Moving Home

So you have accepted an offer on your house. Now is the time to contact various removal companies to help you move house. Don't leave this too late or else you probably won't be able to choose the company of your choice.

Always contact 3 or 4 firms either from your local area or the area you are moving to. To get a quote from us just fill out our   Online Removals Quotation Form and we will be in touch. Don't forget as well as having an outstanding reputation, we are also proud and privileged members of the The National Guild of Removers and Storers, receive customer endorsements daily and we have a 110% Price Promise Guarantee so you get the best of everything from us, professionalism, reliability and price!

Once you have your quotes it is important to speak to your removal company in person. This enables you to get a feel for them and will also give you a chance to ask them any questions or advise them on any special requirements you need. Ultimately you will be inviting their employees into your home, and entrusting your treasured processions to them. It is too late when a battered and dirty van turns up, with staff that you do not feel comfortable with.

However you find your removal company BE HONEST with them. They are able to give you a more accurate quotation, allocate the right sized van and enough men to do the move if they know exactly what the removal entails. Even the smallest thing could have a bearing on the time spent on the removal, if you already know that the wardrobes and beds had to be taken into the house through the bedroom window or that you have altered the stairs since the furniture was taken up, TELL THEM and they will be happy to bring along tools, ladders, extra men etc. Also remember that the amount of furniture and belongings you write down onto an inventory form will dictate the size of the removal lorry allocated to your move. You wouldn't want a lorry arriving that is too small!!!! The most common missed item can be outside plants, these actually take up the most room in the removal van as you are unable to stack anything on top of them.

Time spent preparing, could save you a lot of stress and money.

 If you are having various company representatives to come and visit make sure you are prepared. They will want to look every where, under the stairs, inside cupboards and even under your beds. Anything that needs to go with you must be put on your inventory form or shown to the company representatives. If you do call up and ask several removal companies to give you a quote it is very important that you ask them all the same questions and to do exactly the same things, if not then you will receive quotes that not only vary widely, but are for completely different jobs.

Let's start at the top of the house. With a pen & paper to make notes, have a look in the loft space. Is it all to go? Is it going to be brought down by yourselves or the removal men*?
*Health and Safety regulations will apply; the companies will be able to tell you about this.

You will have to go through everything, and decide what you would like to keep, throw out, sell or give away. For tips and hints on de-cluttering please visit our new section on clutter in the advice section of our website. If you separate everything into various piles it is easier to see what you have. The loft is always a good place to start, as nothing is in constant use and therefore can be boxed up well in advance. Books and videos are other items that are often not used frequently and could be sorted out and boxed.

Be ruthless, if not you will only have to pay for it all to be transported to the new house, so why not sort through it now.

Do start to make a list of questions to ask, otherwise you will forget.

Keep writing down your questions or concerns.

In the bedrooms, who is going to dismantle the wardrobes and the beds if indeed they need to be? Now is the chance to sort through your wardrobes and cupboards and have a good clear out. Take a moment to think about where they are going to go, remember you are the only one who has seen the property to which you are moving to.

Remember to warn your removal company if you expect any difficulties, they will then be able to organise either extra men or ladders etc. If you don't, they won't, and you might end up with your bedroom furniture in the lounge of your new house or in the worse case still in the bedrooms of your old house.

Self Assembly Furniture. This isn't designed to be flattened, moved and reassembled, so usually isn't covered within the insurance the removal companies offer. No matter how hard your removal crew try, most of the time this type of furniture will not go back together perfectly after a move.

The same applies to everything downstairs, we won't waffle on as we could write a book on this alone. Just make a note of everything you think could cause a problem, and things that you are not sure about. For example "can the washer be disconnected by the men", "will they lift any carpets I require to go" and so on.

As long as you let the companies know everything you do,
then they'll be able to help you overcome any problems.

Include Everything.

Don't forget the garage or the things outside, some plant pots/troughs can be extremely heavy, but again if you point these out they will be all taken into account. Any flammable substances like old tins of paint, creosote, paraffin, matches, gas bottles and similar things will not be allowed to go on the van as this will invalidate any insurance cover.

Anything that you are planning to dispose of, try and do so before any representatives visit. They are often told that items aren't to go and that they will be thrown out. When moving day arrives for all sorts of reasons items suddenly have to go. Because of this when you say "oh! these wardrobes aren't going" they will assume they will be and therefore will calculate these into your quotation.

If however you suddenly wanted any unwanted items e.g. if you couldn't sell or just changed your mind then you must let the removal company know. This will allow them to work out whether they will need a larger vehicle and needs to be done before the van arrives and the porters cannot fit everything on. The van and staff (porters) assigned to your move is calculated on the basis of what the representative has been shown or what you have stated on an inventory form.

You wouldn't want to end up with a van not large enough for all your belongings.

Never assume either a representative preparing a quote or the porters on moving day will automatically know what is to go and what is not, even if a bag looks like rubbish they will take it into account as the old saying goes one mans rubbish is another mans treasure. A removal company or porter would never presume that something is rubbish, after many years you see and move all manner of things.

If you go to the Advice and Guides page there is a section called "Get Rid of Clutter". This will give you advice on what to do with all the extra furniture and bits and bobs that you find you may have.

Prepare some questions to ask.

- Do you offer insurance? What is and what is not covered? is there an excess? If you have to take out any more insurance first check with your own household insurance policy as you may already be covered. Household polices however normally do not cover for things like dents and scratches, loss or damage due to strikes, weather conditions or delay. Anything that is not professionally packed and unpacked by recognised professional removal company.
- Ask about the company's history.
- Ask about the logistics of the move. What time the van will arrive? What is the estimated time to finish loading up and time of completion.
- Do they have any references, can you contact past clients?
- Are they a member of any of the trade associations or part of a larger group of companies.

Some questions they might ask you.

- Where are you moving to?
- What is the access like ( for parking & getting furniture in)?
- Do you have a date to move?
- Are the new owners moving in on the same day?
- If so what time do they require access at?
- What time are you anticipating access to your new property?
- Do you need a packing service? Could be a full pack or just breakables?
- If not will you require cartons?

Choosing the removal company that suits you

Everyone is different. Ultimately the choice is yours, forget for a moment the various prices in the quotations you have received, think about what it is you require from the removal firm and which one of them met your criteria the best. You might prefer to have a small family firm that pride themselves on their good name or a large multi national company that will be able to handle anything you throw at them.

Ask family and friends You will be surprised how many people have just moved. Recommendations are worth their weight in gold and many companies rely on word of mouth to get them work. This is often the best way of choosing a firm.

As soon as you have a date get in touch with your first choice of removal firm; if they are booked up have at least some more quotes to fall back on. Some companies can be booked up on your chosen date for moving. Remember try to avoid moving on a Friday. This is the most popular day especially at the end of a month. For logical reasons like work etc this is preferred day, unfortunately removal companies often inflate prices (not all of them) to help with the quieter days in the week. Also if for any reason there is a problem transferring funds everyone shuts and goes home for the weekend leaving you homeless and all your furniture in the van until the next available day. Legally you cannot gain entry to a property until all the funds have been cleared, the transfer also seems to take longer as well on a Friday, sometimes as late as 4 o'clock.

Most companies wont take provisional bookings but ask them in case they do. Some will want either a deposit or full payment before the removal, and some will want paying on the day after the job is done. If you have booked a day and have to cancel check the small print on the "terms and conditions" you might have to pay a cancellation fee, sometimes as much as 60% of the removal cost.

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