⇒ Which day of the week to move house
We believe that although you will not always get a choice about which day to complete on your house, and it may be that to fit around your own work pattern a Friday makes perfect sense, mid-week is a better choice.
⇒ Are you selling your house in order to buy the next?
This is all about our schedule and whether we will need to wait for keys. If you are going into rented accommodation then move out a day or two before completion and give yourself time to clean an empty house. Equally, if you are in rented and buying a house then move a day or two after completion and have an empty house which is easier to deep clean and possibly even paint before you fill it with furniture.
⇒ Schedule your move
It is always important to consider when to commence the actual move; this depends on whether you are moving directly to another house which you are buying or to a rented house or storage. If you are selling one house and using the funds to buy the next one then your completion will be around lunchtime on a specified day.
You have to vacate the house you are occupying in order to sell it and then you can pay for and take possession of your new house. We need therefore to start work far enough in advance to be out in time on your completion day; this obviously depends on the size of property and whether we are packing boxes for you.
⇒ Packing: DIY or professional packers
Packing is very time-consuming. It is very popular to have removers pack for you but if you are having a ruthless clearout and need to organise things in great detail you might find that you can pack as you sort, which is easier and saves you some money.
⇒ Pack part loads
Typically when we pack for you we will pack and part load. This is better for you as it means you can clean a half-empty house during the evening and better for our staff as they don’t then spend the whole day bent over into a box. Not all companies do this as part of their packing service.
⇒ Label rooms
It helps us and ultimately helps you if you can label the door to each room in the house. If we are packing for you, we can then label each box to say which room it has come from and then in your new house distribute things to the corresponding room. This is not always perfect but usually a very good start.
⇒ Label the tape, not the box
We understand that moving home is not really environmentally friendly, but by reusing the boxes we can both save money and save a little bit for the environment. Returning clean dry boxes after your move means we can reuse them; labelling the tape rather than the box means they are much better for the next use. Thank you!
⇒ Drawers
Assuming the drawers are strong enough and that the contents are not fragile or too heavy, these can travel full. Bed drawers are normally better empty as we have to tip the bed on one side to get it through the door.
⇒ Flat-pack furniture
We are very used to flat-packing furniture and are quite happy to quote for doing this. Do remember that it is time-consuming and therefore we do have to charge for this service.
⇒ Carpets
We are not carpet fitters, so if we are required to lift carpets we cannot guarantee that the edges won’t be damaged as they are lifted. We will never re-fit carpets for you – this is a specialist job.
⇒ Light fittings
As removal contractors, we are not permitted to take down or re-fit lights for you.
⇒ Domestic appliances
We are not plumbers, but to disconnect a washing machine or dishwasher is usually very simple and doesn’t require any real plumbing skills. It is recommended that you get a professional plumber to re-fit your machines or check them for you after fitting.
⇒ Things we are not to take
If you have things in the house that you want to take yourself it is best you put these in the car before we arrive or if that is not practical put them in the bathroom.
⇒ Things we won’t take
Combustibles or flammables like petrol or paraffin, guns or explosives including fireworks. Other than these, we are happy to carry anything from a domestic home within reason.
⇒ Exchange with about three weeks before moving date
We feel that if you can it is best to exchange with about three weeks between “exchange of contracts” (the date all the deal is set in stone and everyone is contractually obliged to buying and selling their houses) and your “completion date” (the day you actually take possession of your new house).
⇒ Book and be clear about what you want
We will have organised a move plan with you when we visited, this move plan will be with your quote. Please read this carefully and make sure it fits-in with your plans. If not please call us and discuss what you need. A well-planned move will make things much easier for you and us!
⇒ Freezers
When freezers are being loaded and unloaded on the same day it is possible to leave some contents in it (though please don’t leave it full to the brim). We often recommend that you switch it to “super freeze” the night before just to be on the safe side. Please note that we cannot insure food stuffs so this is down to you, not us. For distance moves we recommend that you empty your freezer completely. With large chest freezers we like you to bag the contents but leave them in the freezer so that we can carry the bags of frozen food and the freezer separately then place the bags back in the freezer during transit.
⇒ Tell the neighbours
It is very good practice to inform your neighbours that you have a large removal van coming for your removal in case it blocks their drive. Dropping a note to the neighbours at your new house is also a very good idea, informing them that a lorry with be delivering (and also for them to know that their new neighbours are considerate, welcoming people!).
⇒ Snow
Everyone’s worst nightmare on moving day! We have all the kit possible to help us get around safely in snow; we will make every effort to get to you but obviously have to take the safety of our staff and your goods into careful consideration.
