Moving at the end of the month: why it is harder and what to do about it

The last day of the month is Finland's hardest moving day. The reason is simple: under the Act on Residential Leases, the notice period ends on the last day of a calendar month, so the vast majority of tenancies end on the same date. Everyone moves at once.

What that means in practice

Three things run out at the same time.

Moving help. Removal firms' calendars fill up for the final week of the month first, and Fridays and Saturdays go quickest.

Vans. Rental fleets are booked out, leaving either something too small or something too expensive.

Lifts. In buildings where the lift must be booked through the property manager, every booking lands on the same day. In practice your slot is either 7 am or 7 pm, with nothing in between.

How far ahead to book

Summer is Finland's peak moving season. If you are leaving on the last day of July, three weeks is not an exaggeration.

Three ways around the crush

Move a few days earlier. If you get the keys to the new place on the 25th, move then. A few days of overlapping rent costs less than a move done in a rush.

Split the move in two. Large furniture in advance at the weekend, the rest at the turn of the month. This works especially well if the two homes are close together.

Talk to your landlord. Many will agree to shift the key handover by a day or two if you ask in good time. It costs nothing and often solves the whole problem.

If there is no flexibility

Then prepare properly.

Book the movers as soon as you know the date; do not wait. Cancelling is easier than finding a slot a week beforehand.

Sort out the lift in both buildings on the same day you book the move. If your lift slot is seven in the morning, the whole move is planned around it.

Pack everything the day before; the moving preparation list covers the rest. At the end of the month the schedule is tight and there is no room for extra packing.

Arrange parking for the van. The building's yard may have a bookable space, and on the street you may need a permit.

The end clean on the same day

This is the part that catches people out. An end-of-tenancy clean is done in an empty flat, meaning only after the belongings are gone. If the keys have to be handed over that evening, only a few hours remain.

A one-bedroom end clean takes 4–6 hours. In practice it does not fit into the same day as the move, unless a second team does it simultaneously.

There are two solutions: agree with the landlord that keys are handed over the following morning, or book the clean separately so it starts the moment the last box is out. What that costs by flat size is worked out separately.

What a move costs at the end of the month

Our price is the same whatever the day: 45 €/hour for one worker, 90 €/hour for two. There are no evening or weekend surcharges, and nothing extra for the turn of the month.

The difference is not price but availability. Which is why booking early is the only thing that genuinely helps.

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Already know your moving date? Get in touch and we will hold a slot in the calendar. You can still cancel if plans change.