Who Regulates Removal Companies? No-one. In the UK there is no overseeing organisation that regulates removal companies.
Do Home Removal Companies have to be licensed? No. All you need is a van.
Are Removal Companies regulated? No.
There are voluntary memberships to organisations that lay out guidelines and best practices for Removal Companies, but there is no legislation that states that a Removal Company must abide by any set regulations.
Pretty much anyone can start a home removal firm.
Get yourself a van, post an advert or two, and wait for the calls to come in.
Then you can fill that van with someone’s entire household contents, many many thousands of pounds worth of items, every item they own in the entire world, and not a single official check is made on you.
Scary eh?
This is why it is so crucial to ensure that you research and investigate any prospective Removal Company for your home move thoroughly.
You may like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide. Choosing a good removal company can seem overwhelming when there are so many to choose from. So here is a step-by-step guide to follow to ensure that you hire the best removal firm for your home move.
It is highly recommended that you consider employing an accredited Removal Company, that is, one that is a member of one of the Removal industry trade associations or trade bodies.
This is especially crucial if you are planning on moving overseas as international moves require a high level of skill and planning.
Each association offers you, the consumer, an extra layer of assurance that the Removal Company you are considering employing is reputable and trustworthy and that should there be any issues there are set procedures that the company must follow and adhere to.
So here is our guide to the Removal Industry Associations, Trade Bodies, and related associations in the UK highlighting the advantages of membership, to you, the home mover.
The British Association of Removers Code of Practice is approved and monitored by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute, the only code in the Removal Industry to be so.
All BAR Members must abide by the Code that dictates:
The standards of service you will receive.
The quality of the materials used.
The standards of vehicles and warehouses.
Staff training requirements.
What will happen if something goes wrong.
BAR additionally has a section of members who are specialists in International Removals and are called the BAR Overseas Group. They too must abide by the BAR code of practice which can be viewed here.
Furthermore, should you have a reason to complain about one of their members or the services they have given you they have a dispute resolution service which you can learn about here.
You may also like to read: Moving Brokers. What You Need to Know and Why. A relatively new phenomenon in the UK is the rise of the Moving Broker. These are basically booking agents, some who have specific and very good companies they work with and others who will sell your move details to the highest bidder. Here we show you how to spot a broker and the questions to ask.
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In the event of a dispute, there are set procedures that the removal company must follow.
The NGRS has a comprehensive code of Practice which includes:
All information supplied must be accurate and honest.
Members agree to an annual inspection of its premises and paperwork by the National Independent Removals Industry Inspectorate.
Members agree to deal with complaints courteously and rapidly.
Members should provide any quotes in writing.
That the member should be fully insured.
That staff are properly trained.
That storage facilities are weatherproof, clean, and secure.
Members must provide written terms and conditions to the customer.
Only to perform work that the member is able to carry out safely and has experience in.
That all vehicles and operators are properly licenced.
NGRS also have a reconciliation service for any dispute that may arise between its members and their customer. Additionally should there still not be a satisfactory resolution any dispute may be referred to the Removal Ombudsman, whose website can be found here.
You may also like to read: How to Make Removal Company Review Work for You. Reviews from people who have moved home using a particular removal company are another useful tool you can use to choose the right removal firm for your move. In this guide, we show you how to identify reviews that are useful and not so useful in your circumstances.
AIM members must abide by a code of practice that details that members must operate fairly and professionally at all times. The full code practice can be viewed here and includes minimum requirements for staff training, documentation, and insurance. Failure by a member to adhere to the code can result in expulsion from the association.
A dispute resolution service is also offered through AIM membership.
SSA – The Self-Storage Association of UK and Europe
The SSA code of conduct for members lays down criteria for minimum standards of the storage facility including security, insurance, and health & safety for its customers. The SSA additionally offers advice for users of self-storage which you can read by visiting their website by clicking on the link above.
You may also like to read: How to Choose a Storage Unit. In this guide, we tell you all you need to know about storage units, from how big a unit you may need to average costs across the UK, questions to ask before hiring a unit, what you cannot store, and how to prepare items for storage.
FEDEMAC – Federation of European Moving Association
FEDEMAC is a European organization, based in Germany, which represents 3000 removal companies across Europe.
The benefit for you as a hirer of a member of FEDEMAC is that members are continually updated on the latest information regarding any legislation that may impact upon your home move.
FIDI – The International Federation of International Movers
FIDI members must adhere to an internationally recognized quality standard. There are over 200 quality assurances that monitor the performance and administration compliance of International Removal Companies that are members of FIDI. This includes members’ operations, services to its customers, procedures, staff training, and vehicle and facility maintenance. Members are assessed periodically and if they fail the audits, are excluded from membership of FIDI.
You may also like to read: International Home Moves. The Ultimate Home Moving Challenge? Moving overseas presents many additional challenges to the home mover. In this guide, we look at every aspect of moving home internationally, from how to choose a good international removal company to how to ship your car and everything in between.
Telephone: 01274 863100 (for England and Wales) 01506 414073 (Scotland and Northern Ireland)
Whilst not an organization specifically for the home removal industry, being a member does show that the removal company takes a professional interest in the road haulage industry. The RHA offers advice and training programmes for its members as well as keeping members up to date on the latest legislation relating to haulage.
Training is a key requirement of most memberships to trade associations.
The BSI awards Kitemarks which are an indication that a company has attained a level of competency. The certificates that apply to the Removal Industry are BS EN 12522-1 & 2 Furniture removal activities – Furniture removal for private individuals.
The BSI Kitemark service pledge means that:
Staff will be punctual, courteous, and honest in their dealings with customers.
Detailed written quotations will be provided, with terms of payment.
Suitable packaging materials, equipment, and vehicles will be used.
Assistance with compensation procedures in the event of claims for loss or damage.
Additionally, the BSI Service specification Standards define minimum requirements for:
Initial contact and preliminary information
The furniture removal service specification
Contractual and statutory documents
Provision of the furniture removal service
Staff competencies and training
After-sales service i.e. post-contract customer feedback
Control of service quality
A complete explanation of what this means to you as a customer and the rigorous testing that the Removal Company must go through to attain a kitemark can be viewed at the website link above.
You may also like to read: How to Compare Removal Companies. When faced with such a huge choice of removal companies how do you pick between them? In this guide, we show you how to compare removal companies so that you can choose the best one for your home move.
RoSPA – Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
RoSPA is a charity dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries in every walk of life. They offer training courses in manual handling and vehicle fleet safety, as well as offering advice to businesses to ensure their, and their customers, safety.
Whilst not specific to the home removal industry, being a member of RoSPA is yet another indication of professionalism and dedication to not only the removal firms’ staff but you as a customer.
You can also check that any company you are considering hiring belongs to Which? Trusted Trader Scheme and Trading Standards Buy With Confidence Scheme which is another indication that you are hiring a company that adheres to certain standards and cares enough about their business and customers to belong to such a scheme.
Removal Company Review Websites
Review websites are a treasure trove of information, but not all the information is trustworthy
There are many professional removal companies that are not members of any of these groups and continue to give outstanding service to home movers just like you.
But membership does indicate the desire to adhere to standards of service, and that the assurances membership gives to the customer, are important to the Removal Company.
Many Removal Companies rely on word of mouth and online reviews, to demonstrate to prospective customers how good their services are.
There are many websites where you can read reviews regarding the suitability of a Removal Company for your home move, but are removal review websites trustworthy?
It depends. Some review websites rely on revenue from the removal companies, and indeed any trade, who advertise on their site, so are unlikely to be as unbiased as a website that does not charge for registration.
Why would a website that relies on continued revenue from a company, allow poor reviews to be published, if the company would then discontinue paying to advertise?
Ideally, you need to visit an impartial website that does not have any financial incentive to only publish good reviews.
Additionally, you need a removal company review website that takes precautions to prevent the removal companies from publishing reviews that they have written themselves.
You may also like to read: How to Compare Removal Company Review Websites. Not all reviews are trustworthy, neither are some review websites. Here we show you how to recognise fake reviews and how to choose a trustworthy review platform to help you choose a good removal company.
As previously stated, every precaution should be taken when hiring a Removal Company to move your household belongings.
The majority of removal firms are honest and trustworthy, but you only get one opportunity to hire the right one.
*At RemovalReviews we will connect you with a professional moving company. Please note that we may not be affiliated with
and you may be speaking with another licensed provider.
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