What to consider when choosing a Removal Company for your next move.

According to popular opinion, moving home is one of the most stressful life events that people can experience. Hopefully it’s something that most people will only undertake a handful of times, but it is definitely a big upheaval, moving your life and your possessions from one property to another.

It’s perhaps something that may be relatively simply to do if it’s just you and a suitcase, but is significantly harder to do, if you are moving with family, or have spent a lifetime accruing possessions including large items of furniture.

In this instance, it definitely helps to find a professional removal company who can step in and make moving day so much easier, hopefully ensuring that the move from one property to another is as stress-free and simple as possible.

We’ve heard our fair share of moving day stories, so here are a few tips which we hope will help when choosing a removal company!

 

DIY or hire the professionals?

One of the first things to consider is whether you are planning on packing up your belongings and moving them yourself, or whether you are going to be enlisting the help of a professional moving company to do so.

If you are moving into your first home, or don’t have many belongings to be moving in with, then it might be that using the vehicles of friends and family, a local “man with a van” or self-drive van may work, but do factor in the amount of hard work that this requires you and your willing volunteers to undertake.

Moving day will be so much less stressful with others doing the heavy lifting – especially if it’s not something you are physically in a position to do.

 

To pack or not to pack?

Did you know that most removal companies offer a service where they will come and pack up all of your belongings on one day, and move them the next?

We would definitely recommend this option as it makes life so much easier for you and also is quicker because removal companies aren’t as emotionally attached to your belongings as you are, so will pack them up a lot more quickly.  

Of course, whilst many removal companies can definitely pack up all of your belongings, they can’t do any of the decluttering beforehand. We would recommend doing this yourself before you move so that you aren’t arriving at your new home or property with unnecessary belongings or clutter which are no longer required or wanted.

 

The quoting and booking process

Once you are moving further along the process it’s helpful to obtain and compare around three quotes from different companies, so that you know what the costs involved in moving your belongings to your new property will be and what each one includes.  This will help you to compare and see which service would best suit your needs.

The best time to book your moving company for definite is once you have actually exchanged contracts and you have a moving date. Do be aware that especially if it’s a popular day of the week or time of the year, that there is a chance that your preferred company may not be available, so perhaps have a couple to chose from.

Another thing to check when getting a quote for moving costs is whether the company carries insurance for breakages and damages and to understand what will happen if something gets broken or damaged in transit.

 

On moving day

On moving day ask the company what type of vehicle they will be sending over, so that you know what kind of vehicle to expect, and can make preparations for parking and access to your property either end.

Also, place any personal or valuable items (documents, jewellery etc) that you don’t want to go with the removal company in your car in advance, so that they don’t get lost and wrapped up with everything else.

Similarly having a crate with the kettle some cups, teabags coffee and milk and those all-important essentials and driving them to your new property yourself, means that you will have them handy when you arrive.

When you get to your new property, it’s helpful for yourself or another person to be letting the removal company know where you would like things put as they are unpacked from the van, so perhaps have a plan in your head about where you want large items to go, and whether you want boxes in certain rooms, or all of the boxes in a garage/storage space or loft for you to unpack as you go along.

Obviously, some things may be quite self-explanatory, but there might be other things which require a little more guidance and you don’t want to find that items have ended up in the wrong place. Before the removal company leaves, make sure that you are happy with where everything has been placed so that you aren’t going to struggle to move things around once they go.

One of the best pieces of advice we can give you on anything moving related is to is to go with your gut feeling and to go with the company who you think will be able to look after and take care of you and your belongings most effectively.

This may or may not be the company who is the most competitively priced. If your gut is telling you that you have reservations then you probably have a good reason for them.

So these are a few things to consider when choosing a removal company for your next move. What else would you add?

We’re always happy to advise on all things moving related, so why not give us a call on 01727 221290 or pop into the office to see us as we’re always happy to chat!