Move yourself or hire a moving company? Compare the costs

1. Define the same scope before comparing

A daily van-rental price and a quote including carrying, transport and assembly cover different work. First list the furniture and boxes, their starting rooms and destination rooms. Add the date, floors, lifts, carrying distances and extra stops.

Assign packing, dismantling, loading, driving, unloading and reassembly to a person or company. A task does not disappear from the plan just because you do it yourself. If assembly is missing from one option, add the necessary work before comparing totals.

Germany's Verbraucherzentrale recommends reviewing individual moving services and recording them in writing. That shared description also makes comparison with your own work meaningful.

• Use one inventory and the same access conditions for all three options.
• Separate required services, your own tasks and unresolved points.
• Record final payable prices and clearly identify estimates.

• Understand the components of moving costs

• Verbraucherzentrale: checking moving services and quotes

2. Compare three ways of organising the work

No option is automatically the cheapest or best fit. What matters is whether you can carry it out safely and reliably with the resources actually available.

In option A, you organise the move with private helpers. In B, you rent and drive the vehicle and book a defined carrying service. In C, a company provides carrying and transport with a vehicle within the agreed scope. Packing or furniture assembly is included in C only if expressly agreed.

The mixed option needs particularly clear handovers. Who will be at each address, who loads and secures the goods, and when does the booked help end? Hiring helpers without a vehicle does not replace a transport booking.

• Plan your moving team and allocate tasks

3. Separate spending, deposits and time

Start by adding planned expenses: vehicle, travel, booked work, necessary materials and other specific items. A security deposit returned in full is not money consumed by the move. It still ties up funds or card capacity; confirm the amount, payment method and release with the rental company.

An advance payment towards an agreed total price is not an extra price component either. Put it in your payment schedule and deduct it from the balance. A possible excess or unresolved damage is a separate risk, rather than an expense certain to arise.

ADAC highlights possible rental extras and mileage limits. Check the actual rate, including return arrangements and permitted use, rather than copying only the prominently advertised daily price.

• Rental period: allow for collection, loading, journeys, unloading, refuelling and timely return.
• Mileage: include travel to the rental branch, the return trip and necessary additional runs.
• Extras: check one-way rental, additional drivers, required equipment and any agreed protection packages.
• Other expenses: add childcare, food or storage only where they create actual additional costs; treat costs common to all options consistently.
• Keep the deposit, contingency funds and payment dates separate from the final cost total.

• ADAC: vehicle rental, extra charges and return

4. A worked example for the same task list

A calculation model, not a price promise: the loading-space amount is not a municipal fee schedule. Replace every item with the costs and conditions of your own move. Unknown does not mean free.

Assume a small move with the same inventory, access and route. You pack yourself in every option; no assembly, storage or appliance connection is needed. A suitable vehicle and enough journeys have already been established for this example. In B, the booked help covers agreed carrying at both addresses; you drive.

All figures are invented final amounts including any applicable VAT. They are neither researched market prices nor quotes from Umzughilfen or a partner. The company service here includes the vehicle, travel, carrying and necessary handling equipment. Those included items are not added again.

• Compare the scope and total prices of moving quotes

5. Compare your own time separately

The payment totals remain €350, €710 and €980. If valuing time this way is not useful to you, compare euros and hours side by side. Do not count actual lost earnings and the same time value twice.

Alongside spending, record the hours your household will work. Two people working three hours each contribute six person-hours. That does not establish the elapsed duration of the move: tasks may run simultaneously or depend on one another.

Record private helpers' hours and paid working time separately. This keeps unpaid help visible and avoids counting paid work twice. Your own time also includes discussing quotes, collecting and returning the vehicle, and finishing tasks afterwards.

This table adds invented household hours to the previous example. A personally chosen value of €20 per hour produces a decision aid. It is neither a recommended wage nor an amount you must pay, and the hours are not claimed to be typical moving times.

6. Check feasibility before potential savings

Before booking, confirm that the driver is entitled to drive the specific vehicle and can handle it confidently. Check usable cargo space, permitted loading, access and suitable equipment. A large cargo area alone proves neither adequate payload capacity nor a workable route through the stairwell.

Section 22 of Germany's StVO requires goods to be secured against dangerous movement even during heavy braking or evasive action. A short journey does not compensate for missing knowledge or unsuitable equipment. Have uncertain transport tasks assessed by someone competent.

Distinguish damage to the rental vehicle, transported belongings and the building. Ask the provider and, where relevant, the insurer about applicable terms, limits and exclusions. Neither private help nor hiring a company automatically gives complete cover for every loss.

• What happens if a helper cancels or the vehicle cannot be returned on time?
• Who handles heavy or bulky items, narrow stairs and safe loading?
• Which tasks and resources are confirmed, and which are still unclear?
• Who is the contracting party and contact for changes or damage?

• Check van space, payload and axle limits
• Check whether a small move needs one or two trips

• Section 22 StVO: loads and load securing

7. Choose the option whose requirements you can meet

DIY can work when a vehicle, driving experience, suitable helpers and enough time are actually available. Do not decide solely on the lowest rental price. A manageable inventory and straightforward access can simplify organisation, but they are not a guarantee.

Paid help can suit you when you can reliably provide the vehicle and driving but need carrying support. Agree start and finish, both locations, equipment and billing. Clarify how waiting and changes are handled.

A company can be a better fit when you want to hand over particular tasks or cannot safely cover them yourself. Still check what remains for you to do. Preparation, access, timing and unusual items need coordination even with a company.

• First set aside options with unresolved essential requirements.
• Compare full spending and your own time for the remaining options.
• Resolve the most important unknown before deciding instead of replacing it with an invented zero.
• Consider a specific backup for helpers, timing or the vehicle.

8. Describe the division of work in your enquiry

Instead of requesting just “a move”, state the split you want: for example, “We will pack the boxes; please quote for carrying and transport with a vehicle”, or “We provide the vehicle and driver; we need carrying help at both addresses”. Add the inventory, dimensions, access and date.

Umzughilfen is a marketing and referral service. A named independent partner prepares its own quote and contracts directly with you. Work, invoicing and payment are through that partner; Umzughilfen remains responsible for its own referral and data-protection duties. You receive the partner's name and address before a binding booking. An enquiry reserves neither a vehicle, team nor date.

• Prepare the inventory, measurements and photos for an enquiry

Common decision questions