1. Home removals - what do you need to know?

Moving home is a huge undertaking and we often forget how much stuff there is in every home: from large pieces of furniture and household appliances, through books, plants, and clothes, to thousands of tiny knick-knacks. You can organise the move yourself, but if you do, you should prepare yourself for lots of stress and wasted time. With the best of intentions, therefore, we recommend you hire a removals firm that has a well-organised, skilled team of workers and all the necessary equipment.

2. How to choose a removals firm?

Moving house is actually very demanding because it consists of many logistical tasks that are almost impossible to complete without the proper know-how and equipment. It includes, for example, the dismantling of large pieces of furniture, the disconnecting of large appliances and equipment, packing everything up and transporting it all, and then everything all over again in reverse order. That’s why they say that moving to a new home creates huge stress for everyone involved. This can be avoided, though, by hiring a removals expert and a suitable vehicle. However, how can you tell which removals firms are reliable?

Unfortunately, not every removals company will save you time and money, since if they do a bad job, it can do more harm than good. A reliable removals firm offers an initial inspection of your possessions, the dismantling and reassembly of furniture, the disconnecting and re-connecting of equipment and devices, the safe packing and wrapping of all your items, and transport to the new address. There are also agencies that offer services such as cleaning, temporary storage, and taking rubbish to the local tip. On our platform you will find the contact details of those firms we work with, so you can contact them for further information. It’s always a good idea to schedule a move well in advance, as much for your own peace of mind as for the fact that emergency relocation services cost much more.

3. The moving process

3.1. The disassembly and dismantling of furniture and equipment

The hardest part of any move is any bulky furniture or equipment, primarily because of its size and weight. Before the move, these items should be dismantled or disassembled so the component parts can be handled more easily, either in the house itself or in the lift if you’re moving from/into a flat. These parts are packed with bubble wrap, stretch film, polystyrene, foam, or cardboard, meaning they are well protected during transport to the new location. White goods and other household appliances are treated in the same way.

3.2. Transport of household items

Furniture, appliances, and equipment can be transported by different sizes of van or lorry, depending on the size and quantity of your possessions. The price of the move also includes mileage. You should bear in mind that the smallest van can hold 1,500 kg.

3.3. Moving pianos

Moving a piano can be tricky. It requires specialist equipment, which protects the instrument from physical damage and also makes sure it remains in tune.

3.4. Moving safes

Some things can be heavy even when they’re small in size, which makes moving them more difficult. Safes are a good example of this. To move them, a caterpillar-track transporter must be used, which is also good for the safe transport of sculptures, metal cabinets, and the like.

3.5. Assembling furniture and equipment

Upon arrival at the new address, all the protective packaging is removed from furniture, appliances and other equipment and whatever needs reassembling or reconnecting will be. Caution is desirable at this stage, too, since damage can occur when putting things back together and small parts or screws can be lost. This is why it’s always best to leave it to a trained team of workers.

4. Organising your own move

4.1. Boxes

Moving involves transporting a multitude of different-sized items that can be damaged in the process. Above all, if you’re dealing with a big move, being systematic is the name of the game, i.e. work according to a certain schedule and in a certain order so nothing gets forgotten or lost. Cardboard and other types of boxes make the job considerably easier. There are specialised shops selling moving boxes of different dimensions and for different maximum weights. You can pack even the most fragile items in them and still be sure they’ll reach their destination intact.

4.2. Renting a van

You can rent a van for your move. In addition to a driver’s licence, you need to be over 21 years old with at least 3 years’ driving experience. Some rental agencies won’t allow you to travel more than 350 kilometres a day. If you don’t want to drive the van yourself, you can hire a driver along with some workers to help you with your move.