A
Acceptance form: A form detailing the terms of service for the removal company, that the home mover must sign and return. It usually comes before a written quote.
Access: How easy it is for the removal company to get to your property to load or unload. It may include the distance between the property and the parking spot, or, if the property is a flat, how many flights of stairs the journey involves and/or whether there’s a lift.
Advance: The amount of money you borrow from your mortgage lender.
Annual Percentage Rate: The total charges of the money your mortgage lender gives you, including fees and interest, shown as a percentage.
B
Binding quote: The final quote from the removals service once they have assessed how much you have to move and have considered access to both properties.
Blanket wrap: When a removals company wraps furniture or items in a blanket to protect them during loading.
Building survey: The most thorough of three types of property survey. In Scotland it is more commonly known as a Scheme 3 survey. Read more about what a Building Survey includes.
Buildings insurance: This insures your property against theft or damage from things like fires or floods. Usually it is a requirement from your mortgage lender.
C
Cancellation charges: An additional charge you might be subject to if you cancel your removal service after you’ve confirmed the move.
Chartered Surveyor: Professionals who are trained to assess the condition of a property and offer impartial advice. They carry out scheme 1, scheme 2 and scheme 3 surveys. They’re represented by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland. Read more about Chartered Surveyors.
Claim: A written request for payment you’ll send to your removals company if any of your items are lost or damaged in transit. This is more likely to be successful if you’ve got a removals inventory.
Collection: The first part of the removal company’s job where they load up your belongings from your old property.
Cost per hour: More commonly used to calculate smaller moves, this is the removal cost calculated per member of staff per hour of work.
Conservation area: An area of land given extra protection, for example because of its wildlife or its historical interest.
Conveyancing: The legal part of a property transaction, officially transferring ownership from one person to another. The process is slightly different in Scotland to the rest of the UK. Read about conveyancing in Scotland.
Conveyancing solicitor: You hire a conveyancing solicitor or a licensed conveyancer to carry out the legal part of your property transaction. You can get quotes from conveyancers at reallymoving.
Conclusion of missives: This is an alternative name of ‘missives concluded’, and refers to the exchange of contracts for property transactions in Scotland.
Council Tax: An annual sum of money (usually paid in monthly installments) you pay to your local authority to cover the costs of services like bin collection and maintenance of public spaces. The amount you need to pay is dependent on which band your property falls into, which is based on the value of the property on 1 April 1991. As Council Tax can vary by local authority, it’s worth checking out what your new bill might be when looking at properties. Read more about council tax in Scotland.
Crating: The word for packing belongings into a wooden container for the move.
CUFT: Stands for ‘cubic’ feet, a measurement used by removal companies to calculate the size of a move.
D
Delivery: The second part of a removal company’s job after collection, when your goods are unloaded at their destination.
Deposit: This has two meanings – it can be the amount you pay to secure a service, for example removals, and it’s also the portion of a property value that you save yourself (your mortgage will cover the rest).
Dismantling: Taking furniture apart for transit. Your removals company might provide this but it will probably cost you extra.
Domestic energy assessor: Professionals who visit properties to test for energy efficiency, and produce Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) – see below.
Domestic removal: A move that takes place in one country.
E
Energy report: Also called Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), energy reports are part of a Home Report. They give information about the energy efficiency and environmental impact of a property. Energy reports can be carried out by a Domestic Energy Assessor or a Chartered Surveyor. Read more about energy reports.
Essentials box: Items you’ll need for the move and for the first night in your new home, to be kept accessible and ideally separate from the rest of your possessions. Our Moving Day Survival Kit can tell you everything you’ll need.
Estimate: An initial quote for a removals service, which you should expect to be amended after a removals survey or once access has been assessed.
Extra handling charge: An additional charge by your removal firm for moving specialist items such as large musical instruments, antiques or anything that requires specialist equipment.
Extra man: When a removal company provides extra staff for your move at an additional cost.
Extra pick up (extra delivery): An additional pick-up or delivery of furniture or items, that will usually cost you extra.
F
Feuhold: This is the Scottish word for ‘freehold’, and applies to all properties in Scotland. Read about more about Freehold.
First Home Fund: A pilot scheme by the Scottish government designed to help First Time Buyers onto the housing ladder. It provides First Time Buyers with up to £25,000 to put towards their first home. Read more about the First Home Fund.
First Time Buyer (FTB): A person who has never owned residential property, either in the UK or anywhere else. Note that you don’t have to have lived in a property to be counted the owner – for example, if you inherited a property and sold it on without ever living there, it’s likely you still would not be classed as a First Time Buyer. It’s important to be clear about whether you’re officially classed as a First Time Buyer because it might have implications for your Land and Buildings Transaction Tax bill (see below) or affect what schemes you’re eligible for.
Floor protectors: A plastic strip that protects flooring during the removal process.
Furniture covers: Fabric that protects furniture as it’s being loaded.
G
Goods in transit insurance: Insurance, that you can usually buy from your removal company as an optional extra, that covers damage to your items whilst they’re being moved. Usually you can only cover items worth less than £40, so if you want more comprehensive insurance you should discuss this with your removal company or home insurance firm.
H
Hoist (lift): A piece of machinery used to lift heavier items.
Home report: An information pack that must be compiled by the seller of a property in Scotland. It includes the single survey, an energy report and a property questionnaire. Read more about home reports.
HomeBuyer’s report: More commonly known as a scheme 2 survey in Scotland, this is the middle ground between the most and least comprehensive property surveys. Read more about when a homebuyer report is suitable.
Household goods (HHG): The goods being moved.
I
Indicative Quote: Similar to an estimate, this is an approximate quote given by the removals company before removals survey.
Insurance certificate: An official document giving details of your insurance cover.
Insurance Inventory: A complete list of items that your insurance covers.
Inventory: A list of the items that are to be moved by your removal company. It’s very important you have one of these so that you can make a claim if anything is lost or damaged during the move.
Islamic Mortgage: A type of mortgage that is compliant with Sharia law. Read more about Islamic mortgages.
L
Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT): A tax paid on most property purchases over £250,000. However there are different rates if the property is a second home, of if you’re a First Time Buyer. Our LBTT calculator can tell you how much you’ll need to pay.
Land Register of Scotland: The official record of land and property ownership in Scotland.
Licensed Conveyancer: The person responsible for carrying out the legal work associated with a property transaction. They carry out the same job as a conveyancing solicitor.
Listed: A building that is given specialist protection because of its historic or architectural significance. There will be limitations to how extensively it can be modified.
Loan-to-value (LTV): The size of a mortgage that has been lent to you, expressed as a percentage of the full value of the property.
Long carry: A word used to describe a particularly long distance between the property and where the removal van is able to park, which might incur an extra charge. Usually a job is classed as ‘long carry’ if the distance between the back door of the vehicle and the front door of the property is more than 75 ft (23 metres), but you should check with your removal firm if you’re not sure.
Luton van: A type of moving van with a capacity of 600 cuft (cubic feet).
M
Mileage: The distance between the original and destination address.
Missives concluded: When contracts are exchanged for a property transaction in Scotland. The same as ‘conclusion of missives’.
Move manager (move co-ordinator): Usually a mover’s contact within a removal company, this is the person responsible for the management of a move.
Mortgage: A loan to cover the value of a property which is not covered by your deposit. Usually the deposit is 10-20% of the value and the mortgage covers the rest, but this will vary hugely depending on location, the buyer’s circumstances and any government schemes.
Mortgage in principle (MIP): A provisional agreement that you get from a mortgage lender saying that, in theory, they’re willing to lend you a certain amount of money. This is not a legally binding agreement, but it does make you a more attractive prospect to sellers because you can prove you’re likely to be able to secure a mortgage.
Mortgage offer: A formal offer from a mortgage lender, that you accept once the lender is satisfied with the mortgage valuation report (see below).
Mortgage valuation report: An assessment of the approximate value of a property. The mortgage lender will need to know this before they lend you money, just to prove that the property is worth what you say it’s worth. If the home report includes a valuation the lender might be satisfied with that, but they may also want their own, which is also known as a scheme 1 survey.
N
New build: A property that has just been built that is purchased directly from the developers.
Note of interest: A notification to the solicitor or agent of a seller, saying that you’re interested in the property. It’s a way of telling them that you’d like to make an offer, so if someone else makes an offer they must tell you to allow you to do the same.
P
Packer: The members of staff from the removal company who actually do the loading and unloading of the mover’s belongings.
Packing: An additional service, where the removals firm will professionally prepare the home mover’s belongings for transit.
PBO (Packed By Owner): When you pack your own belongings instead of employing the removal company for packing (see above). This will likely be cheaper but it might make it more difficult to make a claim if anything is broken in transit.
Parking restrictions: Rules enforced by a local council which may determine where your removal van can park, and how long for. You should investigate this well in advance as the distance between the property and the vehicle might affect the cost of the service.
Parking suspension (parking exemption): A temporary removal of restrictions that you can apply for in order for your removal vehicle to park nearby.
Pre-move survey: Same as a removal survey (see below).
Planning permission: The formal authorisation you’ll need from a local authority to construct new buildings or make alterations to existing ones. You’ll also need it if you want to change the use of land or buildings, for example converting a residential property into a commercial one.
Property ombudsman: An independent body that resolves property-related grievances or disputes.
Property questionnaire: Part of the home report, the property questionnaire is completed by the seller and contains information about the property such as council tax band and parking arrangements. Read more about property questionnaires.
Q
Quotes: A cost of a service, estimated and given in advance. You can get quotes for removals, conveyancing, surveys, home reports, EPCs and valuations through reallymoving.
R
Reassembly: Putting together a piece of furniture that was disassembled for the move.
Remortgage: Taking out another loan and using the money to pay back your original mortgage lender, so you owe a different lender for the same property.
Removal survey: Someone from the removal company will visit your property to assess how much stuff you have to be moved. They’ll calculate the equipment and workforce they’ll need and update your quote accordingly.
Repossessed: When a property is claimed because the owner has fallen behind on their mortgage repayments, and then sold, usually at auction.
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland: The regulatory body for Chartered Surveyors in Scotland.
S
Scheme 1 survey: The least comprehensive survey type, a scheme 1 survey is an assessment of the value of a property, although major defects will be noted as well.
Scheme 2 survey: A scheme 2 survey, otherwise known as a HomeBuyer Report, is a valuation with a more detailed investigation of easily-accessible parts of the property. Read more about HomeBuyer Reports.
Scheme 3 survey: Otherwise known as a Building Survey or a full structural survey, a scheme 3 survey is the most comprehensive of the three types. It gives a detailed report of the condition and of any issues, and is therefore suitable for old or unconventional properties. Read more about Building Surveys.
Searches: Sometimes called ‘multisearch’, these are a series of checks your conveyancer does of information, relating to a property or area, held by the local authority. It would flag up things like future nearby developments, whether the area is protected (for example, if it’s a conservation area) or if it is at risk of flooding. Read more about conveyancing searches.
Settlement: The day your new property is officially yours – in England this is called completion.
Shuttle: A smaller removals vehicle used to transport goods between the property and the main removals vehicle, for example if the property is up a small country road where the main vehicle can’t safely access.
Signing off: Confirmation with the removals company that all belongings have been safely moved. Check your inventory very carefully before signing off to make sure everything’s there.
Single survey: The single survey is part of the home report and includes information about the type, age and condition of a property, along with an estimate of the value. Read more about single surveys.
SIT (Storage In Transit): When your belongings are held temporarily in a storage facility before being delivered to their destination.
Solicitor: A lawyer dealing with legal services and processes outside of the courtroom, such as a conveyancing solicitor, who deals with the legal side of property transactions.
Specialist services: Extra equipment or specialist skills needed to move certain things, such as antiques or large instruments such as pianos. Read more about moving large or awkward objects.
Storage: When some or all of your belongings are kept in a dedicated storage facility, for example because you’re redecorating your new home or staying in temporary accommodation. Read more about storage when moving house.
Storage access: Being able to get into the storage facility where your belongings are.
Subject to survey: You can make an offer ‘subject to survey’, which is basically telling the seller you’ll get a survey done if your offer is accepted, and you can withdraw the offer if the survey reveals issues. Not everyone accepts these kinds of offers.
T
Tail lift: A type of lift used by removal teams to load or unload a vehicle.
Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS): A secure account that a landlord or estate agent must keep your deposit in if you’re renting their property.
Terms and conditions: The detailed rights and obligations of each party involved in a transaction or agreement.
Third party contractor: An additional, external company that offers services to a removal firm.
Title documents: Documents containing the particulars of a property. The title documents are made up of the title sheets, which include a description of the property and its ownership, and the title plans, which show the boundaries of the property.
Transit van: A small removal van with a capacity of approximately 250 cuft (cubic feet).
Transit high top: A slightly larger long-wheel base van with a capacity of approximately 350 cuft (cubic feet).
V
Valuation: An assessment of the value of a property. There are many types, such as estate agent’s valuations, mortgage valuations and valuations from chartered surveyors. Get quotes for chartered surveyor valuations with reallymoving or read more about when you might need a valuation.
Vendor: Another word for the seller of a property.
W
Waiting time: The time the removal company spends waiting for the move to continue – for example, if they are waiting at your new property because the keys have not been released.
Waiver: The relinquishment of a term in a contract or agreement.