When you can move in
You can move in when the works are finished, the main snagging is done, fine cleaning is complete and utilities are active in your name. The sequence that works is: end of works, snagging list, fine cleaning, furniture deliveries and assembly, a second light clean and, last of all, the move.
The usual mistake is confusing the end of a stage with a ready home. A laid floor does not mean furniture can go in: there is touch-up painting, door adjustment, bathroom sealant, and cleaning of fine dust that keeps settling for days. If furniture arrives earlier, it gets dirty, gets in the way and has to be moved again.
Check functions, not just finishes
Before setting the moving date, list what you need to live and check it in person: hot water at every tap, heating and cooling in every room, oven, hob, dishwasher and washing machine connected and tested, power on every circuit, locks with all keys, bathroom extractor working.
Some things need time you cannot see: bathroom sealant must cure before anyone showers, and parquet varnish or oil has a curing time set by the manufacturer before rugs or heavy furniture go down. Ask the site manager for these specific times and build them into the schedule.
Deliveries in a Barcelona building
In many Eixample buildings the lift is small and the staircase narrow. A three-seater sofa, a 180 cm bed or a one-piece wardrobe may not fit. Measure the inside of the lift, the front door and the stair turns, and compare them with each item's packed dimensions before buying, not on delivery day.
If something will not fit, the alternative is hoisting it up the facade through the balcony with a furniture lift, which may need a permit to occupy the street and always needs notice to the comunidad de propietarios. Group large deliveries into a few days, at times compatible with the building rules, and have someone at the flat to receive and check each delivery.
Protecting what has just been finished
Moving day is the most common cause of damage in a freshly renovated home. Before the first piece of furniture comes in, protect the route from the front door with cardboard or cloth, the corners of frames and walls at turns, and the inside of the lift. Put felt pads under chair and table legs from day one.
On a floor like the herringbone parquet in the Urgel flat, dragging a piece of furniture leaves a mark you can see in the low light from the balcony. Ask the movers not to drag anything and check the floor with them before they leave. If work remains after the move, agree how the furniture already in place will be protected.
What gets measured at the end: curtains and bespoke furniture
Curtains, blinds and some bespoke furniture are measured on finished walls and ceilings, because a few millimetres of difference show. Ordered from drawing dimensions, they often do not fit. That means they arrive after the works, with their own manufacturing lead time.
Plan for this from the start: take measurements as soon as tracks and finishes are in and order the same day. If your moving date is fixed, be aware that you may move in with some windows uncovered for a few weeks; in bedrooms, plan a temporary blackout solution.
Utilities, documents and the outstanding list
Contracts for electricity, water, gas and internet are arranged weeks in advance: a fibre installation may get an appointment later than you expect. If the renovation changed the electrical power supply, the installation certificate is needed for the contract. Also ask for the works documents: certificates, manuals and product references for materials, paints and taps for future repairs.
After the move, keep a list with three columns: defects in the works, pending documents and your own purchases still to come. Assign each item an owner and group visits so there are not ten separate appointments. The list is closed item by item; it is not forgotten just because you already live there.
How we close out a job
We go through the home with you room by room, note the snagging items and set dates for each before the move. Payment for the works goes by stages under the contract. A single manager, who speaks Russian and Spanish, coordinates the last trades around your deliveries. If you are planning a move after a renovation, write to us; we reply within an hour.