Scheduling apartment handover and moving

Hello everyone,

we have purchased a condominium from the developer. The (construction) work on the apartment is almost completed and the developer is currently preparing the handover of the apartments. The schedule is roughly as follows:

[*]Pre-inspection of the apartments by the buyers without the developer (next week)
[*]Correction of any complaints by the developer
[*]Handover of the outdoor facilities (mid / end of November)
[*]Handover of the individual apartments (expected beginning of December)

We are now considering how to best plan our move in terms of timing. If everything goes according to plan, we would receive the new apartment at the beginning of December, followed by a final cleaning, then kitchen installation, and finally our move-in, ideally before Christmas.

However, we wonder if the schedule is realistic at all and whether it might be better to plan the move for January to have enough time in case there are any delays. This also concerns the termination of the current rental apartment - at the end of December or the end of January?

How much time did you plan between the handover of the house / apartment and move-in? What are your experiences or recommendations?

Thank you very much for the help!

My very personal opinion: terminate the old apartment lease at the earliest by the end of January.

Unfortunately, I know a couple who even had the handover date in writing, but then the exterior was not finished after all, and the electricity also did not work out as planned. They then juggled vacations and family overnight stays because the old apartment had already been terminated...

Regardless: we ourselves moved in just before Christmas, and if, for example, you still want to have the old apartment painted, it could be difficult to find craftsmen right before or between the holidays. In my opinion, it takes a lot of stress off to be able to stay in the old apartment throughout January just in case, even if only for the renovation.

Edit: after reading your post again: you don’t even have an official appointment, as many "probably" as you wrote?!?

Honestly, better to pay double for one or two months and only terminate at the earliest when you have something in writing (that didn’t help the above-mentioned couple either; their developer was then already in the "compensation period," meaning past the contractually agreed handover date).

I consider January too tight. That will never be a pinpoint landing. Agree on a fixed completion/handover date. Preferably right away with a clause that if the deadline is exceeded, the additional living costs are borne by the developer. Cancel the apartment at the end of March. If the deadline is not met, the developer must reimburse you for the costs (at worst take legal action). If it works out, you pay double for a few months but have the security that you and your family won't end up on the street or need a temporary solution. Moving in December/January is also not much fun (weather).

Is the kitchen ordered and the delivery scheduled?
Such a kitchen usually takes around 3 months to arrive.
If yes, then aim for the end of January, but only if you also have something in writing from the BT.
Otherwise, to be on the safe side, February.

Regardless: we ourselves moved in just before Christmas, and if you still want to have the old apartment painted, for example, it could be difficult to find craftsmen shortly before or between the holidays. In my opinion, it takes a lot of stress off to be able to stay in the old apartment in January just in case, if only for the renovation. Edit: after reading your post again: you don’t even have an official appointment, so many "probably" as you wrote?!?

We indeed do not yet have an official appointment. However, you only get the official handover date two weeks beforehand, i.e. if you wanted to make it completely watertight, we would have to pay double rent for three months, which is quite a lot of money in Munich.

I consider January too tight. That will never be a perfect landing. Arrange a fixed completion/handover date. Preferably immediately with a clause that if this date is exceeded, the additional housing costs will be borne by the developer. Terminate the apartment at the end of March. If the date is not met, the developer must reimburse you the costs (in the worst case sue). If it fits, you pay double rent for a few months but have the security that you and your family will not end up on the street or need a temporary solution. Moving in December/January is also no fun (weather).

This is a standardized developer contract with guaranteed completion by April 2020. This date was of course chosen very conservatively by the developer. In reality, the construction progress is much faster (see my schedule above).

Is the kitchen ordered and is the delivery scheduled? It often takes 3 months until such a kitchen arrives. If yes, aim for the end of January, but only if you also have something in writing from the developer. Otherwise, better safe than sorry, February.

The kitchen has long been ordered and can be installed from November. We only need to set the installation appointment about 4 weeks in advance. In any case, many thanks already for your feedback! We have now discarded the December date and will wait until October, then decide at the end of October whether we can terminate for the end of January with a clear conscience. As I said, the apartment is practically finished already, and we have been invited for a preliminary inspection next week. Everything depends on the handover of the outdoor facilities...

Show some nice photos of the apartment. Although we have built and now have a house, I am still thinking about an apartment again.