Moving help in Switzerland: prices, moving dates and tips
Moving to a new flat or house in Switzerland? Moving helpers carry boxes and furniture, load and unload the van and help you settle into your new home. This guide gives indicative prices with their sources, customary moving dates in some cantons and what to agree before moving day. On Workpop you post your moving job for free and choose your helpers.
Free to post, no commission: get offers and choose at your own pace.
Indicative prices
- Moving company, 3 to 3.5-room flat (about 3 helpers, 5 hours)CHF 700–1'500 per job
Source: Ofri · As of 17 June 2024
- Moving company, 4 to 4.5-room flat (about 4 helpers, 6 hours)CHF 1'100–2'400 per job
Source: Ofri · As of 17 June 2024
Indicative prices, varying by region and provider. Legal minimum wages and social contributions may apply on top.
You set the price, in line with minimum wages.
Guide: prices and minimum wagesWhat moving helpers can do
Moving helpers do the heavy lifting. They carry boxes and furniture down the stairs, load the van, unload it at the new address and put everything in the right room. Some also help you pack, or take furniture apart and put it back together.
If you need a van as well, say so in your job. Some helpers have one, others do not – agree who organises the van and who pays for it and the fuel.
- Carrying boxes and furniture, with or without a lift
- Loading and unloading a van
- Taking furniture apart and reassembling it
- Packing and unpacking
- Taking old furniture to the recycling centre
How much does moving help cost?
The Swiss quote portal Ofri gives these company prices for moving helpers (June 2024). A 3 to 3.5-room flat costs CHF 700–1'500, with about 3 helpers for 5 hours. A 4 to 4.5-room flat costs CHF 1'100–2'400, with about 4 helpers for 6 hours. Swiss flat sizes count the bedrooms and the living room, but not the kitchen or bathroom.
The final price depends on how much you own, the floors and lifts at both addresses, the distance and how far the parking spot is from the door. With a private helper you agree the price yourselves, by the hour or as a fixed amount, in line with minimum wages.
Moving dates in Switzerland
In general, the lease of a flat can be terminated with three months' notice to the locally customary date, unless the lease says otherwise. Customary dates differ by canton and municipality: check your lease or ask your local conciliation authority.
Examples: in the canton of Vaud, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October at noon. In the city of Zurich, 31 March and 30 September; in the city of Bern, 30 April and 31 October. Geneva and Valais have no customary dates, so your lease applies.
Around these dates many people move at once. Post your job early and plan the end-of-tenancy cleaning at the same time.
How to describe your move
Good information gets you better offers. Give the date and start time, both areas or postcodes, the floor and whether there is a lift. List the large items – sofa, wardrobe, washing machine, piano – and roughly how many boxes. Photos help a lot.
You can write your job in English; other users can translate it into their language with one click. Helpers send an offer with a price, and you can ask questions in the chat before you choose.
What to agree before moving day
Agree the price, the number of helpers and what happens if the move takes longer than planned. Say who brings a trolley, straps and blankets, and what happens if something breaks. When you agree, Workpop gives you both a digital contract. There is no commission: you pay the helpers directly.
If you pay a private person to help you move, you may count as their employer for AHV (Swiss old-age and survivors' insurance). Whether someone is self-employed or employed is decided by the compensation office case by case, based on the actual circumstances, not on the contract. Check with your cantonal AHV compensation office.
What to agree on first
- Date, start time and number of helpers
- Both addresses: floor, lift and parking
- List of large and heavy items
- Who organises the van and pays for it
- Hourly rate or fixed price, and extra time
- Who brings trolley, straps and blankets
- What happens if something breaks
Time of year
Many leases end on the customary moving dates – for example the end of March and September in the city of Zurich, or 1 April, 1 July and 1 October in Vaud. If you move around these dates, post your job a few weeks ahead.
Moving help in your area
Places with recent requests
Canton of Zurich
Odd jobs in major cities
Frequently asked questions
How much do moving helpers cost in Switzerland?
As a guide, Ofri lists company prices of CHF 700–1'500 for a 3 to 3.5-room flat (about 3 helpers, 5 hours) and CHF 1'100–2'400 for a 4 to 4.5-room flat (about 4 helpers, 6 hours), as of June 2024. With a private helper, you agree the price yourselves.When do people move in Switzerland?
Usually on the locally customary dates, which differ by canton and municipality – for example 1 April, 1 July and 1 October in Vaud, or 31 March and 30 September in the city of Zurich. Geneva and Valais have none. Check your lease, which prevails.Do the helpers bring a van?
Not automatically. Say in your job whether you need a van, and agree who organises it and who pays for the rental and the fuel.Do I have to clean the flat when I move out?
Check your lease. In the canton of Vaud, for example, the rental rules say that at noon on the due date the tenant returns the flat clean and well maintained, emptied of their belongings. Plan the end-of-tenancy cleaning before the handover.
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