Removal Company Is Fully Booked: What Do I Do Now?

All the local removal companies are fully booked for your moving date, what do you do now?

This is becoming a more and more common problem because people are moving further away, this means the removal companies have to allocate 2, 3, or even 4 days for just one home move.

Historically most people moved locally so a good removal company could easily complete a home move in one day.

Also, many people would often choose to move themselves if they were moving locally, this is not really an option if you are moving from London to the Highlands for example.

That said, out of desperation many people are booking self-drive hire vans which are now in very limited supply in many parts of the country.

This Supply and demand issue means that the costs of moving home yourself are rising and no longer represent the potential savings on your home moving costs that it once did.

Good removal companies get booked quickly, they only have limited capacity, so it’s first-come, first-served, which leaves many home movers at the mercy of less scrupulous removal firms.

However, all is not lost. Read on to discover ways of finding a good removal company at short notice or how to manage your move so that your preferred removal firm may be able to help you.

You may also like to read: Ways to Move Home – The Pros and Cons of Every Home Moving Option. It may be that you have other options for moving out of your home. In this guide, we look at the different home moving options and compare the pros and cons of each.

What to do When You Can’t Find a Good Removal Company to Move You on Your Preferred Date

Don’t Panic – Whatever you do, don’t resort to a self-move or booking the first removal company you come across because you feel you have no other option.

This can often end in heartbreak, a very stressful move, and will often leave you well out of pocket. You do have other options.

#1 Move fewer things

The fewer things you move to your new home the cheaper your moving costs will be, but the added bonus is that the removal company may be able to fit your few items into a shared lorry.

It is always worth asking the removal company the question.

Must read: The ultimate guide to decluttering for a home move in which we go through each room of your home explaining how to declutter and get rid of the things that you won’t be taking to your new home.

#2 Move midweek

Fridays are always the busiest day of the week to move home so try to organise your moving day for midweek when the removal firms are not so busy. You are more likely to be able to book a removal firm and possibly at a cheaper rate than on a Friday.

You may also like to read: How to Negotiate With a Removal Company. In this guide, we show you ways that if you are flexible about certain aspects of your home move your preferred movers may be able to help you, and even at a better price.

#3 Use storage

Many removal companies offer storage and there are now self-store facilities popping up all over the country.

Your preferred removal company may be able to squeeze in your move on your preferred date if they are just moving your things locally.

You can then move your things to your new home on a day when the removal company is available.

Essential reading: How to Choose a Storage Unit – Choosing the right storage unit is as important as choosing a good removal company. In this guide, we go through the process of renting a storage unit so that you only pay for the right storage unit for your things.

#4 Move over multiple days

If you have a local storage facility then you could move your things over multiple days, as and when the removal company has availability, or you could even move the smaller items and boxes into storage yourself.

Then on a date when the removal company is less busy, they can do the move from the storage unit to your new home.

You may also like to read: 13 Shortcuts for an Easier and Quicker Home Move. If your preferred removal company has availability before the date you originally planned to move, then you will want to know some shortcuts for packing and moving home. This guide tells you all you need to know.

#5 Look for removal companies further afield

Many people are moving from one side of the country to the other which often means that a removal lorry will be returning empty to its depot.

So don’t confine your search for a good removal company to your current location, look at removal firms in the area you are moving to.

You may be lucky and get a returning removal van and you may even find that you get a better price as the lorry would have been returning home empty anyway.

You may also like to read: Do I Need a Removal Company or a Man and a Van. There are some really good man and van services available, equally, there are some really bad ones. Just as there are removal firms. In this guide, we explain the difference between the two services and how to ensure that you pick the right one for your home move.

#6 Reach out on social media

Without compromising your security, you can use social media to reach out to others who are moving on or around the same date as you.

For example, post on a group page for the area you are moving to asking for recommendations for good removal companies.

If you are lucky a removal company owner will read your post and offer you a good rate for a returning removal lorry.

Or if someone is moving into your current area ask which removal company they are using then contact them to see if they can move you on their return journey.

You can also ask for recommendations for removal companies in your current area, you may just get lucky and find a really good mover who does not need to advertise as they get most of their work through personal recommendations.

Just keep your personal details to the absolute minimum when posting publicly, your personal security should always be your top concern.

You may like to read: Using Social Media to Move Home in which we discover all the ways in which social media can make your home move easier and cheaper.

#7 Keep in regular contact

Keep in regular contact with your preferred removal company, you may get lucky and get a cancellation, but don’t count on that happening.

Start searching for an alternative removal firm as soon as you can, the more time you spend researching about the removal company the less chance there is of you choosing a poor company.

Removal companies are unlikely to pencil you in for a date when they have customers with confirmed moving dates, so once you get that confirmed date get straight on the phone.

How to Find a Good Removal Company at Short Notice

After ringing around endless removal companies you now know that is a waste of time, time that is going to be better spent preparing for your home move.

The quickest and easiest way to find a good removal company that is available on the date you want to move is to request a removal quote from a comparison website.

Whilst there is always the chance that the last remaining slots on your move date have just been booked you have a far greater chance of them being available.

The removal companies normally filter out dates when they have no availability so you will only get quotes from removal firms who have indicated that they have availability on your moving date.

There is also the added benefit that removal companies from further afield that pick up and deliver to your postcodes will also provide you with a quote.

The free moving cost estimator takes only a couple of minutes to complete or you can call the freephone number if you prefer.

You will then receive a maximum of 4 quotes for your move from pre-vetted removal companies.

Must read: How to Pick a Good Removal Company: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide – If you are fortunate enough to have 4 removal companies who provide you with a quote after filling out the quick quote form you will then need to decide which is the best one to go with. This guide will take you step-by-step through the process of picking a good removal company so that you do not fall victim to any scams or hire a careless mover.

How to Avoid Being Scammed by a Removal Company

Although you will be eager to secure a booking with a removal company, you need to do your due diligence.

A quick scan through the reviews left for some removal companies will show you that taking the time to choose a reputable removal company is time very well spent.

The vast majority of removal companies will offer you a great service, but as with any industry, there are always rogue traders.

Follow each of the steps in the guide on How to Pick a Good Removal Company above so that you can be confident that you have done all you can to protect yourself from being scammed.

It is also important that you do not take all reviews at face value, some review websites have no verification methods, and others charge removal companies to appear on their pages, which only encourages fake review postings.

You may also like to read: How to Choose a Removal Company Review Website – In this guide, we explain what makes a trustworthy review platform so that you find a website that does its best to ensure that the reviews it publishes are real. Unfortunately, there are many fake reviews out there, so you need to be careful.

How to Prepare For a Quick Home Move

The key to a stress-free home move is good organisation, so in the weeks running up to confirmation of your moving date, there is plenty you can do.

And if you are well prepared then it opens up the possibility of you moving home at a moment’s notice.

#1 Declutter

As mentioned earlier, decluttering your home is a crucial task, and the time and effort involved will reap big rewards.

Not only will your home move be cheaper, but it will also be easier and quicker, and you can even make some money out of the things you no longer need.

You may also like to read: How to Move Home Cheaply and Even Make a Profit in which we go through the process of deciding what not to take to your new home and the opportunity to make some money from selling those items.

#2 Use a home moving checklist

There are so many things to remember to do when moving home that it is easy to overlook an important task.

In this home moving checklist, we go through a schedule of what to do and when so that you are fully prepared for moving day.

#3 Start packing early

Packing takes a huge amount of time and effort and most people choose to hire professional packers.

But you can still get the packing started so that there is less to pack as moving day draws closer.

Start with all the things that you won’t need, like out-of-season clothes for example. If you have a guest bedroom or shed or garage, then these places can be packed ready too.

Then pack things like ornaments and wall hangings, these are time-consuming to pack so get them done whilst you have the time.

Most removal companies will not go up into your loft for health and safety reasons so be sure to have emptied this before the packers arrive. Our essential guide to Decluttering Your Loft takes you through the process of clearing out your loft ready for moving home.

#4 Gather moving day essentials

Start thinking about all the things you and your family will need close to hand on moving day.

This could be anything from medicines to food and drink, a torch to all your valuable jewellery.

Make a list of all the things that will be packed in your moving day essentials box and keep them separate so that they do not get packed by mistake.

There are lots of useful suggestions for things that you might need on moving day in our guide to Packing a Moving Day Essentials Box.

#5 Create a home moving binder

Moving home generates a ton of paperwork that needs to be kept safe.

A home moving binder is a great tool for keeping all your household paperwork in one easy-to-organise place.

It will contain things like contracts, guarantees, instructions, and lists of things that you need to know before moving into your new place.

You may also like to read: How to Create a Home Moving Binder which is an essential guide that explains exactly what the binder is for and how it can make your home move so much more organised.

Of course, very few home moves are guaranteed to go ahead on a specific date, there is certainly plenty that can go wrong before or on moving day.

But if you prepare what you can now and get everything in place ready to move home, then the last few days leading up to your moving day will be far less stressful.

So don’t despair if at first you cannot find a removal company to move you, there are options, but as we said, be sure to thoroughly check out any removal company you intend to hire, there are so many moving day horror stories out there and you don’t want to be the next.