Senior move checklist for families

1. Discuss wishes and unresolved decisions first

Organising help also means involving the person who is moving in the decisions.

Start by asking what matters in the new home: being near familiar people, fewer stairs, a favourite chair, room for a hobby or a quiet daily routine. Write the answers down. Moving to a smaller home does not mean everyone will choose the same furniture and keepsakes.

Separate confirmed decisions from unanswered questions. Where is the move to, when will keys and rooms actually be available, and which help does the person want? Make decisions about personal belongings together. Give an unresolved question another discussion date instead of forcing a choice under pressure on packing day.

• Keep one short shared list: decided, still to clarify, responsible person and next action.
• Agree suitable times for conversations and sorting, with room for breaks and changes.
• Use photos or a simple floor plan to discuss the new home if visiting together is not possible.

2. Check the new home before choosing furniture

Visit the entrance, rooms and routes in the new home together if possible. The BAGSO/BIVA checklist includes accessibility, home size and space for mobility aids among its comparison points. Check them against the person’s actual daily needs.

Measure the furniture you intend to take and mark where it will go. Leave routes to the bed, bathroom, seat and entrance clear. For the move itself, also record stairs, lifts, doors and the route from vehicle to home. Furniture that fits the room must still be able to pass through the access route.

For assisted living, check the actual offer: what support is included and what needs a separate arrangement? Verbraucherzentrale recommends comparing facilities, services and costs before moving in.

• Confirm the key handover, usable rooms and permitted delivery times.
• At a residential facility, ask which personal furniture is allowed and what is already provided.
• Arrange any everyday support needed on arrival with the people or services responsible.

• BAGSO/BIVA: assisted living information and checklist (PDF, German)
• Verbraucherzentrale: assisted living and actual services (German)

3. Choose and label belongings together

Work room by room, starting with things that are definitely coming. Ask about everyday items and belongings with personal meaning. Then compare the selection with the space in the new home. The table below is an editorial sorting aid, not a prescribed quantity of possessions.

Label boxes with contents and destination room. A list and, by agreement, photos can help with furniture and individual valuable or delicate items. Keep unresolved belongings separate. A label saying “undecided” is not permission to give an item away.

• Plan temporary storage, access, costs and later delivery

4. Turn offers of help into named tasks

Give every task a name, a confirmation and a backup person. “The family will help” is not enough for a working plan. One person can maintain the shared list and bring questions together; this does not replace the moving person’s agreement to personal decisions.

Distinguish personal accompaniment from practical moving work. Someone providing continuous support should not also be counted as an essential lifting helper at the same time. If few helpers are available, change the sequence or arrange suitable additional help. Heavy work belongs in a suitable, confirmed scope of work.

• Coordination: keep contacts, confirmed dates, keys and changes together.
• Accompaniment: agree travel together, breaks and availability as the person wishes.
• Old home: oversee packing, the handover of belongings and agreed remaining tasks.
• New home: provide access, explain destination places and prepare the first items needed.
• Paperwork: agree who checks quotes, enters contracts and handles address changes.

• Bring the general moving dates into one shared checklist

5. Record services and costs before booking

Turn the final selection into a clear brief: inventory, both addresses, access routes, carrying distances, packing, transport, dismantling, assembly and intended furniture positions. Record what the family will do and what the business should handle. Resolve unanswered scope questions before placing the order.

Verbraucherzentrale advises discussing individual services and recording them in writing. Ask for the complete price or charging method, possible extras and what happens if the scope changes. Check explicitly whether unpacking, later delivery or remaining tasks are included.

Umzughilfen.de refers independent partners. The identified partner confirms availability, services and price; the quote, contract and billing are arranged directly with that business. Arrange personal accompaniment, passenger transport and any care required separately with a suitable provider or person.

• Clarify home clearance, cleaning and storage separately, each with a defined scope and responsible party.
• Share access photos and details only as needed for planning.
• Ask about unclear services before making a fixed date depend on them.

• Verbraucherzentrale: moving services and written agreements (German)

6. Divide moving day into manageable stages

If there is a delay, first clarify accompaniment, where the person will stay and the revised arrangements. They need a reliable plan even when delivery is later.

Agree a sequence rather than a tightly timed schedule. The table is an adaptable example without fixed times. Before starting, confirm who is available on site and by phone, whether both access routes are usable and where the first items should go.

Plan the person’s journey separately from the goods transport. Agree where they would like to stay during lifting and who will remain available. Any personal support or special passenger transport needed must be suitably arranged in advance; furniture transport alone does not cover those tasks.

7. Prepare the first evening and the following days

Pack a personal bag that stays with the person or their companion: keys, important papers, phone and charger, glasses, clothing and individually needed everyday items. Coordinate necessary medicines and aids with the person and, where relevant, the professionals responsible. These items should not disappear into a furniture or storage delivery that is difficult to access.

Set up the places chosen together first. Show where lights, phone and important items are, and ask whether the arrangement works. A familiar object can deliberately be unpacked early. The remaining boxes can follow an agreed order.

List the tasks for the following days: check address changes and relevant authorities, clarify ongoing contracts, confirm any services at the new address and hand over the old home on the agreed date. Arrange the next visit or call and ask then what is missing or should be placed differently.

• Before helpers leave, check available contacts, keys, a usable bed and accessible personal items.
• If delivery does not arrive as planned, explicitly confirm where the person will stay, the items needed and the next update.
• Order remaining tasks by urgency; do not force decisions about keepsakes just to finish the last box.

• Pack the personal bag and shared supplies for the first night

Questions about an older relative’s move