What To Consider Before Hiring A Removal Company

You don’t often hire a removal company; for some people, it may be once every few years, and it’s unlikely that you remember which Blackpool removals company you used last time, or perhaps you moved from a different area.

When you’re hiring a Removals company, it’s essential to check them out and have some idea of what the total costs are going to be. If you don’t pick the right company, you may end up with damaged personal belongings, damaged property, and even a huge bill that wasn’t discussed at the beginning of the removal process.

Detailed below is what you should be considering before hiring a removal company.

1. Shop Around For Quality Removal Companies

Removals pricing is not set for any authority or standard fee guide, so the pricing you’ll get from different removal companies can be wildly different, especially if a particular company is very busy at the moment.

Check around for at least six removal companies in your area to determine to price, and you can even check to see if they price match removal quotes from other companies in the same area.

You should be wary of any companies offering pricing that is well below all others, as there may be a reason they are so cheap.

2. Review Removal Companies

Sometimes you may just want to pick the first Blackpool removal company that you find online, but it’s worthwhile to check to see how long the removal company has been around and whether there are any positive or negative reviews online for them.

It’s always possible to get negative reviews from customers, so seeing a few bad reviews is fine, but if all reviews are negative and in a short timeframe, then you may not want to try that removal company.

Check the reviews to ensure care was taken with belongings and that no damage was done to any of the houses on the move-out or move-in.

When you call the removals company, confirm that the name of the business you’re expecting is what they answer the phone as. If they use another name, then confirm the name and check reviews for their real business name to get additional information.

3. Decide Who Will Pack Everything Into Boxes

All of your belongings will need to be packed into boxes even if the removal company is moving you down the street. You can purchase boxes, bubble wrap, and everything else you need to get everything into boxes; otherwise, the removal company can do it for you.

If you do the packing yourself, you can spend more time organizing or decluttering your belongings so that you don’t just keep moving clutter between homes. It’ll also be cheaper for you to do the boxing yourself.

However, if you get the removal company to do the packaging for you, it’ll be much faster, and you don’t have to worry about anything. The movers will box everything up, label where it comes from and deliver your belongings to the new house into similar rooms and then you can unpack your belongings.

Movers are responsible for damage to items that they’ve packed or that have been damaged due to poor moving practices. However, if the damage is caused by regular moving because you didn’t pack your belongings properly, then you will be responsible for the damages.

4. Get A Full Quote And Price

Typically a removals company will give you a general quote over the phone based on the information that you provide. So it’s important to provide all information about the old and new locations that you are moving between, such as lifts, stairs, parking, and even more much you actually have to move.

Make sure that you understand any additional costs that may be involved that will push the quote higher than expected. You should also check with the movers on the day of the move if the quote is still accurate based on their physical assessment of the location.

You should get the quote and any exceptions in writing via email so that you have proof of what was discussed during the quote, and if the final cost is well above the quote, you’ll want to get a detailed bill of what pushed the quote higher.

It may be something you weren’t told about, or it could be caused by delays, or you forget to tell the movers about speciality items or tricky moving situations.

5. Report Damage Immediately

Prior to the removal company arriving on-site, use your phone to record any areas and any large pieces of furniture. After the move, you should be reviewing for damage to the house you’re moving from and moving to, as well as any damage to your belongings.

Anything that has been damaged should be photographed and reported to the moving company immediately.

Once you’ve arrived at the new location, unpack everything as quickly as possible if there is a possibility that something could have been damaged in the moving process. As with damage to the property, you should quickly report issues to the moving company.

If you have the video or photos of everything from before the move, then it should be a much simpler process when reporting damage.

6. Check For Licensed And Bonded Movers

Licensed and bonded removal companies will often be a safer option than a random removal service you found in the classifieds, which ends up just being two guys and a truck.

While it doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker on your removal process, you do get more safety and guarantees that somebody who is licensed and bonded will do a good job and be able to cover costs if there is damage or issues with your move.

Being bonded means that the company has put money aside from a regulatory agency in the event of damage or issues from a customer that needs to be paid out. The money is not in the hands of the company, so it’s a guaranteed payout if there are legitimate issues.

Being licensed simply means that the removal company has performed any type of training, has the required equipment, and works within the rules and regulations of the agency or group that issued the license. So check where the license actually comes from if that is an important factor in your decision.

7. Check if Your Removals Company Has Insurance

You may think that a removal company that is licensed and bonded will cover all issues and give you guarantees on your property. However, your removal company will also need insurance that covers liabilities and accidents to your property, belongings, and even the workers.

If your removal company doesn’t have insurance that covers the workers, the liability may fall on you or the homeowner if a worker is injured or causes damage to the property.

So while insurance isn’t a major requirement, it can cost you a lot if there are issues during the moving process, and the issues can go further than a dent in your sofa.

If you do want to be covered, check with your removal company what type of insurance they have. Check whether there is full insurance that includes liabilities and worker’s compensation or whether they simply have minimal insurance.

You may even be able to pick and pay for insurance with the moving company ad-hoc so that you know you’re covered. Just make sure you get the temporary insurance in writing with your contract.

8. Check The Removal Company’s Website

If your removals company has a website, then review it to see what information is available; it’s especially helpful to review the FAQ section or pricing section to see what additional costs could be involved or what expectations of you there are.

Depending on where you’re going from and to, it may be required that you have somebody on-site at both locations at all times. You may need to guarantee elevations are booked or that parking is available; otherwise, there could be additional costs from waiting time, or your removal could be cancelled.

Along with checking the website, you can also discuss your requirements and what is needed for the removals process by the company, and that way, you’re prepared, and everything is booked or ready for moving day.

9. Plan The Time To Move

Prices for removals can vary throughout the year or even throughout the month; during busy periods, you may see higher prices from some removal companies, or you may not be able to get the best pick of movers.

Typically the start or end of any month will be busy due to rental contracts expiring, as compared to a mid-month move, or even pushing your move a week before or after the 1st of each month.

You’ll also find that winter is a much less busy time of year to move; people don’t typically want to move homes during winter unless they really need to. So movers will be more available and potentially cheaper during winter and not at the start or end of the month.

You can even price check with removal companies if they offer better rates at certain times of year or month if you know when you’re moving in advance.

10. Create An Inventory Of Your Belongings

Once you’ve settled on a removal company, you should start creating an inventory of your items that are going to be moved by the moving company. You want to be able to determine that everything that has been picked up arrives at the new location.

Your removals company may inventory the items with you if they are packing, and you’ll be able to sign off on everything that they’re taking. Otherwise, make sure you have photos or receipts of everything to prove it was actually yours.

If something goes missing in the removals process, you should contact the company quickly. It may be that something rolled around in the moving truck or simply got forgotten, so you may be able to get your items back quickly.

If items have gone missing and can’t be returned, you’ll need to file an insurance claim with the company to get a replacement.

11. Consider Storage Options

In some removals, you’ll have to store your belongings overnight as you move out on one day and move into your new location at a later date. You can store your belongings with some removal companies, or you can have your items delivered to a Blackpool storage facility.

Some Blackpool removal companies will also offer storage which can often be cheaper than having a company that doesn’t specifically offer storage look after your belongings.

You’ll want to price-check the storage options and include that in the overall price. For example, you may find a moving company that is cheaper than others, but the storage may be heavily increased for each day that you need to store your items.

If you’re storing for longer than a day, then it’s probably going to be cheaper to get your items out of the truck and into a dedicated storage unit as you’ll be paying a monthly fee for the unit rather than paying a removal company to hang onto your items.