Interestingly, moving house is often cited as one of life’s most stressful events; not far behind death and divorce. So, it is well worth minimising the stress associated with moving day as far as possible.
The legalities and procedures of selling and purchasing property can be difficult and are often the main source of worry. However, for the actual physical move there are a few things worth considering to reduce any further problems and worries on the day of the move. As a priority, always use a professional removal company to carry out the move for you. Budget for the costs involved, from the outset, and this will help ease the financial pressure later on.
Be mindful of not putting finding a reliable removal company and an appropriate quotation low down on your list of priorities. The sooner you contact the company, the earlier you can find out what is involved, and the sooner you will know what the costs will be. The removal company will also advise you on when to book them depending on the dates your contracts are exchanged.
It’s really important that your chosen remover is registered with the British Association of Removers. To be a member of the BAR, removers have to meet certain operating standards, adhere to strict protocol and maintain the standards of service they lay out. By using a BAR company you also have peace of mind with an advance payment protection guarantee. When choosing a company, don’t just be swayed by a cheap quotation. The entire process of moving house is expensive, but by cutting corners on the removal element, it can well cause a lot of heartache later on.
We often find that customers benefit from having a thorough de-clutter and sort out well before they move and even before the estate agent takes any photos for the sales particulars. Having a purge of old DVDs, books and things you no longer use may well improve the appearance of your home on the sales particulars and also reduce the volume of possession to be moved. If there are possessions that you want to keep hold of but don’t want on the estate agents photos or perhaps don’t want to move immediately to the new property; it is well worth speaking to the remover about whether they offer storage services.
Arrange for either yourself or someone appropriate to be on site when the removal is taking place as the removal team will need to know where to put things as they unload etc. We very much advise customers not to book other services for that day too if possible. It is tempting to organise TV /aerial technicians and phone companies, even carpet fitters etc. This will make the un-load far more difficult and may well leave you wishing you’d booked them for a later date.
Keep an eye on ‘priority items’; the things that you know you’ll need within the first few hours of moving into the new property, such as a kettle and toiletries etc. It is worth either keeping these items with you in your own car or ensuring that the removal team knows that they need to be unloaded first.
Our final piece of advice is to choose a company that you feel most comfortable with and most able to trust; knowing that they have the experience, reputation and capacity to deal with a very important day.
For further information on any aspect of removals and storage service please contact us on 01902 714555 or at sales@burkebros.co.uk
