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. . . . 

Customer Name                 James Burke

We arranged for the house removal from storage in Chichester on day 1, then delivering the following day to Ireland.  A 7.5 tonne lorry plus  men were used for the Irish house removals.

“Excellent Service – from contact with Nick who was friendly & professional to Frankie & his team who collected our possessions & delivered them to our home in Ireland even though we could not be there!  Would definitely recommend Movingeverywhere”.

Sadly, there are cases nowadays of some less than ethical practices in the removals industry.  There are many different types of removal companies out there, from the lone man with a van, through to the nationwide removal companies with fleets of trucks and multiple depots.

You have to be careful when chosing a removal company.  You are about to allow strangers into your house, remove your possesions, load onto a removal lorry then drive off and deliver to your new home.

In our 5 years of business, I have only ever been asked for identification on the day of a move twice.  Always ask for the drivers identification – write down their driving licence details and also the registration of the removal truck.  

The vast majority of removal companies in the UK are genuine hard-working businesses built on the foundations of trust and respect for your property.  However, there are a handful of companies who are tarnishing the industry, and causing concern for customers.

You can call them scammers, inexperienced removers, under-handed or just out to make as much money as they can.  They may be located in every town or city throughout the UK.

It will be highly unlikely they will be registered with a Trade Association or can provide you with genuine customer testimonials or genuine positive reviews on the internet (on trusted review sites).

These removal companies have found ways to get more money out of their customers.  The most common way is by providing a low quote prior to the move, then on the day of the move increasing the removal cost.

Top Tip :  When you are considering a removal company (type their name into Google, then add the following – complaints, reviews, testimonials) you will then see if there is any negative or positive feedback about the company. . 

When getting house removal quotes, it is always best to get atleast 3 quotes to ensure that your quotes are realistic.  Generally the middle quote will be the best. . however, base your decision on the person you have been dealing with – do you trust them. . it will be worth paying a bit more if the most expensive quote is with the most trusted person.

Alarm bells should ring if you get a very low quote. 

Eg. Less than £350.00 to move a 3 bedroom house with a 7.5t lorry.  Or quotes for less than £200.00 to move you.

If you get quotes less than these then you must ask yourself why are they so cheap?  Do you trust a cheap company to move what could be thousands of pounds worth of your personal possessions, and only charging a small amount, after all you have to pay a premium for a removals professional.

Many removal companies now will provide you with an estimate prior to visiting your home, this is to reduce the number of visits to customers who can not afford the removals quote.  Once you have received an initial estimate – if the quote is affordable book a survey. . insist they visit your home prior to the move.  All reputable companies will visit (unless you live in a remote area).

Always get a quote in writing, if the removal company do not provide a written quotation with their terms and conditions, then it is unlikely they are a reputable removal company.  If they ask for cash only – then they are definitely not a reputable removal company – and will be using cash to avoid HMRC taxes.

Insist on a written quotation. . ensure that a full description is provided and also the volume of the move, number of men to be provided and the vehicle to be used.  This will avoid any confusion on the day.

House removal brokers these are companies who work on behalf of removal companies.  When dealing with a broker, ensure that you know who the company that will be moving you are.  There are different types of brokers. . there are lead brokers – these are websites which you add your name to and they will obtain 5 quotes from removal companies in your area, generally you will have no personal contact with the broker they pass on your details and the removal companies will deal with you directly.  Primarily the objective of these brokers are to provide you with cheap removals, generally the removal companies who use lead generation brokers will be provding a cheap house removal quote to win your business.

 There are brokers who provide a Move Management Service, they will obtain you details directly from their own website, then discuss your move in more detail, prepare your move and place your move with the most suitable removal company in your area.  This is the best type of broker to use, you will have personal contact and the broker will only work with removal companies who they trust to provide their clients with a Quality House Removals Company.  They have a interest in your move to ensure that everything goes smoothly on the day of your move, and they will be there on call for the full duration of your move process offering you that personal touch.

Movingeverywhere , our core business is the role of a House Removals Broker, who provide a Move Management Service, working with trusted house removal companies who have a track record of Quality House Removals Service, or are members of the British Association of Removers or the National Guild of Removers.

Customer Name                    Mrs L Britnell

We moved Mrs Britnell from a 2nd floor flat (without a lift) to her new home in Aylesbury, Her London Removal was completed by 2 men – with 2 vehicles due to access issues for a large lorry.  The flat move was completed the same day.

“Moving Everywhere went above and beyond to help us with our move.  They problem solved and never made us feel that anything was any trouble.  We would not hesitate to recommend them for a trouble free move.   Many, many thanks!

Customer Name   Mr C Smith

We moved Mr Smith from Wiltshire up to County Durham, with the house removal on Day 1, then delivery to the new house the next day.

Is there anything you could suggest to help improve our service? Short of making your service free   of just incredibly competitive.Nick s administration was first class and everything that could be controlled ,was.The weather threw everything at the removals team over the two days but they  rose above every problem ,with a genuine smile and humerous comment .It really helped release the pressures of a difficult move .Many many thanks to you all , Colin &Patricia  

Customer Name        R Bacon

We provided two House Removals vehicles to collect the contents of their 3 storey house, Moving from Manchester, then complete the house removal to Surrey over 2 days.

Excellent and really happy.  Thanks very much Nick

Manchester House Removals Services 

Kingston upon Thames Removals Service

There are a number of ways you can move house -

“The organised way or the disorganised way”

We know that when you are moving home there is so much to take care of, and not a great amount of time to complete your House Move.  Generally you only have a few months to prepare for the move.  You have to move what has been accumulated over years, and you only have a couple of days to move.

Where do you start in planning to move house?

As House Removals are our core business activity, we visit many customers prior to their move to discuss how they are going to move house efficiently and with minimum stress and hassle, even with a bit of fun thrown in.

Yes, it can even be fun moving house (only if you have the time for fun).  Going through all the items you have collected over years, reminiscing about where you got them from and what they mean to you – however, this may take a long time for some people.

So how do you start?

With a pen and and some paper ! !

• First things first, you need to know what has to be moved.
• Take a page per room in the house, garage and garden.  Go to each room listing all the furniture to be moved (making note what furniture needs to be dismantled).
• Estimate how many boxes will be required per room, and what packing material you need per room.
• Make a note of all Fragile Items which need to be packed.
• Make a note about the access for a House Removal Lorry
• In each room, make a note if you want to do the packing or do you want the professionals to do the packing.  Some rooms are easier to pack than others.
• Do you want a Full House Packing Service, Fragile Packing Service, Kitchen Packing Service, or will you be doing all the packing yourself?
• Think about the house you are moving to, will the furniture fit into the house, what is the access like?  Is parking going to be an issue?  If furniture is not dismantled in the house you are moving from – will it need to be dismantled to get in the house you are moving too?

Please request a quote for your house move 

Customer Name:  Mr C Henneberger

We arranged a Full Packing Service at his London flat, the Removals to Germany was completed the following day on a dedicated house removal service to Germany.

“We were very pleased with the service provided. Moving to Germany had been a stressful experience for us in the past. It was very nice that this time everything went very smoothly. Thank you!”

House Removals Service

Customer Name         Mr M Williams

House Removals from a 3 bed house, with a detached garage to a house in Cumbria.  The move included a Full Packing Service, requiring 4 men, a 7.5 tonne lorry and a Luton vehicle – to allow for access issues in Cumbria.

“I highly recommend Moving Everywhere and would like to thank them for all their help during our difficult move. Due to legal complications our move became very stressful, with actual move dates and times changing very close to completion date – Moving Everywhere were extremely flexible and were it not for their help during this time I doubt we could of successfully completed our sale. They really went the extra mile to look after us throughout the whole process, I really can’t thanks them enough”!

Chester Removals

Customer Name:     Ian Kerins

House Removals in Altrincham, Moving to Sale

Moved from a 3 bed house in Altrincham, Cheshire to Sale, Manchester requiring a 7.5t lorry and 3 men to load and unload the lorry, the house removal was completed the same day

“Apologies for the late response, but I have to say that the move went very well.  The guys were brilliant, they were very polite and didn’t complain about anything we asked them to do. They were extremely professional and I would have no hesitation in recommending them to anyone. I will in advising my friends that if they ever want to move that they should get in touch with you. Many thanks again. Regards Ian”