FAQ

House moves are as diverse and varied as the homes themselves. We’ll pick the most suitable vehicle and the right number of movers for the amount of furniture and household effects that you’re moving, which will determine the hourly rate we charge for our moving team. Our removal prices are based on the actual time taken. In other words, we will charge for the number of hours needed, including the journey there and back. If your home is defined as having at least 3.5 rooms (or potentially fewer, depending on your circumstances) under Swiss regulations, we recommend arranging a home visit, so that we can draw up a binding quote.

So that we can prepare a removal quote for you, we will need various details about what you are moving, where from and to, what services you require, etc. You can send us this information really easily using our online form. Alternatively, give us a call and discuss your situation with one of our customer advisors. You’ll then receive a written quote either by email or in the post, whichever you prefer. To the online form >

Yes, our quotes are free of charge and come with no obligation. However, we advise all our customers to first get a rough idea of how much their move will cost and to request a detailed written quote from between one and three removal companies at most.

Our removal advisor will pop round to view your home and answer your questions about moving house if your home is on the large side, if there are any special circumstances or any unusual items to transport, if anything about the process is complicated, or simply if you would like them to.

The main price differences can generally be accounted for by the services included in the quote. When comparing prices, look at each of the line items rather than the grand total or compare the individual hourly rates if you can.

Of course, there will probably be some big differences in price from one provider to the next. Think about what you want from a removal company and what’s especially important to you. And don’t just decide based on price – finding someone you can trust is equally important!

Make sure that the company you’ve chosen complies with labour laws. Illegal work distorts competition and puts workers at risk.

That will depend on how many hours the move takes, including travelling time, and how many kilometres are covered in the process (including the journey there and back). Our hourly rates include 15 km an hour as standard. Additional mileage fees in accordance with our price list are charged for distances requiring more than 15 km an hour of travelling time. If, for instance, your move is happening not far from one of our sites (Fällanden, Rümlang, Spreitenbach, Wädenswil, Winterthur), you will definitely not incur any mileage or heavy vehicle charges. As a general rule, moves within the canton of Zurich and the surrounding area will not attract any additional mileage costs.

It’s a bit different if you are moving further away, e.g. from Basel to Geneva, Bern to St. Gallen or the canton of Zurich to Ticino, Valais or Grisons, etc. After the move is complete, your mileage charges will be worked out based on how many hours it actually took and how many kilometres we travelled in the process.

When choosing your removal company, make sure that it employs its staff legally, uses suitable equipment and is well-organised. Essentially, that it’s professional. Look out for the following points:

1. Is the removal company a member of the Swiss Road Transport Association (ASTAG) and the Swiss Movers Association (SMA; formerly VSU)? Although being a member of ASTAG and SMA will not guarantee that the company you’ve commissioned will deliver a trouble-free move, it is an initial indication of professionalism.

2. Written quote and references. Ask for a written quote that includes dates and times, an estimate of how long the move will take, the size of the vehicle and the moving team, and the costs including any insurance. Don’t entrust your property to just anyone! You’ll often be moving items with sentimental value, such as heirlooms. Ask for references if you like.

3. Does the removal company have liability insurance? Time and again, you get “amateur” movers offering their services without having taken out the necessary insurance. If anything were to get damaged, you as the customer might lose out. That’s a risk you shouldn’t be taking.

4. What can you do yourself to aid your move? The best thing to do is to ask your removal company these questions beforehand: – Who’s responsible for ensuring access to the buildings and parking spaces? – Who’s responsible for the preliminary work, such as packing items up? – Which drawers do I need to empty beforehand? – What packaging material do I need? – How should I label boxes and rooms?

5. Put the removal company to the test before you give them the job! You could ask questions like: – What training have your staff had? – What vehicles do you use, and what are they equipped with?

Unfortunately, there is not yet a recognised apprenticeship for a mover. As a basic principle, all of our employees have a craftsmanship background and are qualified joiners, carpenters, fitters or similar. So they all possess the basic skill that’s required, which is manual dexterity. Our movers are also given in-house and external training. This includes specific moving courses and seminars run by the Swiss Road Transport Association (ASTAG), such as the following three:

1. Preparing for a move, transport and carrying techniques

Occupational health and safety:

• Correct lifting and carrying of items to be moved 
• Handling heavy objects 
• Personal protective equipment

Using removal equipment correctly:

• Standard equipment in a removal van 
• Preparing for a move
• Handling transport aids

Loading a removal van:

• Stowing the items to be moved 
• Correct strapping and tying 
• Load securing and load distribution

Transporting a piano:

• Disassembling and carrying a piano

2. Packaging

Preparing for a move:

• Preparing for the move on site 
• Packaging materials – the basics 
• Characteristics of specific items

Packaging:

• Recognising and making up packaging 
• Packing glass, china and works of art 
• Packing furniture for overseas transport 
• Constructing partitions

3. Being a team leader in the removals industry

Organising the move:

• Things to tell the customer in advance 
• In-house preparations

Managing staff:

• Personal attitude 
• Staff motivation 
• Employees as company ambassadors 
• Dealing with customers 
• How to behave in the event of a dispute

Administration:

• Liability and insurance 
• Dealing with job paperwork

We include the necessary insurance policies in the price we quote for your move: 

• Business liability insurance of CHF 3 million per event 
• Haulier’s liability insurance of CHF 100,000.00 per shipment

We can also arrange the following supplementary insurance policies for you:

• Haulier’s liability insurance upwards of a sum insured of CHF 100,000.00, 0.4% of the additional insurable value desired 
• National transport insurance based on a detailed insurance list, 0.5% of the desired insurable value 
• International transport insurance based on a detailed insurance list, by arrangement

A trustworthy quote will generally include the following: 
The items to be transported (including an estimated volume if possible), where they will be loaded and unloaded, the date of the move, the agreed services, the size of the vehicle, the number of movers, the hourly rates and/or estimated costs, details of insurance policies, payment terms and reference to general terms and conditions of business.

Ideally, you’ll share your move date as early as possible, but no later than when you place your order, so that the removal team can be booked in for you. Needless to say, however, we’re flexible and can also be called in at short notice. We always try to meet your desired date and even make the impossible possible in an emergency.

We recommend our furniture packers to get your household effects and fragile items packed and unpacked professionally. But you are, of course, welcome to pack everything yourself if you’re able to. We’d be happy to share our tips and tricks.

As well as preparing for the move day itself, there are many other things that you shouldn’t forget, such as getting your mail redirected and sharing your new address with your telephone/Internet provider, your energy company and the radio/TV licence collection agency, for example. Our checklist for your house move > (so far only available in German, thank you for your understanding.)

How long a move takes depends primarily on how much is being transported and how far. But there are many other factors in play, such as any add-on services requested, how many floors are involved, whether there’s a lift, what the access routes are like, what preparation the customer has done and any assistance they need, weather conditions, etc.

Of course. Relocating to a different country poses special challenges in terms of the preparation and the move itself. We ensure that these are overcome – either working on our own, together with our strong and experienced partners or as an intermediary, depending on where it is you’re going. We’d be glad to advise you over the phone or draw up a corresponding quote for you based on a visit to your home.

As a removal company, we only hire out our vehicles with at least one mover or driver included. For any move, we always recommend at the very least consulting an expert who can load the vehicle correctly and secure your items firmly in place.

Yes, of course. You can hire our movers for smaller jobs or short stints, e.g. to transport a single piece of furniture, help you move to a different flat in the same building or rearrange furniture in your existing home. All we charge for is the time actually required, including the journey from our depot and back again.

We would be more than happy to organise a final clean for you complete with handover guarantee. We will act as your point of contact, quote you for the clean and assume responsibility, while the work itself will be done by our subsidiary Schmid AG Reinigungen.

Yes, of course. If you’re arranging your own move, you can just purchase your packaging from us. Our Packaging Shops (at all our branches) offer a comprehensive range of products that will make your life easier.

> Pay in cash or using the TWINT app 
> Addresses and opening hours 

Our online shop is open 24/7.

The best thing to do is to pack your pictures and paintings in bubble wrap and protect particularly valuable works with corner protectors as well. You can find the right materials in one of our Packaging Shops or our online shop.

Dismantling and reassembly are what our movers do every day. They can handle cupboards, shelves, sideboards, tables, chests of drawers, modular desks and other furniture with their eyes closed. Needless to say, they can also dismantle and reassemble delicate items for you, such as chandeliers, flat-screen TVs and paintings.

Yes, we can also move and dismantle/reassemble your USM furniture. Our staff will have had appropriate training, and we’ve got the necessary specialist tools. If additional material or more complex setups are involved, we’ll call in one of our reliable partners to help.

No, you don’t need to worry about that. The removal team will be delighted if water is provided (especially in summer), but there’s no obligation, of course.

Needless to say, everyone loves a tip. But whether you want to leave one and how much you want to give depends entirely on how happy you were with the removal team’s work. As a guide, around CHF 10.00 per person per half-day is common in the industry.

Cash is still the norm in the removals industry for smaller one-off payments or amounts. For more extensive moves and/or higher amounts, we ask for around two-thirds of the total in advance. After the move, we’ll send an invoice for the remainder, which should be paid within 30 days.

You can find the most important pieces of advice on this in the information leaflet from the “Susy Utzinger Stiftung für Tierschutz” animal welfare foundation: Zügeln ohne Katzenjammer (Ensuring a purrfect move)

We guarantee our customers a punctual, prompt and professional service and won’t let the weather get in the way of that. What’s important is that you also make the necessary arrangements depending on the weather, such as clearing access roads and paths to your front door if it’s been snowing. If it’s raining, we’ll protect the items we’re moving as best we can. And even if water should get onto a piece of furniture, we’ll wipe it dry as soon as it arrives at its new home.

Simply let us know roughly how many metres you want to protect and we’ll bring the right amount of floor matting with us on moving day to cover the desired area (usually the hall and corridor). Most of our vehicles carry a few metres as standard, just for “emergencies”.

Because we believe it’s better to be safe than sorry, we do our best to avoid damage by investing accordingly in training our removal teams and in our vehicles, machinery and aids. We transport everything with the greatest care. Nevertheless, should an accident ever happen to us, it goes without saying that we have the necessary insurance in place to cover the damage or loss. The best thing to do is to tell the head mover about the damage or loss on the moving day itself or report it in writing to the removal company within three days at the latest.

Yes, of course. Our state-of-the-art infrastructure also includes a furniture hoist, also known as a removal hoist. The furniture hoist is the most convenient and efficient solution if there are a lot of floors to go up or down, narrow staircases, steep steps or other obstacles.

Whether you’re after temporary storage, pallet storage, storage for files or archives, or your own personal storage box for either the short or the long term, the choice is yours. We guarantee to find the right space for your requirements in one of our warehouses. You can find all the details on our dedicated storage website at w-lagerbox.ch.

Armed with professional training, the right equipment and suitable aids, we can also get heavy items such as upright and grand pianos and safes safely and securely from A to B.