14 Home Moving Myths Debunked – The Truth is Out There

There are so many perceptions about moving home that are wrong, that are pure myths.

Because most people rarely move home, we accept what we are told without question.

Unfortunately, many of these misconceptions will make your home move harder, more stressful, and more expensive.

Here are 14 of the most common home moving myths that we will debunk for you so that you don’t waste precious time or make costly mistakes during your home move.

14 Common Home-Moving Myths and The Truth

Repeat a myth often enough and people will believe that is the reality over what is the actual truth, which brings us to the first of our myths about moving home………….

#1 The Internet Provides Infallible Home Moving Advice

Most people will turn to the internet for home moving advice, but you need to understand how search engines work to really get the best and most useful information from it.

When you enter a query the search engine will work in various ways to return what the algorithms believe is the most useful answer to your question.

However, the answers provided are not always the best for you nor are they often accurate.

There is not enough space here to go into all the factors the algorithms take into account, there are thousands, but it is an incredibly complex process to produce content that is both useful to the user and that the search engines will display on the first page so that you can find it easily.

Many websites have turned to artificial intelligence to produce content, written by robots, for robots to be able to understand better.

The result is that the advice offered is just a rewrite of all that has been published before and may be outdated or even based on constantly repeated untruths.

And that is the problem with a lot of internet content.

It is written by people, or robots, who only know what they have read, they have no real-life experience.

Hence, it is almost like Chinese whispers, something is misinterpreted or taken out of context, and this is then repeated by the next content writer, and the next until the incorrect information is the only information that you will find.

It is also not uncommon to find that a crucial piece of information is missing.

For example, when I wrote the How to Move a Washing Machine guide, not one, out of dozens of guides I read, mentioned the rubber seal in the ends of the water pipe fittings that are so easy to lose during a home move. Only someone who had actually moved a washing machine would know about those seals.

So, how do you determine what is good home moving advice?

• Is the content well written, using everyday language that a native speaker would use?
• Does the content answer more than just your query, does it go on to offer further related information?
• Read the Bio of the author, what experience do they have of the subject?
• How long has the company been in business?
• And actually talk to the removal company you are hiring. They will give you information that will be useful to you and make moving day easier for you all.
• Finally, use the comment boxes, most websites have them, so ask questions to see how they respond, that is often a good way of finding out if the content is written by robots or by real people who know what they are talking about.

You may also like to read: Which are the Best UK Home Blogs to Follow? In this guide, we share our pick of blogs with the best advice about all home-related topics. From leading a sustainable lifestyle to home decor to organising your home, to getting your home finances in order, these are some of the best blogs out there.

#2 Moving Home is One of The Most Stressful Events in Life

You will repeatedly hear and read that moving home is one of the most stressful events in your life after the death of a loved one and getting divorced.

I have spent hours trying to find the source of that assumption and guess what? Moving Home does not appear in any stress tests or published scientific data that I could find.

In fact, the BBC tried to find the exact same information and could not.

And that is because we all react to life events in different ways, and we all have different coping mechanisms.

So one person moving home because they are being evicted with nowhere to go will have different stress levels to someone moving into their dream home on an island in paradise.

The process of actually buying or finding a new home is certainly stressful because so many factors are outside of your control as this new poll from Legal & General highlights, but moving day does not have to be stressful at all.

Your stress levels during a home move will depend upon how organised you are, how prepared you are mentally for things to go wrong, how much time you have to prepare to move, and how you intend to physically move home.

It is interesting to note that 37% of respondents to the survey above said that packing and unpacking was the aspect of moving home they dreaded the most.

Finding a good full-service removal company will remove that source of stress and make moving day so much easier.

You may also like to read: How Can I Make My Home Move Less Stressful? In this guide, we share tips on how to make every aspect of your home move less stressful, easier, and cheaper.

#3 Moving Home Yourself is Cheaper

On the face of it, moving home yourself, packing, loading, driving, and unloading, perhaps with the help of friends, would appear to be the cheapest way to move home.

And in some circumstances, it will be.

But all too often it is the hidden costs as a result of other factors that make moving home yourself a costly and painful experience.

A cracked television screen, a dented rental van, property damage, or an injury resulting in weeks off work can wipe out any savings you may have made in a fraction of a second.

When considering the costs involved in moving home the one incalculable aspect is the stress and inconvenience of moving home yourself.

Carrying boxes and moving furniture for hours on end is not anyone’s idea of a fun day.

Trying to figure out how to get furniture through doorways or upstairs can waste hours on moving day.

If you pack your boxes yourself you will spend weeks living amongst moving boxes, it will likely cost you far more in packing materials because you may not pack as efficiently as a professional packer would, and the time spent packing will be considerable.

The other important aspect to consider is that many insurance companies will not insure items during the move that you have packed yourself, so check your insurance policies carefully.

For very small home moves with no furniture, moving yourself is probably the cheapest option, but in the majority of cases hiring a good removal team represents outstanding value for money.

And that is the important thing to factor in. The stress, time, and inconvenience that you will save by hiring a good removal team far exceeds the cost.

You may also like to read: Every Home Moving Option. In this post, we look at all the options you have for moving home so that you make the most informed decision as to what is the best option in your circumstances.

#4 Most Removal Company Reviews are Fake

Fake reviews are a fact of life and are big business. But it is wrong to assume that all good reviews are fake or that all bad reviews are true.

We have written extensively on how to spot fake reviews and how to determine whether a review website is trustworthy or not, after all, we have over 10 years of experience publishing reviews.

So to ignore good or bad reviews would be a mistake that could cost you not only a lot of money but the loss of your irreplaceable possessions.

You may also like to read: A Guide to Making Home Moving Reviews Work for You. Not all reviews are useful or relevant to your home move. Here we explain how to look for reviews that will provide you with truthful and useful information about the removal company you are thinking of hiring.

#5 National Moving Companies Are Best

Many people believe that the biggest is best or that you can trust a nationally known brand, but that is not always the case.

Often national removal companies are franchises, local movers working under the umbrella of a national brand name.

You may find that their prices are slightly higher, but their insurance is more comprehensive, or that they have large customer service centres but hide behind very complex contracts when things go wrong.

There is no guarantee that the larger the company the better service you will get, equally using a local removal company does not mean that they will handle your things any more safely or care more because they are local.

Local movers may not be able to deliver to your destination, have large enough vans, or may not have the specialised equipment needed to move your grand piano.

Every removal company is different with varying pros and cons and you should select one based on your needs and your extensive research, rather than the fact the company is a household name.

Essential reading: How to Pick a Good Removal Company: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide. Every step of how to find a good removal company is clearly laid out with actual examples so that you can find the best removal company for your home move.

#6 There is No Need to Compare Removal Quotes

You naturally want to save money on your moving costs wherever you can, but cutting corners when you are moving every possession you own is not the right time to do that.

If, when comparing quotes from different removal firms, one is considerably cheaper than the others then it is a fair bet that come moving day they will find various ways to hike the cost of your move.

Equally, don’t assume that the most expensive will be the best.

The various components that make up your quote will be the distance being moved, how much stuff you have to pack, how long it will take to load and unload, and how many people it will take to move you. Those costs are going to be about the same for any removal firm.

The devil will be in the detail of the quote so study each quote carefully.

You may also like to read: How to Compare Removal Companies. This is an invaluable guide on how to determine the best removal company for your particular home move with lots of useful tips and hints on what to look out for when comparing removal firms.

#7 You Can’t Book a Removal Firm Until You Have a Move Date

Most people believe that you cannot book a removal company until you have a confirmed moving date.

As early in the moving process as you can you should start searching for a good removal company. Take the time to research them thoroughly, to get quotes, and to start establishing some dialogue with your chosen mover.

The best removal companies get booked up quickly so by engaging with them early on in the planning of your home move you will have the best chance of successfully hiring them.

It is always worth having a Plan B just in case your first choice is fully booked. Starting to look early for the best removal firm allows you the time to research and gather as much information as you can before making your final decision.

The worst thing you could do is leave it to the last minute and book a removal firm just because they were available without taking the time to ensure they were a reputable removal firm.

You might like to read: Things to Tell Your Removal Company. Clear and honest communication between yourself and the removal firm is essential to ensure that you have a smooth and easy moving day. Here we offer suggestions of the things that your removal company needs to know and why you should tell them.

#8 The Move will be Quicker If You Use Bigger Boxes

Fewer boxes mean fewer trips to the removal van, so only using large boxes will be quicker, right?

Using large packing boxes for anything other than very light things is going to slow up your move considerably and is also extremely dangerous.

Use small boxes for heavy things, medium-sized boxes for the majority of your possessions, and pack large boxes with only very light things.

Small and medium-sized boxes are easier and safer to handle, and they tend to stack better.

Larger boxes are harder to handle and if they exceed 20kg in weight, will be dangerous to lift. You will also find that large boxes are prone to breaking more easily if they are not packed and sealed properly.

Personally, I only ever use small and medium boxes and pack light things like duvets in thick rubble sacks.

You may like to read: All You Need to Know About Packing for a Home Move. This guide tells you all you need to know about packing for a home move, from how many boxes you need to how long on average it takes to pack. This is an essential guide for anybody moving home.

#9 A Box is a Box

Nothing is cheaper than free, and free moving boxes would seem like a good opportunity to save some money on your moving costs.

But this is not without some risks.

Often, used cardboard boxes from your local store are damaged or are single-walled (single-walled means that they are made from only one layer of cardboard, ideally any moving box should be at least two layers thick).

You may also find that cheap boxes are made from materials that your packing tape will not be able to adhere to securely, the same goes for glossy boxes.

So select any boxes you are using carefully, ensure that they have no water damage or rips, that they have flaps at both the top and bottom for extra protection and that they are sturdy enough to take the weight of the items you want to pack inside them.

Small sturdy boxes are better than large flimsy ones.

Boxes from your local off-licence are ideal, as are sturdy fruit boxes, whilst a bike box will offer great protection to your TV.

An alternative to cardboard boxes is the plastic tote box which is not only sturdy but will make your packing cheaper and quicker as you need no tape nor the time to construct each box.

Must read: Alternative Packing Materials. Find out why plastic tote boxes are great for packing for a home move as well as discovering which items you could use from around the house to save on your packing costs.

#10 Any Packing Tape Will Do

If you are packing your own moving boxes the quality of the packing tape you use will make a huge difference.

The cheaper the tape the less adhesive is used in its manufacture and the thinner the actual tape is.

This leads to tape that will not adhere to the boxes securely, that rips into long thin useless strips as you try to find the end, and that comes away from the box at the first sign of movement.

Only use proper packing tape, masking tape or sellotape is not strong enough, and duct tape will be far too expensive.

Good quality packing tape is not only quicker and easier to use but will stick firmly to the boxes ensuring that they do not split open the moment they are lifted.

A tape gun will make sealing your boxes even easier and faster.

For about a tenner, it is money well spent. The alternative is the frustration of constantly trying to find the end of the tape, and wasting time and tape as you get the strips tangled around your hands.

You may also like to read: Platic Wrap for Moving. How and Why It Will Make Moving So Much Easier. Industrial shrink-wrap is essential to have in your packing supplies. In this guide, we explain why that is so and the many ways that it can used during your home move.

#11 Your Things are Fully Insured During the Move

Take a look at many of the reviews on this site and you will see many reviewers who are dismayed at how little compensation they got for damaged items during their home move.

Many people believe that when hiring a removal company their possessions are fully covered in the event of loss or damage.

This is not always the case, many insurance policies will only pay up to a certain amount per item.

Always check any insurance policy carefully to ensure that you have adequate insurance should the worst happen.

It is also worth noting that many insurance companies will not cover items that you have packed yourself, they must be packed by a professional packing service.

You may also like to read: Home Moving Insurance: Do I Need It? Here we look at the different levels of insurance and different scenarios that you can be insured for on moving day. It is essential reading if you are moving home and want to ensure that you are covered for all eventualities.

#12 You Can Declutter After You Move

You are busy enough in everyday life without all the extra work that moving home creates.

To save time it would seem to make sense just to pack everything into boxes now and sort it out when you have more time.

This would be a massive mistake.

If you do not declutter first you will need more packing materials, it will take longer to pack and unpack, and the removal van will take longer to load and unload, which all adds up to higher removal costs.

And as you unpack you will just fill your beautiful new home with useless possessions.

Decluttering is the one aspect of your home move that cannot be ignored, do it now and save yourself time and money.

Must read: How to Declutter for a Home Move. A room-by-room, step-by-step guide to decluttering before you move home. Essential reading to save you time and money on moving day.

#13 You Must Move Home on a Friday

Most people complete home sales and move home on a Friday.

Some people even think this is the only day of the week you can move, but there are many reasons why Friday is the worst day of the week to move home.

Firstly, most people move on a Friday so that they have the weekend to get moved in and settled into their new home. But what if the transfer of funds is delayed on the Friday, you then have to wait until Monday.

Equally, try to get hold of a plumber on a Saturday when your boiler will not work.

Friday is the busiest day of the week for removal firms so they charge a premium and their availability is limited.

It makes far more sense to schedule a midweek move when your removal costs will be cheaper, there is less chance of an issue with funds being exchanged, and everybody is likely to be at their desks when you need them rather than going off early Friday afternoon.

You may also like to read: 10 Sneaky Ways to Cut the Cost of Moving Home. If one of your motivations for not moving on a Friday is to save some money, then you will find this guide worth reading. Here we share 10 slightly unusual ways to save money on your relocation costs.

#14 Movers Will Move Anything

For health and safety reasons there are several things that your removal company cannot take in the removal van.

If you try to sneak any of those prohibited items into a packing box and they leak or cause damage to your other possessions then your insurance will be voided.

Must read: Items That Your Movers Cannot Move. Your chosen removal company will have a comprehensive list of the items they are unable to move for you but in this article, we list the most common items that they cannot move.

We hope the moving tips above will help save you time and money during your home move, and for the answers to all your home moving questions be sure to visit our extensive library of home moving advice and tips.

Good luck with your home move.