, for example, as soon as possible so that the damage will be analysed and the distribution of liabilities will be decided on. 
  • Remember to clean and investigate your old residence to make sure that no goods remain in the cupboards, cabinets or basement. At the same time, leave the guarantee certificates and user instructions of the household appliances for the residents to-be.