Preparing For a Telephone Call to a House Removals Company

Before you contact a House Removals Company it is best to be prepared for the telephone call either to or from the removal company. 

As no two house moves are identical, it is usual for the removals company to telephone the enquirer to discuss their house removal in more detail. 

Due to rising survey costs, before visiting your home many professional removal companies want to provide you with an estimate over the telephone or in writing – to ensure that the quote is within your budget.  This stage prevents a visit from a removal company whose rates are too expensive against the customer’s budget.

More customers and removal companies are happy to complete the whole arrangement process without even seeing the property beforehand – this is dependent on how much information has been provided and the complexity of the house removal.

All Removal companies will ask the same questions about:

Property Type and Access it is important to identify any issues for a lorry to park outside the home you are moving from, or the new house you are moving too.  Are there any issues getting your furniture out of your current home, or into your new home?  If this is not mentioned at the enquiry stage, then you will be provided with a quote which may not reflect the true cost of your house move.   If you live in a lift, will all the furniture fit or do items need to be carried down the stairs?

Items of Furniture to Move all removal companies need to know what items are to be moved to allow them to base their quote on the correct size vehicle and number of men.  It would be great and helpful to both you and the removal company if before making enquiries you sit down and compile a list of all items in the house which are to be moved – make an excel spread sheet which can simply be emailed to the removal company for them to assess. 

Inventory Benefits when you walk around your house to compile the inventory, you can see exactly how much you have to move, this will allow you to make a decision about the packing of your items – can you do it yourself?  Or is there too much to do, which should be left to the professionals? 

By having an inventory prepared, you will not have to keep repeating yourself when you speak to the move coordinator – you can simply email to them and allow them to see exactly what you have to move.

Dismantling of furniture whilst walking around you need to consider if the furniture will get out of the house with ease, or will it have to be dismantled, or will doors have to be removed.  The movers will be able to provide a rate for a dismantling service.

Boxes try and estimate how many boxes will be used – which I know is difficult but better to provide the removal company with an estimate as opposed to “I have no idea”.  You can then discuss the cost of the packing materials with the movers.

Make the Call When you are fully prepared for the calls, then you will be able to discuss your move in more detail and more often than not if you are organised with your move, then movers will be able to provide you with a better house removals quote for your move as they now have all the details – so there will not be any surprises when the surveyor or moving team arrives to move you.

Tips for Successful House Removals

Moving home is rarely an event that people look forward to, especially if your last house removals experience did not go too well.  You don’t only have to keep account of everything that you move, but you also have to go through the stressful process of choosing the right house for you and your family.  Your house move is only as stressful as you make it!

There are tricks to the house moving process that can help reduce your stress and anxiety during the home moving process.

Property Type and access when choosing your new home, consider what furniture you have to move and if it will fit into your new home or not.  Also check the access to ensure the furniture removals vehicle can get close to the property.  If you are doing a DIY move then you don’t want to be faced with the task of getting large furniture up stairwells which are too narrow for your furniture.  This may result in you having to either have windows removed, or worse having to get rid of your furniture.

New furniture if you are buying new furniture before your house move, then arrange for the furniture to be delivered to your new home.  This will result in less furniture for the removals men to take, which may lower the rate of your house removals quote.  If furniture has to be delivered to your old house, then avoid building, as it may only have to be dismantled to get out your house.  It is not good to keep dismantling and rebuilding furniture.

Help if you are going to move yourself then it is always best to have at least 3 friends at hand to help you out.  If the move is too much for you to do on your own, then a house removals company can provide as many men as need be to move you.  It is typical for 2 men to load upto a 3 bed house without any access issues. . anything larger, or with access issues then more removals men are needed.

Packing is the most time consuming part of your house removal.  It takes 2 house removals professionals around 4 to 5 hours to pack a 2 bed house, around 8 hours for a 3 bed house – they just get on with the job and pack all items without stopping to look at what is being packed.  Most customers during packing will pick up items they have not seen in ages and look at the items, maybe read articles or books, (this adds time on to the packing time) sometimes not allowing enough time for the house packing.   Give yourself as much time as possible to pack which will allow you to sort through your ….

Junk or unused items during packing it is a good idea to decide if the item you are packing is worth taking to your new house or not.  If you are packing unwanted items then this will take you longer to pack and also cost you more as you pay for the total size of your move. 

Cleaning Services sometimes with everything else going on, in the last few weeks of moving house, your standards of cleaning may drop due to lack of time or energy.  Many removal companies will provide you with a End of Tenancy Cleaning Service or House Moving Cleaning Service.  Whilst the men are emptying the rooms, a cleaner is following cleaning each room.  This takes away a big job which I am sure you don’t want to be doing before leaving your home.  The usual rate is around £55.00 – £230.00 depending on house size.

Making the move day fun it does not have to be difficult or stressful.  Have some friends to help, get some drinks in (non-alcoholic during loading), get some snacks in – then all hands on deck. . If you have a removal company to help you move, then providing the men with drinks and snacks will uplift the day for you and the removal team.

A professional Removals company will provide you with a move coordinator who will look after all your house removals needs, and ensure that your move arrangements are in place to ensure that your move goes without hitch.

We provide the following services:

Move coordinator service
Packing Service

Unpacking Service and recycling of packing boxes                                                           Furniture dismantling and rebuilding service

End of tenancy cleaning

Moving House When You Work From Home

Working from home is a great benefit to most home-workers. However, when it is time for your house and home office removals it can prove to be very difficult. One thing is that you will be spending less time on your work and more time packing your home office. Even when you have moved, you will be more than likely tired, taking a few days to get your home and home office arranged to allow you to resume work.

In order to make the move work, without losing too much time and money – it is important to come up with a good plan for moving.

Working for yourself is unlike working for an employee. Sometimes it will be hard to find the time to take time out to make all your moving arrangements. For every hour your business is not operating then this may be costing you in lost revenue.

Using the services of a Professional Removal Company instead of doing the move yourself will assist in the planning of your move. Depending on the size of your office at home, the moving team could arrive the evening before your move to assist in the disconnection of all office equipment, and the packing of the boxes. If the vehicle is loaded that evening then in the morning the vehicle could be unloaded at your new residence – allowing for the unpacking of the home office boxes and setting up of the home office equipment.
Alternatively, scheduling your home move at the weekend would limit the down time of your business.

If your business is dependent on the internet then it may take a few weeks for the new internet connection to be activated – resulting in you being without the internet for a vital period of time. To get around this, you could either have a new business line installed (running independent from your home land-line), which is the best option for home offices – or have an internet dongle and pay for usage on a Pay-as-you-go basis until the internet is up and running. Sometimes it can take up to 2 weeks for connection.

If you require clients visit you at home, and you are renting your new property then it is vital to advise your landlord and ensure your new property is insured appropriately.
If your move is going to be over a few days, then it would be a good to employ a virtual receptionist, having all calls diverted – they will take messages and contact you via email with your customer’s requests.

When packing your home, ensure the last items to be packed are the broadband unit and your PC so you can reduce the time that you will be off-line. Having a smart phone will be perfect to allow for internet usage in between the moving from your old home, to moving to your new home phase.

Before disconnecting your PC, insure that you have taken a full back up before shutting down. As this is a business PC – I would recommend carrying it with you in your own vehicle – especially if you have all your clients’ details on the PC.

The most vital thing to do when moving a home office is to ensure that you give the Removal Company plenty of notice, and to discuss the 2 separate aspects to your move. By planning your move, this will reduce the stress, reduce the downtime and reduce any lost business which may result from a home office removal.

How to budget for your moving costs

Figures from Lloyds TSB, have advised the average cost of moving house for existing homeowners now stands at £8,922, 69% higher than ten years earlier. During the same period, house prices have risen by about 64pc

However the cost of House Removals has not increased significantly over the last 10 years.  The cost of moving house is still expensive, along with the other expenses associated with moving house.

The costs involved with moving house, whether it be renting or buying can set you back quite a bit especially when legal fees and stamp duty are involved, not to forget security deposits and agency fees for renters.  Most landlords require a minimum of 1 month’s security deposit before moving in.

To some people the whole cost of moving is overwhelming and can lead to considerable stress if the move is unavoidable.

To avoid such stressful situations when moving house, the best option is by budgeting the cost of your move as early as possible.

Most people know months in advance if they are going to be moving.  Some people know 6 months or even a year in advance if tenants, or on a contract with work.  If you know that you are not planning on staying put then start a small savings account to cover your expenses which will be used to cover a proportion of your house moving expenses.

Make an enquiry with your removal company as soon as possible to obtain a rate for the move then simply spread the cost over however many months prior to your house move.  It sounds simple in theory to save, when in reality it is often not the case, especially with the rising cost of living.  However, It is better to save some money than have a large bill to pay – which will inevitably leave you financially stretched for a few months after your house move.

For those leaving home, or planning to rent should be saving for your house rental deposit, and money for the removal company plus have some emergency funds available.

It is important to prepare for your house removal as soon as possible, and start planning – it is worth speaking to a house removals move manager and discuss the options available to you for your next move, to get the price for your removal

How to find a Trustworthy Removal Company

How do you find a removal company who is trustworthy, and will look after all of your household effects? 

Many people when moving home are moving on a tight budget, and can run the risk of booking their house removal with a removals company who may not be the best for them.  It is very difficult choosing a removal company, do you opt for a budget removal company or a British Association of Removers company?. 

So what can you do to make it easier finding a removal company who can be trusted.

Firstly, ask your friends, word of mouth is often the best. .

Alternatively search for removal company in [your area].  You will then get a list of removal companies to start researching.

Then key the company name followed by Reviews, complaints, testimonials [one at a time].  You will then see what others are saying about the removal company.

A great way to find out about the removal company is to use Facebook – with so many people using it, you will find out how the business interacts with their customers, and also what their customers are saying, along with seeing actual photo’s – which will give a more personal approach to chosing your removal company.  Many photo’s on Removal Company websites are generic and do not give a true picture of the company who will be moving you.  You must have seen images of large American removal lorries on UK removal company websites. 

Check out some review sites too – Yelp, Qype, Google Places, Removals Review, all these sites allow the public to write reviews about the removal company (be aware some reviews may not be genuine)

When you speak to the representative of the removal company, ask them questions about their service – how long have they been operating?  Are the staff employed or casual?  Can they provide testimonials?  What materials will they use to look after your furniture?  What level of insurance do they offer?   Do you have to pay for this or is it offered?  Do they use sub-contractors, if so are they professional sub-contractors?  Are the vans used solely for house removals?  (you don’t want a van to turn up to find they do waste disposal and the interior is dirty) What level of service do they offer?  Full House Packing Service, Kitchen Packing Service, Fragile Packing Service, Unpacking Service?

Any good removal company will answer you honestly, to help you make an informed decision on who is the best removal company for your move.

The most important thing is not to base your decision solely on price. . more often than not the cheapest removal company may cost you more in the long run when you find they have broken items and caused you stress and hassle during your move – it is better to pay more for a Quality Professional Removal Company with a track record of Quality House Removals.

Now I have covered how to chose a removal company, our next blog will be about what to do leading up to your move. . . .