Moving plan when buying a home: a week-by-week checklist

But a move when you buy a home rarely comes down to one date. It is made up of several dates that have to fit together.

A good moving plan therefore starts at the handover day and works backwards. Not to turn the move into a project with 48 colour codes. Just so you can see what needs to happen when, and who needs to do it.

Short answer

Build the moving plan around the date when you get access to the home. Then put the tasks in this order:

1. Confirm the handover, key handover and any right of disposal
2. Book help with the move and check access conditions
3. Sort out insurance during the move and from the agreed transfer of risk
4. Order or transfer electricity, heating, internet and other agreements
5. Pack, take measurements and plan any work
6. Read the meters and inspect the home at handover
7. Report the actual move to the civil register (folkeregistret)
8. Keep documentation, receipts and meter readings

The move must be reported no later than five days after you have actually moved in. The actual moving day is the day when you have moved your belongings and are sleeping at the address.^[1]

In brief

• The handover day and moving day are not necessarily the same date.
• An access date (dispositionsdag) can give you access before the handover, but only on the agreed terms.
• Your CPR address (your address in the Civil Registration System) must follow the day you actually move in.
• Insurance, key handover and utilities must be sorted out before access and moving in.
• Meter readings and the condition of the home should be documented at handover.
• Internet can have a delivery time, so ordering should not be left until the last week.
• Owners' associations and landlords may have rules about lifts, access and moving times.
• A settlement statement divides relevant expenses between buyer and seller around the handover day.

Four dates you need to know

This is where many moving plans fall apart. The dates look alike, but they do not mean the same thing.

Handover date

The handover date is stated in the purchase agreement (købsaftale). It is the date when, under the agreement, the property passes to the buyer, and the key handover is normally tied to the completion of the purchase.

The exact time and the conditions for handing over the keys follow the purchase agreement and the practical arrangement with the seller or estate agent (ejendomsmægler).

Access date

A right of disposal (dispositionsret) means that you get access to the home before the ordinary handover date.

It may, for example, be to paint or carry out agreed work. But early access is not the same as all terms being brought forward. Among other things, the agreement should describe:

• When you get access
• What you are allowed to do
• Who pays for consumption
• Which insurance policies must be in place
• Who bears the risk of damage
• What happens if, against expectations, the purchase does not go through

Read more about the right of disposal when buying a home.

Physical moving day

This is the day the removal van arrives, or the day you move your things yourself.

It may fall on the handover day, but many people choose a different day. Perhaps there is painting to do first. Perhaps the old home runs until later. Perhaps the removal company can only do Friday.

CPR moving date

The CPR moving date is the day when you have actually moved in. Borger.dk describes it as the day when you have moved your belongings and are sleeping at the address.^[1]

So you cannot automatically use the handover date if you only really move in later.

Start at the handover day

Write the handover day at the top of a page. Then add:

• Time and place of the key handover
• Last day in the old home
• Date of the physical move
• First night in the new home
• Start date for insurance
• Start date for electricity, heating and internet
• Dates for tradespeople
• Notice periods on old agreements

Now you can work backwards.

Some tasks can be dealt with early. Others can only be completed once you have the keys or know the final meter readings.

Six to eight weeks before

Six to eight weeks is not a statutory deadline. It is a practical place to start if the handover day is known.

Get the key dates confirmed

Check the purchase agreement and ask the relevant contact person if anything is unclear:

• When do you get the keys?
• Are the keys collected from the estate agent or at the home?
• Has a right of disposal been agreed?
• Who will be present at the handover?
• How are meter readings handled?

Choose how you will get help with the move

Consider whether the move should be done with:

• A removal company
• A hired removal van
• Family and friends
• A combination

If you use a removal company, compare more than the hourly rate. Also look at minimum hours, travel time, heavy lifting, stairs, insurance and terms in case of damage.

Check access conditions

A sofa set can look perfectly peaceful in the living room and still be impossible to get through the stairwell.

Check:

• Width of doors and stairs
• The lift's dimensions and weight limit
• Parking for the removal van
• Courtyard access and gates
• Rules in the owners' association (ejerforening)
• Need to reserve the lift or space

If things are tight, measuring up before you move in can save you a very long morning.

Four weeks before

Sort out your insurance

The home and your belongings may be covered by different insurance policies. Cover during the move itself depends on the policy and on the agreement with the removal company.

So ask:

• When should the buildings insurance start?
• When should the contents insurance be moved to the new address?
• Does your policy cover you during the move?
• What does the removal company cover in case of damage?
• Does a different excess apply during a move?

Read the full guide to insurance when buying a home and moving.

Order internet

The delivery time depends on the address, the provider and the existing installation. Some homes can be activated quickly. Others need a technician visit or a new installation.

So check the connection at the specific address and order in good time. See the guide to internet and TV in your new home.

Plan for children and everyday logistics

If the children are changing childcare, school or after-school care (SFO), those dates should go into the same moving plan. A key handover on Friday and a school start on Monday can look simple on paper. It does not necessarily feel simple for the child.

Read the guide to children and childcare when moving.

Two weeks before

Confirm the arrangements

Go through all bookings and get the most important details in writing:

• Removal company or removal van
• Key handover
• Tradespeople
• Internet
• Insurance
• Electricity and heating
• Any lift reservation

Pack for the first week in the home

Pack a box or bag that will not disappear at the back of the removal van. Among other things, it can contain:

• Medicine
• Chargers
• Toilet paper and towels
• Bedding
• Tools for small jobs
• Cleaning products
• Documents and keys
• Clothes for the first few days

Label the other boxes with room and contents. That is more useful than just writing “miscellaneous”.

Sort out the utilities

Find out who supplies electricity and heating to the new home, and how sign-up and meter reading are handled.

It can differ between a house and an owner-occupied flat (ejerlejlighed). In an owner-occupied flat, water and heating may be handled wholly or partly through the owners' association. In a house, you may have to contact several suppliers yourself.

Read the guide to heating and electricity when moving.

The last week

Make a plan for the keys

Note down:

• Who hands them over?
• At what time?
• How many sets should there be?
• Are the garage, shed, letterbox and shared doors included?
• Are there electronic fobs or codes?

Make room for the walk-through

If the home fills up with moving boxes straight away, it becomes harder to see floors, walls and installations.

So set aside time to go through the home before or while you move in. Take photos of the home's condition and of the meters, if relevant.

Check payments and practical requirements

Keys are handed over on the conditions that follow from the purchase. Your bank, legal adviser and the estate agent each handle their own part. Ask if you are unsure whether anything is missing before the handover.

The day before

Use the final check for the things that could stop the move:

• Is the help with the move confirmed?
• Are access and parking sorted?
• Do you have the address and contact details in one place?
• Is your phone charged?
• Is the key handover time confirmed?
• Is the first box packed separately?
• Are insurance and utilities set to the right date?

Pack valuables, medicine and important documents so that you have them with you during the move.

On the handover day

Boligejer.dk explains that at handover the buyer and seller typically read the relevant utility meters together, if the utility companies do not handle reading and billing themselves.^[2]

Go through the home

Among other things, check:

• Whether the home has been cleared as agreed
• Whether the agreed white goods and other items are there
• Whether any visible damage has occurred since your last visit
• Whether all keys, fobs and codes have been handed over
• Whether water, heating and electricity work

Document what you observe, and contact the relevant adviser if anything does not match the agreement.

Read the meters

Read as needed:

• Electricity
• Water
• Heating
• Gas

Take a clear photo showing both the reading and the meter number. Keep the photos together with the handover documents.

Find the home's most important installations

Before the boxes fill the rooms, you can find:

• Main switch and fuse board
• Stopcocks
• Meter cupboards
• Heating system
• Smoke alarms
• Any shared installations

The first five days after the actual move

You must report the move to the municipality no later than five days after you have actually moved.^[1]

In most municipalities you can report the move up to 28 days in advance. Whether this is possible in your case is shown in the self-service system on Borger.dk.^[3]

Read the full guide to changing your address when you move.

Also check:

• That your name is on the letterbox
• That private companies have your new address
• That subscriptions have been moved or cancelled
• That meter readings have been sent to the relevant parties
• That any damage has been reported under the applicable terms

The settlement statement after handover

The settlement statement (refusionsopgørelse) settles the financial balance between buyer and seller. It divides up expenses that one party has paid but which relate wholly or partly to the other party's period of ownership.^[4]

These may, for example, be relevant owner costs or consumption items, depending on the home and the agreement.

Meter readings, dates and documentation from the handover can therefore matter afterwards.

Read the guide to handover and the settlement statement.

Moving budget

The home purchase itself has its own budget. So does the move.

Among other things, set money aside for:

Also leave room for the expenses you do not know about yet. Moving day has a habit of turning up at least one thing nobody had put on the list.

Example of a moving plan

The family takes over the house on 1 November, but stays in the old home until 8 November to paint and get ready.

Their dates look like this:

In this example, the handover day is 1 November, while the CPR moving date is 8 November.

That is exactly why the dates need to be kept separate.

Common mistakes

Using the handover day as the automatic CPR date

The CPR date follows the actual move-in, not just the date in the purchase agreement.

Booking the removal van before the key handover is settled

If the keys are only handed over later in the day, the removal help may end up waiting.

Assuming that damage in transit is automatically covered

Cover depends on the insurance and the agreement with the removal company.

Waiting until after you move in to sort out internet

Some addresses need a technician or a new installation.

Forgetting the owners' association rules

There may be rules about lifts, access, noise and moving at weekends.

Filling the home before it has been inspected

Boxes and furniture can make it harder to see and document the condition of the home.

Complete moving checklist

Before moving day

• Confirm the handover day and key handover
• Check any right of disposal
• Book help with the move or a van
• Check access, parking and lift
• Measure large furniture and access routes
• Sort out buildings and contents insurance
• Order internet
• Sort out electricity, water and heating
• Plan for children, school and childcare
• Pack a box for the first few days
• Confirm tradespeople and cleaning

On the handover day

• Receive and check keys and fobs
• Go through the home
• Take photos of the home's condition
• Read the relevant meters
• Find the fuse board, stopcocks and meter cupboards
• Keep documentation and contact details

After moving in

• Report the actual move to the municipality
• Put your name on the letterbox
• Update private subscriptions and agreements
• Send the relevant meter readings
• Check the settlement statement
• Keep receipts and handover photos

In short

A moving plan when buying a home starts with the dates.

Keep the handover day, access date, physical moving day and CPR moving date separate. Then plan insurance, utilities, internet, help with the move and the key handover around them.

It will not make the move free of cardboard boxes. But it makes it easier to see which box to open first.

Use the guide to changing your address as the next step once the actual moving date is fixed.

BoligKlar gives you a second pair of eyes and an overview. The specific terms follow the purchase agreement, the insurance agreement and the agreements with the parties involved.

Frequently asked questions