Moving dates and costs
Weekend moves: availability and possible extra charges
A weekend appointment becomes workable when the company, access and schedule fit together. Ask about a specific date and a confirmed scope of work. You can then compare whether the appointment suits your plans and which additional price components are actually being agreed.
1. Enquire about specific dates
Give your preferred date and an alternative if possible. Ask whether the response is an initial availability indication, a reservation with an expiry time or a binding booking. Record how long the quote remains valid.
Compare the same inventory, addresses and additional work. A Saturday quote including assembly and a weekday quote without it do not isolate the difference made by the date.
| Appointment option | Clarify before deciding | Confirmation needed |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday | Availability, time window, access and applicable quiet conditions; check whether the date is a public holiday. | Specific date and agreed work. |
| Sunday | Also check whether the actual work can take place and what approvals or coordination are needed. | Outcome of checks for the specific job. |
| Public holiday | Check conditions at departure, destination and along the route separately. | Necessary prerequisites before booking. |
| Alternative date | Request the same work and account for your own later appointments. | Comparable quote and workable access. |
2. Describe the schedule from first access to final handover
Record when both homes become accessible and when keys, the vehicle or rooms must be returned. A ten o'clock start does not explain whether it means arrival, loading or the start of billed time.
Ask about the team, vehicle, planned journeys and separately agreed furniture work. The company's schedule helps coordination; every access arrangement and following appointment still needs confirmation.
- List the full inventory and heavy or delicate belongings.
- Describe floors, lifts and actual carrying routes at both addresses.
- Record time windows and fixed finishing appointments separately.
- Assign preparation and contracted work clearly.
3. Check any surcharge within the full quote
Employee pay and the customer's price are separate questions. Ask for an explanation of the actual price offered; this guide gives no universal weekend percentage.
Ask whether the chosen date carries an additional price component. If so, is it a fixed amount or percentage, which work does it apply to and is it already included in the total? Use the table to record two actual quotes; it provides no market prices.
Consumer offers use a total price; PAngV includes VAT and other price components. Also separate fixed costs from costs determined by the actual work agreed and performed.
| Comparison point | Record for date A | Record for date B |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | The same inventory and additional work. | Identify any differences explicitly. |
| Date-related price component | Amount or rate, calculation basis and included work. | The same details; confirm when no surcharge applies. |
| Time-based items | Unit, minimum period, rounding and start of billing. | The same rules or specific differences. |
| Waiting and additional work | Trigger, agreed price and approval for a change. | The same details for the alternative date. |
| Final price and unresolved items | Total price plus conditional or unresolved items. | Comparable total and unresolved items. |
4. Check Sunday and public-holiday conditions separately
An available slot or booking confirmation does not replace these checks. Resolve outstanding prerequisites with the company and, where appropriate, the relevant authority before a binding booking.
ArbZG section 9 protects employees' Sunday and holiday rest. Section 10 provides conditional exceptions, including transport businesses. The company must assess its particular work.
Hessen protects Sunday and holiday quiet. Avoidable disturbance must also be avoided during permitted work.
Frankfurt directs requests for exceptions concerning publicly noticeable, disturbing work to its public-order office. Whether an exception is needed and possible requires a case-specific check.
StVO section 30(3) concerns commercial or paid goods journeys with lorries over 7.5 tonnes permitted gross mass and trailers behind lorries, including related empty journeys. A small solo van alone does not establish permission for the entire Sunday job.
5. Confirm loading space, building access and contacts
Check that the agreed loading space covers the exact date and time window. A street that looks quieter is no reliable assurance of an available or permitted loading position. Application, installation and removal arrangements for a no-parking zone must fit the job.
Discuss access and building rules with the responsible people. Agree noisy assembly separately and schedule it only where permitted for that place and date. Telling neighbours does not replace any necessary permission.
| Interface | Confirm in advance | Keep available on the day |
|---|---|---|
| Old and new homes | Access, keys and agreed handovers. | Reachable contact at each address. |
| Building and lift | Permitted use, building rules and agreed protection. | Building manager or authorised contact. |
| Loading position | Validity, responsibilities and required steps. | Documents and responsible contact. |
| Storage or rental vehicle | Actual confirmed return and access hours. | Delay conditions and reachable contact. |
6. Agree communication and changes before the appointment
Obtain a reachable operational contact from the named contracting company. Agree how to report late key handover, blocked access or inventory changes. Record a change's scope, price arrangements and approval in writing.
If a rental vehicle, storage booking or additional appointment is affected, each needs its own coordination. Record rescheduling and cancellation conditions too. This guide establishes no general payment obligation for those changes.
- Which number is reachable during the confirmed time window?
- Who can approve a change to work or price?
- Who informs the other address of a delay?
- Which later appointments might need separate changes?
7. Book with complete information
Choose using the workable appointment, confirmed access and full quote. Include your own helpers, key handover and extra rental or storage costs in the comparison. The name of the day establishes neither price nor feasibility.
Before accepting a binding booking, record the date, start time or time window, scope, price arrangements, contracting company and outstanding prerequisites. Keep the last confirmed version accessible.
- The specific date and booking status are clear.
- All planned work and necessary prerequisites are resolved.
- The total, surcharge basis and possible variable costs are understood.
- Access, loading space, keys and contacts are confirmed.
Questions about weekend moves
Is a Saturday move automatically more expensive?
Compare two actual quotes for the same work. Ask whether a surcharge is offered for that date and how it is calculated. The word Saturday alone does not supply a price.
Can I make a binding Sunday booking?
First clarify availability, access and legal prerequisites for the actual job. Discuss these with the moving company and refer unresolved authority questions to the appropriate office.
What does a percentage surcharge apply to?
The actual quote must explain this. Ask about the calculation basis, affected work and resulting customer price. Check whether the surcharge is already included.
Is telling the neighbours enough?
It helps coordination, but does not replace confirmed access, building rules or clarification of any permissions required.
Who should I contact about a delay?
Use the previously named operational contact of your contracting company. Also inform affected people at both addresses and other booked providers. Have scope and price changes confirmed in writing.
Sources and further reading
German-language primary sources checked on 13 October 2026. Legal notes identify necessary checks and do not approve an individual Sunday job. Review rules and specific prerequisites before booking.