Moving Advice London
MOVING ADVICE
Some basic moving ideas and advice if needed.
Essential Helpful Moving Advice
Moving house can be stressful, so here are a few tips and tricks to help you through the process.
Booking Your Removal Company
We recommend booking your removal company well in advance. There's nothing worse than finding no availability a day or two before your move, forcing you to resort to a company that charges a fortune and has a bad reputation.
Check Reviews and Testimonials
Always check for reviews. Never use, or even bother contacting, a moving company without first finding their previous customer testimonials. You can usually find them on platforms like Trustpilot (by searching for their business name), Google, Yell, and even their Facebook Page. This is a vital step, as many customers later express regret, saying, "I wish I had checked their reviews first," after receiving terrible and stressful service.
Get Multiple Removal Quotes
You may be surprised that the prices quoted by moving companies can vary drastically—sometimes by up to four times! It's vital to shop around, but keep the points mentioned above in mind. While there is a saying that "you pay for what you get," there are many affordable removal companies out there with excellent reputations and customer feedback.
Moving Surveys
Some companies can provide a live video survey, where they call you (usually via WhatsApp), and you walk around your property to show them the access route and the items that need to be moved. Alternatively, you can email them a comprehensive list of all your items. It's important to include contents from the garage, shed, and any items in the loft.
If you prefer, you can arrange for them to come out to you to assess and survey the whole property's contents. This is usually free, but some companies do charge a small fee, so be sure to ask in advance.
Finalizing the Booking
Once you are happy with a company and their quote, make sure you call to check their availability for your moving day. They will then pencil you in for that date and starting time. Some people request quotes and then call to arrange a move only a day or two before the moving date. In most cases, the required date at such short notice may have already been booked for another move. Keep in mind that some companies request a small deposit.
What Does the Quote Cover?
Some essential questions you should ask if they are not clarified prior to booking include:
Declutter Before You Move
Once you have finalized the booking, the best thing to do is to declutter your entire home of unwanted items, including those in the loft, garage, or shed. Take them to the tip, donate them to a charity shop, or try selling them on Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes you can ask your removal company if they can do this for you before or after the move, but this will involve an extra fee.
Storage Solutions
If you are not sure you want an item, or perhaps you are downsizing and have no room in your new property, we recommend hiring a storage unit closest to your new home. This way, it won't be a great distance away later, and it will be cheaper to move your items back to you. If you move a long distance, it is more cost-effective to hire a local company to retrieve items from storage rather than using the original removal company due to their distance.
When The Removal Team Arrives
When the moving company arrives at your new home just instruct them were within the home or outside building, garage you would like each item to be placed as this will help you from lugging items from room to room once they leave. As this should be part of the package. Before they commence a quick walk though is usually carried out to check for any hazards and to lay floor protection were needed.
What Next, Notifying Companies and Redirecting Mail
Once you have moved out, notify all the necessary companies to stop payments—like your gas and electricity provider, the council tax department, and the TV licensing body.
Once you are settled in, you can then start changing your address with your utilities companies, bank, insurance, driving license, passport, TV subscriptions, and all other necessary places. Because this process can take a while to achieve, you can have all your mail forwarded to you using the Royal Mail Redirection Service at: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection. This gives you time to update every company and ensures you don't miss any important post.
We hope our small moving advice information may be of help to some and find it helpful and value, hope you have a stress free move and settle in well. P,S always pack the kettle tea and coffee last, so you can relax whilst we transport and do all the loading and unloading.
Booking Your Removal Company
We recommend booking your removal company well in advance. There's nothing worse than finding no availability a day or two before your move, forcing you to resort to a company that charges a fortune and has a bad reputation.
Check Reviews and Testimonials
Always check for reviews. Never use, or even bother contacting, a moving company without first finding their previous customer testimonials. You can usually find them on platforms like Trustpilot (by searching for their business name), Google, Yell, and even their Facebook Page. This is a vital step, as many customers later express regret, saying, "I wish I had checked their reviews first," after receiving terrible and stressful service.
Get Multiple Removal Quotes
You may be surprised that the prices quoted by moving companies can vary drastically—sometimes by up to four times! It's vital to shop around, but keep the points mentioned above in mind. While there is a saying that "you pay for what you get," there are many affordable removal companies out there with excellent reputations and customer feedback.
- Packing Services: If you prefer the company to pack your entire contents, ask, "Do you provide a full packaging service, and do you supply the boxes and materials?"
- Disassembly/Reassembly: If you have large items that need to be disassembled and reassembled at your new property, be sure to let them know.
- DIY Packing: If you do all the packing yourself, it's always a good idea to write the room name the box came from on the outside. This way, you won't have to open every box at the new property to figure out where it goes.
Moving Surveys
Some companies can provide a live video survey, where they call you (usually via WhatsApp), and you walk around your property to show them the access route and the items that need to be moved. Alternatively, you can email them a comprehensive list of all your items. It's important to include contents from the garage, shed, and any items in the loft.
If you prefer, you can arrange for them to come out to you to assess and survey the whole property's contents. This is usually free, but some companies do charge a small fee, so be sure to ask in advance.
Finalizing the Booking
Once you are happy with a company and their quote, make sure you call to check their availability for your moving day. They will then pencil you in for that date and starting time. Some people request quotes and then call to arrange a move only a day or two before the moving date. In most cases, the required date at such short notice may have already been booked for another move. Keep in mind that some companies request a small deposit.
What Does the Quote Cover?
Some essential questions you should ask if they are not clarified prior to booking include:
- Vehicles and Teams: "How many teams and removal vans will there be, and what type of vehicles will be used?" Low-loading or tail-lift Luton-type vans are perfect for home moves. You should definitely ask, as there are stories of small transit-type vans turning up on moving day.
- Placement at the New Property: "When you arrive at the new property, do you move our items into any room of our choosing?" Some removal companies have been known to leave the entire contents in the downstairs hallway and living room, leaving the customer to manually move items upstairs and across the rest of the property, garage, or shed.
Declutter Before You Move
Once you have finalized the booking, the best thing to do is to declutter your entire home of unwanted items, including those in the loft, garage, or shed. Take them to the tip, donate them to a charity shop, or try selling them on Facebook Marketplace. Sometimes you can ask your removal company if they can do this for you before or after the move, but this will involve an extra fee.
Storage Solutions
If you are not sure you want an item, or perhaps you are downsizing and have no room in your new property, we recommend hiring a storage unit closest to your new home. This way, it won't be a great distance away later, and it will be cheaper to move your items back to you. If you move a long distance, it is more cost-effective to hire a local company to retrieve items from storage rather than using the original removal company due to their distance.
When The Removal Team Arrives
When the moving company arrives at your new home just instruct them were within the home or outside building, garage you would like each item to be placed as this will help you from lugging items from room to room once they leave. As this should be part of the package. Before they commence a quick walk though is usually carried out to check for any hazards and to lay floor protection were needed.
What Next, Notifying Companies and Redirecting Mail
Once you have moved out, notify all the necessary companies to stop payments—like your gas and electricity provider, the council tax department, and the TV licensing body.
Once you are settled in, you can then start changing your address with your utilities companies, bank, insurance, driving license, passport, TV subscriptions, and all other necessary places. Because this process can take a while to achieve, you can have all your mail forwarded to you using the Royal Mail Redirection Service at: https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection. This gives you time to update every company and ensures you don't miss any important post.
We hope our small moving advice information may be of help to some and find it helpful and value, hope you have a stress free move and settle in well. P,S always pack the kettle tea and coffee last, so you can relax whilst we transport and do all the loading and unloading.