Moving During the Nine Days
Question
I have purchased a new apartment, and the current tenant will vacate it at the end of this week, which is the second of Menachem Av, before the week in which Tisha B'Av falls. In the apartment where I currently reside, my lease runs until the 13th of Av. My question is whether it is permissible to clean the new apartment and move some of my belongings, boxes, etc., into it before Tisha B'Av. If so, is it preferable to do this before the week in which Tisha B'Av falls (for Ashkenazim), and is it better to hire a non-Jewish cleaner rather than cleaning it myself? Is there any concern that this might be a bad omen, or is the cleaning and moving merely a hassle, and it could be done by a non-Jew in order for us not to be distracted from mourning?
Answer
Shalom!
It is permissible to move the belongings. And you are allowed to clean the apartment, and there is no point in giving this task to a non-Jew.
The actual move itself should ideally be postponed until after Tisha B'Av, if this is possible.
The issue of 'distraction from mourning' is only mentioned in relation to the day of Tisha B'Av itself, and not in relation to the Nine Days (that precede it).
Source
Shulchan Aruch, section Orach Chaim, chapter 551