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Below, we will answer frequently asked questions.
Please contact us by phone +31 50 313 91 49 or by email info@jandejong.nl.
I am moving house. What do I have to take care of?
There is a lot that needs to be taken care of when moving house. The most important aspect is the sale of the old house. Have you found a buyer and did you agree on a price? Congratulations! You can read the next steps here.
Your house has been sold, so pop the champagne! Or maybe not? It is wise to wait with popping the champagne until the sale has officially been dealt with. The first step is to negotiate the draft contract. In this contract you record the agreements between you and the buyer. This includes the length of time between exchange and completion, and the conditions. Often, the draft contract is included in the services of a real estate agent. Sometimes, a specialised advisor is asked to help. You can also opt to ask a solicitor yourself. The solicitor is specialised in the legal side of the sale of a house and acts independently and unbiased. The solicitor can fully inform both you and the buyer. This may be worth your while seeing the amount of money that is involved in selling a house!
With the sale of a house, the buyer always gets a three-day waiting period. This term starts the moment the buyer and the seller have exchanged signed contracts. During these three days, the buyer can opt out of the contract without having to provide a reason. Apart from this, the sale can also be cancelled due to the conditions. The condition is most often used is the financing condition. A structural survey can also be a condition. In the contract, a term is set for these conditions. This is usually around six weeks. If, for example, a buyer cannot manage to get a mortgage for the house, he or she can opt out of the contract within these six weeks.
While the buyer is busy getting a mortgage, it is a good opportunity for you to have a look at your own mortgage. Are you taking the mortgage with you to your next home or are you getting a new mortgage? Is there a mortgage debt, and, if so, what are you going to do about that? It is possible to take this mortgage debt with you and refinance this with your new mortgage. Or perhaps it is possible to settle the mortgage debt with your savings. An independent mortgage advisor can help you with making the best decision for you.
Has the waiting period ended and has the buyer managed to get a mortgage? Then it is time for the last step: the transfer. During the official transfer of your house, you will survey the house with the buyer one last time. If everything is as agreed on, you can go to the solicitor together. Here, you will exchange contracts. Finally, you hand over your keys to the new owner. The sale is final. Champagne!
It is clear: with a removal to a new home a lot needs to be taken care of. To arrange for a smooth transition to the new home, a good planning is essential. This way, you can also make sure you keep the double expenses of two houses to a minimum. By keeping the handing over of the keys just before the removal, you will not have to deal with the boxes for long but you do have enough time to leave your old place in a clean state. We are ready to assist you in organising your removal as quickly as possible!
What does a transfer entail?
Have you managed to get a mortgage for your new home? Congratulations! You can prepare yourself for the exchange of the contracts at the solicitor. Here you sign the contract and the mortgage documents, and the keys will go to the new owner. A festive happening!
You have probably looked forward to this day for months. It started with the first viewing of the house, which made you fall in love with the house. When your offer got accepted it was time for a first modest party! After signing the draft contract you managed to get a mortgage. After weeks of waiting, wishing, and fearing, it is finally time to exchange contracts and get your keys.
On the day of exchanging the contracts your new house is officially transferred to you. Together with the seller you survey the house one last time. This is the time to take a good look around to see if the seller has left everything as agreed upon in the draft contract. Have all goods been removed from the house, from all cupboards and closets? Are the fixtures and fittings that were supposed to be left behind actually there? Is the house clean and are possible repairs carried out? If so, the time to go the solicitor is here.
Has your new house been left according to the draft contract, you and the seller can go the solicitor. Here you will exchange contracts. The solicitor will read out the contracts in its entirety or an abbreviated version of it. The solicitor will date the contract. After signing and exchanging the contract, the house is officially yours. When you have gotten a new mortgage, you will also have to sign the documents for this at the solicitor. Then, the solicitor can transfer the money to the seller immediately. After all these formalities you can shake hands with the solicitor and the seller and take the keys of your new home and leave.
After the transfer you can finally enter your own new house whenever you want to. While you are walking around, you can probably already imagine which colour goes on which wall and where your furniture needs to go. Perhaps you want to renovate (part of) your house or construct a garden, so your new house can become your dream home. Is your new house just as you wanted? Then it is time to contact the movers. When to movers have done their work and your own household effects are in your new house, you can finally call it your “home”!
What does it mean to leave your house in broom clean condition?
When you move from a rental house, you will need to leave the house in broom clean condition when handing over the keys. With the sale of a house, it not legally required, but it is expected. While the terminology might give you the idea that sweeping a broom through the house is enough, this does not suffice. What does it mean to leave your house in broom clean condition?
When you leave a house, it makes sense to take all your belongings with you. The empty house is then left clean and tidy to the new owners. For a rental house this is a clear case. The landlord can refuse a house if it is not left in its original state. Therefore, it is important to plan the final cleaning of the house in time, so you will not end up with unforeseen surprises!
For a broom clean condition, you need to clear all rooms in the house of loose materials and articles. In reality, more is needed. In the rental agreement the following terms for delivering your house are explicitly listed, such as:
Sometimes it is possible to have the new tenants buy the laminate, upholstery, or curtains. You can often reach an agreement for that through your landlord.
While you probably would like to get to work in your new house, you will still need to get to work in your old house before handing over your keys. Make sure you take enough time and get the appropriate cleaning materials. At the very least, take a hoover, a hard broom, a mop, a feather-duster, dust rags, cleaning rags, multi-purpose cleaner, toilet-cleaner, and something to decalcify, and get to work as systematically as possible:
All in all, this is an extensive job. Luckily, you can safely leave the final cleaning to us. While we work to leave your old house in broom clean condition, you can enjoy your new house!
When do I need to arrange for gas, water and electricity in my new house?
While moving house, you need to arrange a lot of matters that we think of as self-evident. Take gas, water and electricity: we take it for granted that we can cook, shower, turn on the light whenever we want. Yet, all these matters need to be taken care of with a removal. When an how to go about it you can read here.
Whether or not you want to change your energy supplier; you had better arrange for the removal of your gas and electricity as early as possible. With most suppliers, this can be arranged three months in advance. If that is no longer possible, then two weeks in advance it the latest you can notify them of your removal. Do you want a new energy supplier? Take the 1-month term of notice into account.
It can never hurt to have a look around and see what it might bring you if you switch gas and or energy suppliers. A removal is a good time to do this. You can compare suppliers and their prices on several websites. Sometimes it is cheaper to get different suppliers for your gas and your electricity; it is worth looking at. Often these websites offer moving services. Do not forget to check the websites of the suppliers, they also often offer attractive discounts or gifts when signing a new contract. Mind you: with opting out of a contract before the end date, your energy supplier may ask for a reimbursement of charge you a fine. Some suppliers are willing to pay these for you if you sign a new contract with them.
Have you notified your current supplier(s) of your removal, or have you signed a new contract for the new house? Then you will only need to provide the numbers of the amount of gas and electricity you have used. Note these numbers down of both your old house and your new house on the day you hand over your keys of the old house and the day you receive the keys of your new house, preferably with the new owner or renter. Give these numbers to the supplier within 15 days of your moving date. You will then receive a final receipt of your old address within weeks, and a quote for the new house by mail.
You do not have to give much thought to arranging water for your house, since there is nothing to choose. There always is only one supplier for each region. Are you moving within your region, you can notify your supplier online. When you move house to a different region, you need to notify your old supplier and notify the new supplier. You need to note down the numbers of the amount of water used here as well. Note these numbers down of both your old house and your new house on the day you hand over your keys of the old house and the day you receive the keys of your new house, preferably with the new owner or renter. Based on these numbers you will receive a final receipt and a quote for the new house by mail.
When do I need to register with the local authority?
Whether you are moving house within your municipality or you are moving to a different region, you always need to inform your local authority. They will change your address in the ‘Basisregistratie Personen (BRP)’. Are you late with your notification? This can have consequences for your student scholarship / loan, your benefits, and your council taxes. You also run the risk of a hefty fine!
Sometimes you can notify your local government digitally using ‘DigiD’. Other city councils may ask you to do this by mail or to go and see them in person. When you move out of a municipality, you need to register with your new city council. Then you will be taken out of the register of your old city council. You will need a valid ID for the notification of your removal, and, sometimes proof of occupation as well. You can check this on the website of your city council. You can notify them of the removal of your spouse, registered partner, and children who still live with you at the same time.
You do not have to wait with notifying your city council of your removal until after the removal. You can notify them of your new address as soon as four weeks in advance. After the moving day you will have five days left to do so. When you wait more than five days, the day of registry will count as your moving date. This can lead to uncomfortable situations. You also risk a fine of a maximum of € 325,-…!
Due to the fact that your local council changes your address in the ‘BPR’, you will not have to inform most organisations. The ‘Belastingdienst’, the ‘RDW’, your health insurance company, and ‘DUO’ will be notified automatically. Only when your situation changes, such as moving in together, leaving your partner, or receiving rent allowance (‘huurtoeslag’), you will need to notify the ‘Belastingdienst’ digitally. When you move to a different region and use resources such as benefits, the ‘BPR’ registration is not sufficient. You will need to reregister for these resources with your new city council. Your new living arrangements can also influence your benefits. For specific information, have a look at the website of your city council.
Are you moving to a different region? You will need to arrange a lot of additional matters. It will take away a lot of stress to not have to arrange your own removal. We would like to help you! Please ask us for our services and prices.
How do I prepare for my moving day?
Good planning is very important to ensure that the transition to the new house goes as smoothly as possible. In addition, it allows you to keep double burdens to a minimum. By moving as close to the time of key transfer as possible, you don’t have to spend too much time in the boxes and you have enough time to leave the old house in a tidy condition.
Take the time to pack your things and put everything in moving boxes for each room separately. If you use the coloured labels from our moving kit, the movers can easily see where things should go in the new house.
In any case, we are ready to make your move go as smoothly as possible! Find our handy and comprehensive overview of moving tips here.
Is it possible for Jan de Jong to pack my household or business inventory for me?
Of course we can pack your household or business inventory for you. With our packing and unpacking service, movers from Jan de Jong Verhuizingen are happy to pack your household goods or inventory for you. We also ensure that your belongings will be unpacked in the right places in your new home or premises.
Ask your questions to our employees via info@jandejong.nl or 050 - 313 91 49.
Do I need to arrange a parking permit for the moving day
If you do not have your own parking space for our moving van(s), this is often necessary. We can help you with this and ensure that a parking permit is issued. This will save you a lot of time.
In case you would like to arrange this yourself, you can do so through the Municipality of Groningen via the following website: https://aanvraagparkeren.groningen.nl/.
How long can I use moving boxes for?
We will loan you the moving boxes for your move. We will give you about 3 weeks after the move to unpack everything in peace.
No, the boxes remain the property of Jan de Jong Verhuizingen. You will receive them on loan from us.
Do you rent moving lifts?
Of course. Are you moving and do you need to move heavy or large pieces of furniture up or down? Then it might be useful to use our removal lift. You can rent a moving lift from us including assistance. We are often closer than you might think!
Yes, that's possible. We are on location for 1 hour and take into account half an hour of travel time. You can request a moving lift via our website: Rent a removal lift.
We arrange this as well as a precario tax. In case you would like to arrange this yourself, you can do so through the Municipality of Groningen via the following website: https://gemeente.groningen.nl/gemeentegrond-tijdelijk-gebruiken-permit-of-melding.
Find the costs and conditions for renting a removal lift at: Renting a moving lift
When can I apply for compensation for my removal?
Sometimes, the decision to move is made for you. For example, when your house is demolished or needs extensive repairs. Or when the landlord ends your rental agreement to comply with a development plan. When you as a tenant have to move, you can get a compensation for your removal.
The compensation for a removal is meant to compensate the removal costs and the refurbishment costs. The amount of money is changed yearly based on the consumers indexation list. From 16 February 2018 onwards, the minimum amount of money has been raised to € 5.993,-. Have you moved before? Then the legal minimum compensation is as follows:
For more recent information about a compensation for removals look here.
Renters of an independent house or trailer with a station who are obligated to move, are legible for a compensation for the removal. The compensation is also valid if you move to a house of a different renter or a privately owned house. A renter of a room in a house can also apply for a compensation. Only, there is no minimum amount for this case because the costs are typically lower. Do you have to move to a temporary house which you are renting based on the ‘Leegstandwet’, while your house is extensively renovated? Then you can apply for a compensation once.
Are you renting from a housing corporation? Then the compensation rules and the amount of money are listed in the conditions and terms. Sometimes the housing corporation will offer to paint the house, refurbish the house, and to arrange the removal. You can accept payment in kind, but you are not obligated to do so. Instead, you can ask for the legal compensation according to the terms and conditions. The local authority can also provide part of the compensation. You will receive the combined compensation from the local authority and the landlord in one go. Are you renting from a private landlord? Then you will need to agree on an amount for the compensation yourselves. This should be fitting to the circumstances. Are you not able to get to an agreement together, a judge will need to give a verdict.
Do you also have to move and are you curious to see how much of the costs are covered by the compensation for your removal? Please ask for a quote without any obligations attached!
Do I qualify for days off / leave during my removal
Moving house is not easy. You will spend a lot of time preparing and planning before the removal. And then the actual removal still has to take place! All together, moving house will take a lot out of your budget. In some CBAs, labour agreements or company regulations, this is taken into account, and you can apply for special leave for removals.
Leave for removal is not legally arranged. Employers, and branches of industries can arrange for this themselves. In general, all employees can apply for two days of special leave. Whether or not this can also be used for a removal is different for each labour agreement. The amount of days can also differ. If your right for special leave during removals is not part of the CBA you can find it in your labour agreement of the company regulations. You can also ask your employer or human resources. You can apply for your special leave with them as well.
When you qualify for special leave during your removal, you will be paid (almost) in full during these days and you will have to scarify your regular days off. This is very nice, because moving house is expensive enough as is!
On top of this, you would also like to have some days off for when you are finally settled into your new home. You can use this time well to enjoy your new home and to take the time to rest. To use your special leave in the best way possible, it is wise to schedule these days right before the weekend. This way, you will have at least two days after the moving day to clean your old house and to make your new house feel like home!
If a removal does not qualify as special leave you can of course spend your own days off to the removal or plan everything during the weekend. You can also choose to outsource part of your removal. This may cost you money, but it will save you time, stress, and regular days off. Also, you can choose what you outsource to a moving company. There is a vast difference in price if you only have them transport packed boxes compared to when they also have to disassemble and pack the entire household effect. Apart from that, the distance and the number of volume that needs moving plays an important role in the pricing. Ask for a quote and you can take your time to think about how much a calm, quick, and stress-free removal is worth to you!
Can I ask for a refund of city council taxes?
Every city council is responsible for the amount of their council taxes and charges. How much taxes and charges you need to pay is subject to change when you move to a different region. If you have paid your taxes a year in advance, you have paid too much for a period of time. Do you get a refund for this and how can you arrange this? You can read it here.
There are a number of taxes a city council may charge you. The most common taxes are:
Apart from these, the city council may also charge an inclusion fee, commuter tax, tourist tax, parking tax, commercial tax, ‘precario’ taxes, cleaning tax, or graveside maintenance fees.
The amount of taxes you have to pay is set yearly by your local council. At the start of the new year, you will receive a combined tax form. On this form you will find all the taxes you need to pay. You can choose to pay in one go or to pay in instalments. When you have paid the yearly taxes in advance, and you are moving house later that year, you can ask for a refund.
When you do not live in the same council for an entire calendar year, your taxes will be reduced or refunded. This is based on the amount of months you did not live at your old address. The date of registration in your new region is used for this purpose. Let us say that you registered with your new city council on 13 March, then you are eligible for a refund for the months April-December.
Every council also has their own way of refunding the excess of taxes you have paid. Sometimes this happens automatically, other times you have to request this in person. Look at the website of your old city council to see how you can request for a refund. Mind you: the ‘OZB’ never overlaps and you cannot request a refund for this. On 1 January the OZB is surveyed and it is set for the remainder of the year. In your new city council you will start paying for the OZB in the new year.
When you move to a different region, you will need to arrange a lot of additional matters. It will take away a lot of stress if you leave the removal to a professional moving company. Please ask us for our services and prices!
Am I properly insured during a move?
You can rely on the important warranties below. This gives you the certainty that we, as specialists, will do everything we can to ensure that your move takes place in a responsible manner. We will be taking the safety, your belongings and the environment into account at all times.
Warrantee certificate Erkende Verhuizers offers the following guarantees for domestic furniture movings:
In this case, it is best to inform your own insurer that part of your household or business inventory is stored with us. Jan de Jong Verhuizingen can also offer storage insurance. Let us know if you are interested.
Find more information at:
Do you have storage units
Yes, we have three storage locations with well-maintained units for storing your household goods or business inventory. Whatever the goods, we offer affordable storage space and a great service. You can deliver your goods to us yourself, but we can also collect them from you.
Our warehouses are located in Groningen and Noordhorn and are kept at a constant temperature. This way, your household goods remain in good condition. On top of that our storage units are monitored 24 hours a day to guarantee a safe storage of your household goods.
Click through to the following pages to find specific information per storage unit.
Can I view my stored goods digitally?
We recently started using an online storage system for our business customers. We ensure that you will receive the correct login details. In your personal environment you can view the items in our storage unit and what items are in stock.
Through the application form you can select the desired goods, indicate how many items you want back and when it should be delivered to your location.
Ask your questions to our employees via info@jandejong.nl or 050 - 313 91 49.
Will my mail be sent to my new address automatically?
When you move to a new address, your mail will not automatically move with you. Of course, you will take care of a removal message to your family and friends, but do you have to notify all organisations and companies personally? Luckily, no. With the online removal service you can notify them in one go. You can also decide to have your mail forwarded to your new address for a certain amount of time.
Your insurance company, bank, newspaper, phone provider…. All these companies and organisations will need to change your address in their databases. It will take up a lot of time to write to them personally. There is also the very real possibility you may forget to write one of the companies, which will result in not receiving the TV-guide in your mailbox for example. With the online moving service of PostNL you can select all organisations and companies that need to be notified of your new address. They will automatically receive your new address. Mind you: some companies will send their mail using a different mail delivery company, such as SANDD. You can write to these companies yourself. Or you can use an online moving service that can arrange for moving notifications to all companies in the Netherlands, such as Verhuisvriend.
If you have forgotten a company, there is no need to worry! There is still no need for you to miss any mail. With the forwarding service of PostNL you can receive all your mail at your new address. Then you can notify that particular company once you know they have not yet received a notification of your removal. You can choose the amount of time your post will be forwarded to you yourself: 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months. Even when you move abroad, you can have your mail forwarded to you. The price is obviously higher in this case. You can arrange for this service on the website of PostNL.
Do you want to make sure you will not miss any mail on your new address? Please read the following tips:
All prices are subject to change. For more recent information you can look here:
https://www.postnl.nl/ontvangen/doorsturen-en-bewaren/verhuisservice/ (Dutch website)
How to send a change of address?
Congratulations, you moved house! You want to share this joyful news with your family and friends. Apart from this, you will need to send a change of address to keep receiving your mail. Sending a change of address can be done in many different ways, online as well. Ranging from free online messages to sending a card with your own design!
A cheap solution to send a change of address by mail is to use a post card from PostNL. These are already stamped and offer room to write down both addresses. Downside: the cards are blank and therefor not really festive. And writing down three addresses per card can give you a sore hand pretty fast!
The online change of address cards are quick, easy, and free. You choose a nice card on a website, fill it in, and send it with one click. You can even choose to send a change of address via Whatsapp,or Facebook. The downside of a digital change of address card is that they are easily overlooked. For people who are not comfortable online it is not as suitable as a regular card. Perhaps you can send them a separate card by mail.
Who does not like receiving a card through mail? With a printed card you are ensured of attention. The old-fashioned way is to choose a nice card in a store and write it at home, put a stamp on it, and mail it. You can also choose a card in a web shop. You can then choose to address and send them from home or send them online in one go. The last option will save you a lot of work, especially if you have your address book on your computer. You can often upload these in one go. A few of the bigger online websites are: greetz.nl, kaartje2go.nl, kaartjeposten.nl, kaartenhuis.nl, and printsy.nl .
It will be really festive if you design your own change of address cards and have it sent by mail. Most online card shops offer this option. You could use a photograph of your family for the front of the card, show your old and new house, or write your new address. These change of address cards often cost a little more than the standard cards. You can have these cards sent to your house first as well and then post them yourself, or quick and easy through the website.
Last but not least, some realtors offer a service to send a change of address card with a picture of your new house with your new address. No matter which card you choose in the end, we wish you all the best and hope that you will receive a lot of heart-warming visits in your new home!
Patrick Jan is happy to help with all your questions about your upcoming moveis happy to help you.
Request a quote immediately
Call us: 050 - 313 91 49
