Compare moving quotes: services and contracting parties

1. Describe the same move to every provider

Prepare a short moving brief before requesting prices. Include the furniture and box inventory, storage rooms, collection and delivery addresses, date and work you will do yourself. Add the floors, lift dimensions and distance between the entrance and loading area at both addresses.

Date each version. This makes it easier to check whether a quote includes the extra wardrobe or changed destination. Send the same updated information to every company you contact.

The German consumer advice organisation Verbraucherzentrale recommends reviewing the individual moving services and recording them in writing. That also provides a sound basis for comparison.

• Quantity: list furniture, boxes, cellar contents and unusual items individually.
• Work: assign packing, carrying, transport, disassembly and reassembly clearly.
• Access: describe narrow spaces, stairs, the lift and loading area.
• Timing: provide the preferred date, time window and possible alternatives.

• Which details, measurements and photos to prepare
• Office move: plan responsibilities, workflows and restart checks

• Verbraucherzentrale: checking moving services and quotes

2. Identify the contracting company first

Put the full name and address of the company making the offer at the top of each quote column. A portal name or logo alone does not establish who your moving contract will be with.

Clarify which company makes the offer, enters the contract, takes responsibility for the work and issues the invoice. If other companies will be involved, ask what their role is and who remains your contractual contact. Different names call for an explanation; they do not automatically prove that something is wrong.

• Record the full business details and a contact you can reach.
• Note the quote number, date and validity period.
• Before paying, compare the recipient and payment terms with the quote.

3. Fill in the table for up to three quotes

Copy the information from your quotes into the fields. Write “unresolved” wherever something is unclear. A blank field means neither “included” nor “free”. If you have two quotes, leave the third column unused.

Use the same inventory version and access conditions as the basis for each quote. Explicitly label an estimate as an estimate. The table is for your notes and does not place an order.

4. Compare the total price for the same job

Compare final amounts including any applicable VAT and other price components. Germany’s Price Indication Ordinance defines the total price and requires it to be highlighted when the price is broken down. Do not automatically add VAT again to a price already stated as a final amount.

For hourly quotes, the hourly rate alone is insufficient. Note whether it covers one person or the crew, any minimum booking period, and when billing starts and ends. Distinguish an estimated total from a binding fixed price.

If a necessary task is missing, ask for its specific additional price first. Until the company replies, that part of the offer cannot be fully compared. Do not invent a zero cost just to produce a total.

• The items that determine moving costs
• Compare fixed and hourly prices using the same assumptions

• Section 2 PAngV: definition of the total price
• Section 3 PAngV: stating and highlighting the total price

5. Example: a lower starting price can cost more overall

Invented example illustrating a comparison method: these are not market rates or a quote from Umzughilfen or a partner.

For the same hypothetical move, you need carrying and transport, packing materials, and disassembly and reassembly of a particular wardrobe. Option A initially includes only carrying and transport. Option B covers all three items.

After you ask, A’s two missing items are confirmed at €120 and €180. The comparable final amounts are therefore €1,080 for A and €980 for B. B is €100 cheaper in this model. You cannot reach that conclusion while the additional prices remain unknown.

All figures are invented final consumer prices including any applicable VAT. The example assumes identical inventories, access, dates, trips and other conditions, with no unresolved surcharges. Check these assumptions when comparing real offers.

6. Clarify exclusions and changes precisely

Read the description of services and the terms as well as the price. Look especially for tasks you assume will be included but which the text does not clearly cover. Ask the company to turn general wording into a specific commitment.

• “Transport”: does this include carrying items out of the old home and into the intended rooms at the destination?
• “Furniture assembly”: which items and tasks are covered? Are wall fixings or connection work excluded?
• “Travel included”: are the return trip, agreed mileage, further trips and vehicle costs also clear?
• “Materials included”: which quantities and types are provided? Are any materials hired and subject to return conditions?
• Waiting and added work: which billing rule applies, who records the reason, and how will you agree an extension of the job?
• “Insured”: which liability terms or additional insurance does this refer to? Ask about scope and conditions rather than assuming the word means complete cover.

• Check moving liability and insurance before signing

7. Resolve the open questions before deciding

Send each company your questions together and ask for a revised quote or a written addition clearly linked to it. A verbal statement can be harder to check against the invoice later.

Then assess the complete price, the promised work and the conditions that suit you. A higher-priced quote can be a better fit if it includes necessary tasks or a more reliable agreed time window. Reviews can provide another signal, but they do not replace checking the specific quote.

• Do all quotes refer to the same inventory and job version?
• Is every required task included or covered by a confirmed additional price?
• Can you distinguish binding amounts from estimates?
• Are payment dates, any deposit and arrangements for date changes understandable?
• Is the contracting company identified by name and address, and do you have the agreed documents?

• Match a moving quote to the Jobcenter decision
• Prepare records for a later tax assessment

8. How an inquiry through Umzughilfen works

Umzughilfen is a marketing and referral service. Your inquiry is not a booking for moving services. Before a binding booking, the independent partner carrying out the work is identified by name and address.

That partner prepares the specific quote and enters the moving contract directly with you. They handle the work, invoice and payment. Umzughilfen remains responsible for its own referral and data-protection obligations. You can also use the table for quotes you obtain yourself; it does not promise a particular number of partner offers.

• Who you contract with when using a moving referral service

Common questions about comparing quotes