Moving in together the right way part 1: official formalities and moving house
The decision to move in together is a big step for a couple. Finally having a place together, more time for each other, and perhaps family planning…but these are not the only benefits of living together. How you can move in together properly and save a lot of money, I will tell you in the series of articles “Moving in together properly”. In the first part, we will first look at the formalities and administrative procedures involved in your move.
Signing the lease together
It doesn’t matter whether you move into a new apartment together or one of the partners simply moves into the existing apartment: You should always sign the lease together. Only in this way do you both have the same rights, but also the same obligations. Of course, you don’t want to think about a breakup when you’re freshly moving in together, yet it could happen that your partner simply moves out and you’re left with the rent debt. It is therefore important that both tenants are listed in the rental agreement. If one of the two wants to move out, you should make a lease termination agreement. But that’s not the only advantage of a joint rental agreement: It strengthens the feeling of togetherness and prevents one partner from simply “kicking the other out the door”.
Administrative procedures when moving in together
After the formalities for the joint tenancy agreement, you must inform the authorities about your new address. When moving in together, these are the same instances as any other “ordinary” move:
- Residents’ Registration Office
- Vehicle registration office
- Insurance carrier
- Finance Office
- Employment office
- Family insurance fund
- Pension insurance
- School, university, training provider
- Bafog office
- GEZ
- uvm.
In addition, do not forget to place a forwarding order with the post office in good time.
The move
When you move in with your partner, you are usually faced with a basic problem: “Make two into one”. If you combine your household, you will probably have many things twice. From the second bed you could make a guest bed, the second dining table, however, may no longer find space. It is therefore important that you draw up a joint furnishing concept for the new apartment before you move in together and that you then clear out the furniture properly. Sell pieces of furniture or furnishings that you no longer need, but are still in good condition, but simply through classified ads in the newspaper or appropriate platforms on the Internet (for example, Ebay Classifieds or Quoka). How to save a little money for your next vacation. If you have a larger budget, then you can also consider simply buying a whole new set of furniture together. The main thing is that you both feel (!) feel good in the new four walls.
Beware of potential disputes: agree on the furnishings at an early stage
Unfortunately, this is where the most frequent potential for disputes lies when moving in together: Which furniture comes with the new home, which not? It is especially difficult if one partner is already living in the new apartment and is not willing to make any changes. After all, each of us has pictures, an old chair or even an ugly cuddly blanket from childhood, to which we are emotionally attached. It is therefore important to discuss the set-up at an early stage when moving in together and to observe the following basic rules:
- Make a list of all the things you want to take with you to your new home and agree on a fixed number, for example, three each or five each.
- In addition, each of you may name three pieces of furniture or furnishings of your partner that you would not like to have in the shared apartment under any circumstances.
- Furniture or objects to which you are very attached can, in an emergency, be stored in the cellar or attic for the time being. It does not have to be always equal the bulky refuse.
- Another option would be to refurbish the unwanted furniture. Maybe your partner will like the comfortable old sofa after all, if you simply have it reupholstered? Or the dresser with a new varnish?
- Often it is also a good solution if you both move into your own room in the new apartment. Whether it’s a study or a Playstation room: everyone needs an individual retreat, and here you can also choose the furnishings according to your own taste.
In the end, moving in together is always about compromise: Be open to new ideas, a new style of furnishing and a new attitude to life. After all, new is not always worse and moving in together is a small dream come true for both partners. But moving in together has other advantages as well: financial. In what form? I’ll tell you about that in the second part of “Moving in together properly”…