Why It Pays to Be Honest With Your Removal Company

”I promise to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth………”

You would expect your Removal Company to be honest with you in your dealings with them, after all, they will be handling all your precious possessions. 

But what if the information that you give to the Removal Company is less than 100% truthful or accurate?

What effect can your actions, or lack of actions, have?

Moving home can be stressful not just for you but for the removal company too!

Help your removal company to help you on moving day, it will make everyone’s life so much easier.

Not only that but not disclosing everything about your home move may end in you incurring extra moving day costs.

These are our top 4 things to stress out your Removal Company, and what you can do to avoid these moving day problems.

Mistakes to Avoid When Moving Home

#1 You don’t point out all the items to be moved

The mistake: You fail to tell your removal company about everything that needs to be packed and moved.

The result: You incur additional costs, and the removal team may not be able to fit everything on the van resulting in an additional run or even your things being left behind.

Maybe you forgot to tell the in-home surveyor about those items in the loft, maybe you had not yet decided whether to take those items or maybe you thought that you would get a cheaper price by not showing them everything?

Whatever the reason, the repercussions could be the same.

As a result of this omission, all your things may not fit on the removal van, so you may get a shock on moving day when the removal company presents you with an additional bill for the undisclosed items, or it may even invalidate your home moving insurance.

To avoid any misunderstanding regarding exactly what you intend the removal company to pack and transport, and before you get your in-home removal cost survey, get rid of all the items that you will not be taking with you to your new home.

Not only will this ensure that the removal estimate is based on exactly what is left in your home, but you may make some money from selling those unwanted items.

You may also like to read: The Epic Guide to Decluttering for a Home Move. Decluttering is the most essential task to do when moving home. Not only will it significantly reduce your moving costs, but will make moving day so much easier. In this guide, we share the most efficient ways to declutter your home.

#2 You try to smuggle prohibited items onto the removal van

The mistake: You think the removal company won’t notice if you pack prohibited items inside the moving boxes.

The result: Those prohibited items cause damage or loss of your things or even injury to the removal team.

There is a very good reason why some items are prohibited from being transported by your removal company, and it is usually safety-related.

The safety of the removal team, you, and your precious goods should be the overriding concern during your home move.

You may just get away with smuggling a few tins of paint inside a sealed box amongst other items. But what if the lid of a tin springs off during transit and gloss paint ends up all over your three-piece suite?

It is highly likely that your insurance company will not compensate you for any damage, and additionally, the removal company may well seek damages from you too.

Is it worth the risk for a £10 tin of paint?

So here is a generic list of items that are prohibited by removal companies from being transported by them, but please speak to your removal company who will provide you with a definitive list:

Paints and paint thinner

Lighter fluid

Petrol

Fireworks

Oxygen bottles

Propane Cylinders

Motor oil

Cleaning solvents including liquid bleach

Household and car batteries

Firearms and ammunition

Aerosols

Fire extinguishers

Perishable Foods

Plants

Pets

Irreplaceable items

The answer to this problem is simple. Don’t do it. It is not worth the risk.

Take these items with you in your car, sell them, give them away, or plan to use them all up before moving day.

You may also like to read: How to Pack and Move the Things Your Removal Can’t. In this guide, we share packing and moving tips for items that most removal companies will not move for health and safety reasons.

#3 You are unrealistic about the time you will get access to your new home

The mistake: You booked an early morning local home move.

The result: The removal company sits for hours waiting for the keys to be released and they charge you for waiting time.

If you are in a home sale chain, the likelihood is that the keys to your new home will not be released until after lunchtime, especially if you plan on a Friday moving date.

Fridays are the busiest moving day of the week, for solicitors, banks, and removal companies.

Scheduling the removal company for an early morning, local home move, and then having them sit outside the new property whilst you wait for the keys, is likely to result in you incurring additional charges and a very frustrated removal company, especially if they have another local move scheduled for after yours.

Do you really think they will take extra care unloading if they are annoyed at the delay and know they have an irate customer waiting for them at another property?

If you are moving out of or into rented accommodation, it should be easier to more accurately schedule a time for the release of your new home keys.

But again, good communication between all parties will ensure that there are no unnecessary delays.

To avoid this situation, schedule a home move time that is realistic.

Talk to your removal company, and tell them the particulars of your home move and what the proposed timeline of moving day events is likely to be.

Of course, they will know that you cannot guarantee anything, but if they are aware of exactly what is likely to happen, they too can plan their schedule around yours.

You may also like to read: Home Removal Insurance – Do I Need it? There are various insurance policies you can take out that will cover you in the event that your home move is delayed, the keys to your new home are not released on time, or other costs that you may incur on moving day. In this guide, we look at the various policies available and whether they are worth taking out.

#4 You don’t mention any restrictions at the point of delivery

The mistake: You fail to mention that there is no lift or there are parking restrictions at your new place.

The result: You incur extra charges because the removal team has to walk an extra 100 metres or up 10 flights of stairs.

The removal company will have assessed the home move from the collection property during their pre-move survey, but what happens if they are not aware that there is a width restriction on the road you are moving into or there is no lift to the 16^th floor of the apartment block and they only have a team of two unloaders.

There is no more surefire way to make moving day go wrong than to not disclose information about your new home that may impact the delivery of your household goods.

Not only may this delay the delivery of your items, but may result in you incurring extra costs.

Try to help your removal company by finding out as much information about the delivery address as possible.

Things such as access or parking restrictions, lift availability, or even that there is a village carnival that day are all essential information.

They will in all likelihood do some research themselves, but being made aware of something twice is better than not at all.

It is all about eliminating anything that could cause you stress, inconvenience, or additional costs on moving day.

You may also like to read: Things That Could Go Wrong on Moving Day and How to Avoid Them. In this guide, we look at things that could possibly go wrong on moving day and what you can do to avoid such situations occurring.

Extra Bonus – What Not to Do When Hiring a Removal Company

The mistake: You put costs above value for money.

The result: You may end up with damaged goods, increased moving day costs, or even be scammed.

When hiring a removal company do not put the cost above the quality of the service you will receive.

Don’t be unrealistic about removal costs. Moving home is not cheap and it is not cheap for a reason.

Training, investment in equipment, running a fleet of removal vans, wages, and rent all cost money.

Of course, you want to know how to save money when moving home, but cutting corners when hiring a removal company is not the area to do this.

Pay peanuts, you are likely to end up with a stressful home move.

The home removal industry is very competitive and the estimates should all be fairly similar, if one is significantly lower than the others then ask yourself why.

Are you setting yourself up for a moving day removal company scam?

You may also like to read: How to Avoid Moving Day Scams. The vast majority of removal firms are honest and trustworthy and will do a fantastic job. But as with any industry, there are always the rogues out there. In this guide, we look at how movers get scammed and what you can do to avoid being their next victim.

There are plenty of ways to save money when moving home and our home movers blog is full of useful guides to help you save money on your move.

Here are a couple of tips to help you save money moving home:

As previously mentioned, decluttering your home is guaranteed to save you money but also look at items that you could pack yourself rather than paying for the removal company to pack them.

Hanging clothes, for example, do not need to be packed in wardrobe boxes, unless you have a collection of Vivienne Westwood evening gowns.

Just leave them on their hangers, slip a good quality refuse sack over them, and leave them on the rail until moving day.

Another way to save money when moving home is to use recycled boxes, which although not recommended for all your items which are to be boxed, may be useful for things that are not so fragile.

Use things around the home to add protection to your fragile items such as clothing and linens which will cut down on your packing material costs.

Consider hiring plastic tote boxes rather than using cardboard boxes. They are quicker to use and require fewer packing materials.

You may also like to read: Alternative Packing Materials for Moving Home. In this guide, we look at how plastic tote boxes are a great alternative to cardboard boxes and also what items commonly found around the home you can use to reduce your packing costs.

Of course, there may be some room for negotiation with your removal company, but you will have to be flexible about your home move, and be realistic about any discounts.

You may also like to read: How to Get the Best Price From a Removal Company. Negotiations are only possible if the deal works for both parties. In this guide, we suggest ways that you may be able to negotiate with a removal company to lower your moving costs without jeopardising the safety of your things.

You may also like to read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company. The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide. A good removal company is worth every penny so we have created a step-by-step guide for you so that you can find the best removal company for your particular home move. It is invaluable reading if you have never hired a removal firm before.

How to Have a Successful Home Move

The removal company has a job to do, they are the professionals, but it is your possessions and your money that are paying the removal bill.

At the end of the day, you want a value for money, stress-free home move, with no damage to your property or your items.

The removal company wants to move you with the same outcome, in as quick a time as possible, with the possibility of a small profit at the end of the day.

You can both fulfill these wishes if you work together.

Good communication, perfect planning and organization, and the cultivation of a good working relationship with your removal team will help you achieve your aims.

Ensure that you are well organised and plan your move using a Home Moving Checklist and Calendar which lists all the important home moving tasks in chronological order.

A common issue on moving day is that people find that their furniture cannot fit down a passageway or in the available space in their new home. This is not only frustrating for you and your removal team but can waste precious time and end up costing you money.

Therefore, be sure to create a floor plan of your new home so that you know that your furniture fits where you want it to and that you can physically get it into your new home.

You may also like to read: How to Make a Floor Plan for Moving Home. In this guide, we suggest a way to make a simple floor plan of your new home and show you how to measure furniture, doorways, and passageways to make moving day even easier.

And finally, be realistic about your expectations on moving day, if you set yourself up to be stressed then you most surely will end up being so and so will your removal team.

In our guide, How to Survive Moving Day, you will find some useful tips to ensure that moving day is as stress-free as possible.

Good luck with your home!