Moving house is
a mammoth task which can be extremely stressful and costly. Not to be negative
- of course it’s very exciting too - but we are more often than not distracted
from the joy of moving by the lengthy planning process and unexpected costs
that appear along the way. There are undoubtedly inevitable costs, from putting
down a deposit and paying agency fees, to buying new furniture and treating
yourself to a takeaway on the first night (okay, not necessarily inevitable,
but definitely deserved!).
However, moving
doesn’t have to be as costly as you think. If you plan ahead and do your
research, some aspects can be managed more cost-effectively. As home removals
experts, we’re here to run you through exactly what you can do throughout the
moving process to save you time and most importantly, money.
Before the move:
There is, what probably feels like,
an endless list of things to consider before you move, and getting through this
list is not only time-consuming but expensive. Here are a few tips on how to
save cash before the big day:
Declutter and consider using a storage company
Decluttering is the first step of
moving and will save you money. In fact, decluttering your old home can
actually make
you money before you’ve
even started the move. Clearing your home of personal clutter makes it more
saleable - creating a light and bright space for prospective buyers to admire
during viewings will show off your home’s best assets, and will hopefully
encourage higher offers.
We advise that you start decluttering
in good time so that you can sort through your possessions and make final
decisions on what you want to keep. Hiring or buying boxes to fill with items
you don’t actually want is a particularly unnecessary cost. You can sell on any
items you don’t want and add to the ‘new house’ piggy bank, or upcycle some old
pieces to suit your new home and save from buying brand new furniture.
Using reliable storage solutions is
a great way to aid the decluttering process. By putting your things into
storage, not only will you feel reassured that your items are being kept safely
and securely by professionals, but you can also stagger the moving process,
which makes move-in day a lot less stressful!
Find a reliable moving company
There are many different removal
companies around, all seemingly offering similar services, so finding a
reliable moving service can feel overwhelming. Start by reading customer
reviews on their websites and consulting friends who’ve recently moved for
recommendations.
It pays to do some deeper research
too. Firstly, find out if the removals team have been trained by a recognised
governing body, such as the British Association of
Removers
. Secondly, consider what combination of services
you’ll need and choose accordingly - storage solutions, packing assistance,
packing materials rental and furniture assembly/disassembly are just some of
the services a removals company may offer. Thirdly, and most importantly, get
quotes from various companies and compare their prices. Compare as many as
possible and leave plenty of time to do so; you don't want to panic last minute
and end up with an unnecessarily expensive service.
All of this research may seem
time-consuming, especially when you’ve got a million other things to think
about, but we promise it’ll save your move from swallowing up your hard-earned
cash.
Book your home removals company in good time
Once you’ve decided on the right
removals company for you, you need to make sure you book promptly. Removals teams
get very booked up, particularly at peak times, which are:
●Beginning and end of the month
●Weekends and bank holidays
●School holidays
If possible, you should arrange to
move outside of these times, however, we understand that this may not always be
possible. If so, book your removals service as soon as you decide on a move-in
date to get ahead of the competition, ensuring you’ve got your first choice.
If you book promptly you can also
get an estimation done by your removals team. They’ll visit the property in
advance of your move and expertly judge what you’ll need; size of van and
number of staff, etc. If you try to estimate yourself, and as a result over or
underestimate, extra costs could incur, as well as making for a very stressful
move-in day.
Getting ready for the
move:
Move-in day is fast approaching.
You’ve got rid of the old furniture you don’t need and you’ve picked the perfect
removals company, now just to pack. It’s best to pack at least two to three
weeks in advance to save yourself from an extra busy move-in week. Here are
some other handy packing tips:
Careful packing and
labelling
While you’re packing, make sure you
handle with care. If you accidentally break things whilst packing, or pack them
badly and they break during the move, you’ll end up spending money on
replacements and repairs. If there’s anything particularly fragile or
sentimental, label it and let your removals team know where it is - they’ll
treat your items with extra care if you ask!
In fact, label everything. A cost
you may not have considered is running out to buy things after move-in day,
even though you know
the thing you
need is packed away somewhere. Carefully consider which items you’ll need most
immediately and box them up as your ‘move-in kit’, so that you don’t spend your
whole first week rifling through boxes. This will probably include things like
bedding, toiletries and medication, pet food and baby care supplies.
Pack with the experts
Although you’ll do a lot yourself,
packing can be made much easier with a little help from the experts. Firstly,
you can get quality packing materials from your removals company to take away
the stress of ending up with boxes that fall apart, or wrapping that doesn’t
properly protect your possessions. This will save you money because you’ll know
you’re getting good quality stuff that you won’t have to keep replacing or pay
for damage costs. You can also hire removals boxes, meaning that the boxes
aren’t just bought and used as a one-off. Many removals companies will do this
free of charge as part of the overall price.
Secondly, you could even get the
experts to actually help you pack. Whether you simply want a hands-off move or
packing will be particularly difficult because of a disability or physical
condition, removal staff are on hand to assist you. They are experts in
handling fragile items and are professional boxer-uppers. They’ll provide you
with a fixed fee for packing too, which you can budget in and know exactly how
much you’re spending, rather than totalling up the costs of constant extra
boxes and bubble wrap that you didn’t think you’d need.
During the move:
Today’s the day and you’re pretty
sure you’ve done all you can to have the most cost-effective move. We know
you’re going to have a lot on your mind during the big day, however, there are
still a couple more things to bear in mind on move-in day to save money:
Careful movement of
goods
Frankly, this is just common sense
- you’ll save yourself money without even meaning to. Moving furniture and
boxes carefully, so as to not damage your old or new house, is very important.
If you were previously renting, leaving the place scuffed or damaged could incur
deposit deductions. Meanwhile, if you owned the property and the new owners
don’t find it as it was listed, they may expect you to cover the costs of
damage.
When you’re moving things around,
be careful of shoe marks on carpets, scraping and scuffing walls, or even
breaking tiles or floorboards by dropping heavy items. Your removals team will
be expertly trained in lifting and carrying heavy boxes and items of furniture
safely, so if possible leave this to them.
Manage your time
They say ‘time is money’ and on
move-in day, time is quite literally money. During your estimation, your
removals company will have carefully selected your moving slot, predicting how
much time you should need. It’s essential that you try not to hold up the move
for any reason, as you’ll end up paying for more of the team’s time. At peak
times, this is obviously even more important, as you could hold up other moves
elsewhere.
To avoid this, don’t forget to
arrange things in advance that may take a surprisingly long time on the day.
This could be getting a parking permit for the removals van, safely
disconnecting electrical appliances so they’re ready to be moved, or
disassembling any furniture that won’t fit through doorways. If the removals
staff end up having to do any of this without it having been previously
arranged, it will not only cost you more money in the removal staff’s time, but
they also may not be prepared with the correct tools, which could lead to items
being damaged, costing you even more in replacements and repairs.
By carefully considering how you
can save money well in advance of your move, as well as thinking about the most
cost-effective use of your time and money leading up to and on move-in day, you
can get the most out of your home removal. Most importantly, work closely with
your removal company to get the best value out of their professional services.
Choose Rose Removals
for a cost-effective house move
If you want your move to be handled
with care, trust Rose Removals. With a proven track record of excellence, our
reliable removals
, storage
and packing services
can bring you the
hassle-free move you’re after. Our staff are trained to the high standards of
the British Association of Removers and can tackle moves of all sizes, domestic
or commercial.
We understand how costly moving can
be so we provide a free visit by a removals estimator in order to work out
exactly what you need from us. Simply download a free quotation form or request
a callback from our friendly office team on our contact
page
to find out more information about how Rose Removals
can give you a great value move.
