John Fitzsimons
Brean Horne
So you’ve found the house of your dreams and agreed on both a price and a completion date. Now, you just need to work out how to get your possessions from your old place to your new home.
Here’s where a house removals firm can help.
What does a house removal company do?
House removals offer a professional service that can help make moving home easier. A house removal firm will help you get your things out of your old home and into your new one, though the exact service available will vary. Many removals firms will offer a range of services, depending on your needs and budget. For example, you could choose a simple service that requires you to pack up all your belongings in boxes provided by the removals firm, which they will simply move from A to B. Alternatively, you could pack most of your belongings yourself and just leave fragile items to the professionals, or go the whole hog with a full packing service.
Similarly, while some companies will simply unload the boxes once you reach your new property, others will help you fully unpack and make the property feel like home from the moment you arrive.
How much does house removals cost?
Many factors can affect how much companies charge. So it’s worth shopping around and getting quotes from different firms. The cost of house removals can vary depending on the following factors:
- Quantity: the amount of items you want to move between the two properties will affect the price. Generally speaking the more items you have, the more it will cost.
- Accessibility: the cost of your house removals may vary depending on how easy it is to access your old property and new home. This is because firms factor in the total time spent at each location as well as the hourly rate of the movers.
- Distance: the distance between your old house and new house will impact on the cost of house removals. House-moving companies tend to charge more if the new house is further away.
- Additional services: typically, house removals cost more if you add additional services, such as packing and unpacking your belongings, storage and cleaning.
According to price comparison site Compare My Move, the average quote for moving all the possessions in a three-bedroom property – including dismantling and reassembling furniture – to a new home 50 miles away comes to just under £1,200. So it’s important to have enough money set aside in your budget to cover the cost of house removals.
How to find a home removals company
There are all sorts of ways to track down a firm to handle your home removal. For example, you could use the British Association of Removers’ website who have a range of removal companies that meet their minimum standards in order to help you find quality-assured and reputable removals companies.
There are also price comparison sites that allow you to quickly get a quote from a handful of local firms, allowing you to swiftly compare prices and see exactly what is included. Alternatively, you may like to ask around for recommendations so that you know you are using a firm that you can trust. Try asking local friends and family who have moved recently for recommendations.
Finally, you can use a site that puts you in touch with trusted, reliable traders in your area. These sites allow you to read reviews left by previous customers, so you can get an idea of what standard of service to expect.
How to get quotes from home removal companies
It’s not a great idea to simply sign up with the first removal company you find. Instead, it’s advisable to run through the size of the job with a few different businesses and ask them to provide you with a quote for the job.
You should ask them to break down the quote so that you know exactly what is included and what each element will cost you.
This will also make it easier to compare quotes from different businesses.
Can I move without house removals?
Of course, there is no obligation to enlist the services of a professional removals firm. If you are buying your first home and don’t have much furniture to move, you may well be able to manage the move yourself, perhaps by renting a van or getting a few friends with decent-sized car boots to give you a hand.
This may be a cheaper option, but it’s not without its downsides and will become increasingly difficult the further up the property ladder you climb and the more furniture and possessions you acquire. In addition to buying your own boxes and packing materials, you’ll also be responsible for ensuring that everything makes it to your new home in one piece.
Given the stress involved in a house move, you might prefer to leave all of that in the hands of a professional rather than an eager, but clumsy friend.
Image source: Getty Images
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