Home & Living Intelligence
From house hunt
to feeling at home.
A staged journey for your whole home lifecycle abroad — find the right neighbourhood, set up utilities and furniture, keep the place running, and make it feel like yours.
Real Estate Experts in Your Destination
Verified agents and property consultants specializing in expat relocations — they know the local market inside out.
Become a partner →Find Your Home
Match your budget and priorities to the right neighbourhood, portal and agent.
Step 1 of 1 — Takes 60 seconds
Tell us what you're looking for
We'll personalise neighbourhood suggestions, cost estimates and agent matches based on your profile.
Set Up Your Home
From an empty shell to a working household — furniture, utilities and your first week.
Setup Essentials
The empty apartment reality
What "unfurnished" actually means changes a lot by country. Check what to expect — and budget for — before you sign.
| Country | Kitchen | Light fixtures | Wardrobes | Typical budget to fill gaps |
|---|
Austria and Switzerland typically follow the German pattern (empty shell, no kitchen). Always confirm what is included in writing before signing.
Haus to Haus
Furnish for less — buy from expats who are leaving
Every relocation creates a departure and an arrival. Our secondhand marketplace connects the two, so someone else's move-out furniture becomes your move-in furniture.
Furniture & Essentials
Fill the gaps
IKEA
Affordable flatpack furniture and home essentials, pickup or delivery.
Home24
Curated furniture with fast delivery across Europe.
Wayfair
Huge catalog, especially useful for UK, US and Canada moves.
Emma Mattress
Bed-in-a-box mattresses shipped in days, ships across most of Europe and the US.
Local Kitchen Studios
Made-to-measure kitchens for empty-shell rentals, common in Germany and Austria.
Appliances & Electronics
Fridge, washer, oven — often needed on day one in empty-shell rentals.
Secondhand Classifieds
Kleinanzeigen, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace — direct from local sellers.
Otto
Furniture, appliances and electronics with flexible delivery (Germany).
Utilities & Connections
0 / 8 completedGet everything connected
Check these off as you go. Progress is saved on this device.
Day by Day
Your first 7 days in the new home
Take meter readings and photos
Electricity, gas and water readings on handover day, plus photos of every room's condition.
Register your address (Anmeldung)
Most countries require you to register your new address within days of moving in. See our country guides for exact deadlines.
Order internet immediately
In Germany, installation lead times of 2-4 weeks are normal — order as early as your contract allows.
Add your name to the mailbox / doorbell
Deliveries and official mail often will not be delivered without it.
Introduce yourself to neighbours
A quick hello goes a long way — they are often the fastest source of local knowledge.
Confirm your deposit protection
Ask for written confirmation of where and how your deposit is held.
Maintain Your Home
Know who to call, what is your job, and what to expect through the seasons.
Responsibilities
Who fixes what?
Uses the destination you selected in Stage 2. General guidance only — always check your specific lease.
| Item | Tenant | Landlord | Note |
|---|
Find Help
Handyman, cleaning and moving services
MyHammer
Handyman and tradesperson platform (Germany).
TaskRabbit
Furniture assembly, small repairs and moving help (US, UK, CA).
Thumbtack
Vetted local professionals for home repairs (US).
StarOfService
Local service marketplace, strong in Portugal, Spain and France.
Checkatrade
Vetted tradespeople with reviews (UK).
Werkspot
Compare quotes from local professionals (Netherlands).
Helpling
Book vetted cleaning help, recurring or one-off.
Movinga
Local moving and furniture assembly teams (Europe).
Year-Round
Your seasonal home calendar
🌿 Spring
- Bleed radiators before switching off heating
- Check for winter damage (gutters, roof, windows)
- Garden or balcony clean-up and planting
☀️ Summer
- Service air conditioning or fans if installed
- Deep-clean and air out storage areas
- Check window and door seals before next winter
🍂 Autumn
- Book your annual heating or boiler service
- Clean gutters and check the roof before rain or snow
- Draft-proof windows and doors
❄️ Winter
- Practice Stosslueften — short bursts of full-open airing, 2-3x a day, instead of tilted windows — to prevent mold
- Know your snow-clearing obligations (see the table above)
- Keep heat at a minimum baseline even when away to prevent frozen pipes
Just In Case
Home emergencies
Water leak
Shut off the main water valve immediately, then call your landlord or Hausverwaltung. Alert the neighbour below if water may travel.
Power outage
Check your own fuse box first. If the whole building is dark, it is likely a grid outage — check with neighbours or the utility provider.
Heating failure
Contact your landlord or Hausverwaltung first, since the heating system is usually their responsibility. Check your contract for a 24/7 emergency line.
Locked out
Call your landlord or Hausverwaltung before an emergency locksmith. Emergency locksmith scams are common — always agree a fixed price on the phone first.
Save your landlord, Hausverwaltung and an emergency locksmith or plumber number in your phone on day one.
Explained
Understanding your yearly utility bill
Germany — Nebenkostenabrechnung: once a year your landlord reconciles the monthly utility advances you paid against actual costs, and either bills you for a shortfall or refunds a surplus. Check that meter readings match, and query anything unclear within the legal objection period.
Portugal & Spain: utilities are usually billed directly by each provider every month, no annual reconciliation. Netherlands: servicekosten are reconciled annually if your rent includes an all-in service charge. UK: utilities are billed directly by your supplier — log opening and closing meter readings with your agent. US & Canada: utility companies bill you directly each month unless utilities are included in rent.
Make It Feel Like Home
A house is set up in a week. A home takes a bit longer — here is what helps.
Decor On A Budget
Small touches, big difference
Shop secondhand first. eBay Kleinanzeigen, Vinted, Facebook Marketplace and local flea markets often have great furniture for a fraction of retail price.
Add plants. Inexpensive, instantly make a space feel lived-in, and improve air quality.
Layer your lighting. A warm floor lamp or string lights transform a bare rented room far more than overhead lighting alone.
Know your renter-friendly limits. Check your lease before painting or drilling; removable hooks and washi tape are safe defaults almost everywhere.
Personalize with textiles. Cushions, rugs and curtains are cheap to swap and carry the most impact per euro spent.
Bring one object from home. A photo or a familiar object can anchor a new space emotionally.
Community Stories
Real experiences from other relocators finding, furnishing and settling into a home abroad.
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