OK, so you’re moving house, it’s full steam ahead, but you still haven’t started the packing or organised a removal van. Does the thought of it make you want to hide in the cupboard and never come out?
To help you make sense of where to start with your house move, we have looked at the options you have, and there really are only 3 real contenders to think about:
- Pack your belongings, hire a van, load, drive & unload yourself
- Pack your belongings, hire a removal company to load, drive & unload
- Hire a removal company to pack, load, drive & unload
As with most things in life, there isn’t just one hard and fast answer. There are so many variables in every situation. Cost is a big factor yes, but you also need to consider the time and resources you have available, the size of your property and believe it or not, how fit you are! We hope the guide below will help you decide what’s best for your own situation.
So, let’s take a look at the pro’s and cons of each:
Moving House yourself – The complete DIY job
The advantages:
- You have complete control over everything
- You can choose good quality packing boxes and bubble wrap – see our range here
- You work to your own timescale
- You could save money, depending of course on the type of furniture and number of boxes you need to move
The disadvantages:
- Putting aside the right amount of time to pack yourself can be easily underestimated
- Not hiring the right sized van could result in multiple trips, racking up costs
- Not using good quality packing, could result in damaged items
- You must dismantle and reassemble large pieces of furniture yourself
- It’s heavy, tiresome work
Conclusion: If you are moving from a furnished rental property, you probably won’t have an abundance of very large or heavy furniture to move. Likewise, if you are moving from a studio flat a rented room or even a 1 bed flat, the number of boxes you will end up with, probably won’t be excessive. Therefore, hiring a van or a man with a van and roping in a few mates to help, could mean you’ll be quid’s in.
See our Top Tips for moving day and also Common Mistakes & how to avoid them, on the links below.
https://movingboxesdirect.co.uk/2018/01/12/no-moving-house/
Our Top Tips on Packing for Moving Day
Packing yourself and hiring a removal company to do the reset – The mid-point
The advantages:
- You get to choose the packing materials and organise your belongings just the way you want them
- The removals company will do all the heavy lifting
- The removals company should be experts at calculating the right vehicle space needed for your house move
The disadvantages:
- You will be working to an agreed timescale, meaning your packing needs to be done on time
- If they arrive late, this can have a knock-on effect and cause problems down the chain
- If you are paying for a service, it is more likely to cost you more than doing it yourself
- Not getting an accurate quote could lead to additional hidden costs
Hiring a removals company to do the lot
The advantages:
- This option should make your house move more stress free
- Removal companies claim to be experts in packaging all kinds of fragile, heavy or expensive items of furniture
- This will save you precious time
- A removal company should have all the relevant insurances to cover any damage during transit or whilst packing and loading your belongings
The disadvantages:
- You must do your homework and pick a reputable removals company, paying particular attention to previous customer reviews
- You must read all the small print, you don’t want to get caught out with additional costs that you hadn’t accounted for
- If the removals company has mis-judged the vehicle size required or the amount of packaging needed, this could result in additional fees
- The cost will no doubt be higher than the other two options
- Less experienced removal companies could cause damaged items by poor packing and bad handling of your precious items
Conclusion:
A reputable removal company really can take the stress out of your house move. But research or recommendations from friends and family is a must. Just as important, is reading all the small print and making sure you have been quoted for everything you need them to do.
Removal companies are a particularly good idea for larger house moves or for moving long distances and overseas.