Moving checklist: 12 things people forget when moving

Moving is hard work. But oddly, the move itself is rarely the problem. The van, the boxes, the sore back: those sort themselves out. What causes trouble is all the paperwork around it. Things that must be done at the right time and in the right order, or you get post at the wrong address, double electricity bills, or a gap in your insurance.

This list covers twelve things people forget most often. It does not matter whether you bought a house, signed a rental contract, or swapped homes with someone. Go through the points calmly. Get the calendar out, so each item gets a slot in the timeline.

Change-of-address with the Tax Agency

1. File a change-of-address (flyttanmälan) with Skatteverket, the Swedish Tax Agency. Your registered address must be updated no later than a week after you move in. But you may file up to a week ahead if you already know the date. It is free and done at skatteverket.se or in the app with BankID. Your new address then spreads automatically via the SPAR register to authorities, banks and insurers. Forget it and post, benefits tied to registration, and contact with authorities can all tangle.

2. Order mail forwarding. The change-of-address moves your registered address, but it does not make old letters follow you. That you arrange separately, at Svensk Adressändring on adressandring.se. The service is owned by PostNord and CityMail and costs money for a chosen period, for example six, twelve or twenty-four months. Forwarding gives you a buffer during the transition, so bills and important letters do not get stuck with whoever moved in after you.

Contracts and subscriptions to move or cancel

3. Cancel or move the electricity contract. The contract does not follow you by itself. Call your electricity company and say when you move out of the old address and into the new one. Note you have two contracts to track: the supply contract with your electricity company and the grid contract with the local grid company at the new address. Miss this and you can end up paying for power in a home you no longer live in.

4. Move broadband and phone. Check that your operator covers the new address and which technology is there: fibre, cable or mobile broadband. Some contracts have lock-in periods, and with some operators moving the subscription itself takes up to four weeks. Order in good time so you are online from moving day.

5. Update streaming services and subscriptions. The address in your accounts with, say, Netflix, Spotify or a newspaper subscription does not change automatically with a change-of-address. Quickly go through your accounts and billing addresses, so nothing lands wrong.

Insurance, so you avoid gaps in cover

6. Update your home insurance. Home insurance is tied to your address and your type of home. Forgetting to update it can in the worst case leave you unprotected if something happens in the new home. Call your insurer before the move and ask them to transfer the policy from moving day. Take the chance to check that the insured amount matches what your things are actually worth.

7. Take out house insurance if you buy a house. House insurance (villaförsäkring) covers more than ordinary home insurance. It also covers the building itself and liability for the plot. Make sure it applies from moving day. Banks often require it to pay out the loan, and an uninsured house is a risk you do not want to take even for a day.

Practical things when you move in

8. Change locks or lock cylinders. Buying or renting, change the lock cylinders when you move in. You never know how many copies of the old keys exist: with tradespeople, previous tenants, or friends of the seller. It is cheaper and easier than people think, and a safe start in the new home.

9. Read and photograph meter readings. Moving in, and leaving the old home, photograph the electricity, water and heating meters with a visible date. Without pictures you can easily end up arguing about whose consumption is whose, especially on handover day when responsibility changes hands.

10. Clean fan filters and flush floor drains. In a new home you rarely know when anyone last did it. A clogged extractor fan or a slow floor drain is easy to miss but quick to fix right away. Do it before the boxes pile up in front of them.

When you leave the old home

11. Do a proper moving-out clean. In a rental you must leave the flat in the agreed condition. Shortcomings mean deductions from the deposit or later claims. Selling a tenant-owner apartment or house, a good moving clean is more a matter of decency. But it affects how the buyer sees you and can decide things if anything is questioned at handover.

12. Remove yourself from old registers and mailing lists. Check you are not still down as a contact with associations, work, healthcare contacts and authorities tied to the old address. That lowers the risk of important post landing wrong long into the future, even after forwarding ends.

A good rule of thumb is to start planning at least four weeks ahead. Then you get through one thing at a time: change-of-address, electricity contract, insurance, subscriptions. Instead of rushing everything the final week. And if you are still looking for your next home, you can register a buying brief with your criteria and budget on SökHem. Then we watch the market for you, including homes not yet listed for sale, while you calmly prepare the move. If it is the neighbourhood you are weighing, the area guides rank the best areas in Malmö, Stockholm and some eighty other municipalities.