Moving service from the Confido Group

Tips for moving out and moving in

There is a lot to think about when you leave your old premises and move into new ones. You can sort out many questions and tasks before the move. We have put together the key points for you here.

Here you will find useful information – from furniture assembly and mail forwarding to re-registration and final cleaning.

For the key handover, we recommend a handover report that you fill in together with your landlord. If there is a dispute, you can refer to it and fend off unjustified later liability claims from the landlord.

Confido handles the formalities

If you wish, Confido takes care of all the formalities around your move – for example, transferring your electricity supply.

This also applies to moves abroad, for example to the USA, Spain, Switzerland or Italy.

Our experienced furniture joiners dismantle and reassemble your furniture professionally during the move. They can also alter or adapt your furniture at the same time.

You can also book a Confido furniture joiner independently of moving day. We then simply charge for the time spent. We will also be happy to give you a fixed-price quote.

Get in touch about furniture assembly.

Kitchen installation

We install kitchens with our own specialists. On request and by arrangement, this includes, for example:

• fitting worktops on site
• mounting wall cabinets
• installing the cooker and extractor hood
• connecting the water supply

We also provide expert help with special requests. And of course we will install your new kitchen, too.

Confido works with various kitchen manufacturers, such as SieMatic. Together with our partners, we will plan your new kitchen and give you a quote including installation.

You can only deduct a move from your taxes if it is job-related. This is the case if:

• you start a new job or are transferred and therefore have to move to another city.
• the move brings you significantly closer to your workplace – that is, your combined travel time there and back falls by at least one hour a day.
• you give up a second home (job-related double household).

The moving costs you can deduct are limited. The benchmark is the relocation allowance a federal civil servant in a comparable position would receive.

Costs you can deduct

Transport: furniture removal company, hired lorry and all verifiable costs including moving staff, transport insurance and storage costs.

Please note: if the invoice contains a separate item “assembly work” for dismantling and assembling furniture, it should be made clear there or in the moving contract that this amount has to be paid extra for complicated work.

House-hunting: two trips for house-hunting and viewings, plus daily and overnight allowances.

Travel costs for your family to get to the new place of residence.

Please note: the tax office compares these with the cheapest public transport and only recognises travel costs up to that amount.

Rent and estate agents: rent for the old flat if you have to start the job immediately and therefore cannot observe the notice period (maximum: six months). Rent for the new flat if you had to rent it but could not yet use it. Estate agent fees for finding a rented flat.

Furnishing: the Federal Removal Costs Act (Bundesumzugskostengesetz) no longer provides separate maximum amounts for a new cooker or new stoves. As a rule, the tax office does not recognise the cost of furnishing the new flat as income-related expenses.

Private tutoring: tutoring for the children if it becomes necessary as a result of the move. Maximum amount for moves from 1 March 2024: 1,286 euros per child. Up to this amount, the expenses are recognised in full.

Other moving costs, for example:

• advertising and telephone costs for house-hunting
• tips for the removal crew
• disconnecting and reconnecting existing appliances such as cookers, stoves and lamps
• school transfer costs and school books for the children
• changes to identity documents
• vehicle re-registration
• transferring telephone and cable connections
• cosmetic repairs in the old flat if your tenancy agreement requires you to carry them out

Flat rate instead of individual receipts

Instead of providing individual receipts, you can claim flat rates for other moving costs. For moves from 1 March 2024, these are:

• 964 euros for the eligible person moving
• 643 euros for each additional person in the household (e.g. spouse or partner, children)
• 193 euros if you had no home of your own before the move or do not set one up afterwards

Tip: keep all invoices and receipts – especially if your costs are higher than the flat rate. But be careful: if the tax office does not recognise some of the individual amounts claimed, your total may end up below the flat rate.

To make sure no post goes missing after your move, you can place a mail forwarding order (Nachsendeauftrag) with Deutsche Post. Deutsche Post distinguishes between private and business customers.

Prices for a term of six months (Deutsche Post prices as of 1 July 2026):

• Private customers: €31.90 online, €34.90 at a post office or Poststation
• Business customers: €51.90 online, €54.90 at a Poststation

You can also have your post held for a certain period at the distribution centre in your place of residence.

You can order this service at any post office or online with Deutsche Post:

https://shop.deutschepost.de/nachsendeservice

Errors in prices and changes excepted: the services and prices stated are for information only. We give no price guarantee whatsoever. Please refer to the terms and conditions of the company named for current prices and services.

Mail forwarding with Confido

If you wish, we will also take care of mail forwarding as part of your move. That way, no important post goes astray.

Whether you are moving within Krefeld, from Frankfurt to Hamburg or abroad, we keep an eye on the deadlines and take care of this formality for you. The cost depends on Deutsche Post’s current prices.

Tell your provider about the move in good time. Agree a fixed date for activation at your new home – then you can use your telephone and internet again quickly.

Your rights under Section 60 of the German Telecommunications Act (TKG):

• If your provider offers the service at your new address, it must continue your contract there on the same terms and without a new minimum term.
• It may charge no more for the move than the fee for a new connection.
• If the service is not available at your new address, you can terminate the contract with one month’s notice.

Whether you can keep your landline number depends on whether you stay within the same local network. Your provider will be able to tell you.

Transferring your telephone with Confido

If you wish, a Confido adviser will transfer your telephone and internet connection. They will agree the activation date with your provider – so that you can be reached at your new home without interruption.

After a move, you must register with the residents’ registration office within two weeks of moving in. This deadline applies throughout Germany (Section 17(1) of the Federal Registration Act, Bundesmeldegesetz). If you miss it, you may be fined.

To register at the residents’ registration office, you will need:

• your identity card or passport
• the landlord’s confirmation (Wohnungsgeberbestätigung) under Section 19 of the Federal Registration Act – written confirmation of your move-in from your landlord or housing provider

Many registration offices hand out information about your new place of residence when you register. Many cities also offer online services where you can book an appointment or complete individual formalities digitally. This saves you time.

Registering and deregistering with Confido

When you move with the Confido Group, a Confido adviser can take care of these formalities for you.

If you are moving abroad, you must deregister with your previous registration office within two weeks of moving out (Section 17(2) of the Federal Registration Act). We keep this in mind, too, when you move with Confido.

Whether you are moving from Krefeld, Düsseldorf or Moers to Berlin, Munich or Hamburg, Confido will look after your move.

After a move, you also have to re-register your car or motorcycle – whether you are moving within the same town or to another city. For a move within Germany, the new address is entered in the registration certificate Part I (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I).

Since 2015, you can keep your existing number plate even if you move to a different registration district. Private individuals can also re-register online via i-Kfz. For this, you need the online ID function and the security codes on the vehicle documents.

To re-register in person, you will usually need the following documents. Your vehicle registration office will tell you the exact requirements.

• Registration certificate Part I (formerly Fahrzeugschein)
• Proof of a valid general inspection (HU) (if new vehicle documents or number plates are issued)
• If you want new number plates: your existing number plates and registration certificate Part II (formerly Fahrzeugbrief)
• When moving to a different registration district, if applicable, an eVB number (electronic insurance confirmation) and a SEPA direct debit mandate for vehicle tax
• Valid identity card or passport (if applicable, written power of attorney and ID of the authorised representative and of the principal)
• For foreign nationals, if applicable, additionally a valid residence title together with their passport
• For legal entities and companies: extract from the commercial register or register of associations and business registration

If you wish, Confido will handle this trip to the authorities for you.

With many moves – private or business – the premises have to be handed back renovated or cleaned when you move out.

For this, various cleaning and trade companies are affiliated with the Confido Group internationally. They must strictly follow the Confido catalogue of services in how they work and in the result. A quality management system ensures consistent quality.

For final cleaning and renovation, you can book services such as these from Confido:

• Window cleaning
• Cleaning floor coverings and carpets
• Painting work
• Repairs
• Gardening

When people move, they often sort out old files or storage media. These usually contain confidential data and should never be thrown away with household waste or in municipal recycling containers.

Confido takes care of disposal for you: we take all documents to a shredding facility. There, the data is destroyed irretrievably as soon as it arrives.

You can also archive files indefinitely in a Confido file store. All our stores are protected by alarm and fire alarm systems. We collect the files from you – freeing up space in your archives.