removal costs? packing service worth it?

[Pisky]

Its getting closer now to agreeing a moving date so I'm starting to look into removals - what would you consider a reasonable quote for moving from 3 bed house - about 90miles?

Also have you used a packing service and would you say its worth it - we have two kids 5.5y and 8y so thinking this is the easiest option.

Thanks!

[LillianGish]

I'm paying about £1300 to move two miles down the road in London, including packing. Having moved several times I'd say packing is worth every penny. Just make sure you have a good chuck out first as they will pack absolutely everything. I always unpack myself though as I'm never quite sure where I want everything to go when I move into a new house.

[notapizzaeater]

No idea on costs but last time we moved we had packing and it was sooo worth it - though as said before make sure you chuck everything away, they packed a kitchen bin with stuff in & a bread bin with bread in.

Apparently they have to do this in case i had hid my valubles in there ...

[Kendodd]

Yes definitely use a packing service. They came the day before the move and did everything, we didn't even have to tidy up. The day we moved, with DCs age 4,2 and 1, I took them all out for the day, including lunch and came home to teh new house afterwards. This worked really well.

[moomiemoo]

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Follow others' advice and chuck away anything you don't want them to pack and put stuff you want to take in the car before they come.

We've just moved and it was around £1100 including packing.

[DisparityCausesInstability]

We have moved 3 times and I wouldn't do it without the packing service - they packed all our stuff in less than 3 hours..very highly recommended.

[CMOTdibbler]

Packing service is essential imo, and saves a huge amount of grief. I'd never move without it having been packed and moved twice

[itsatiggerday]

Oh they're wonderful. And when we did it, they wouldn't insure the stuff if we packed but would if they did. It was an extra £200 for the packing service and I reckon we'd have incurred breakages to that value if we'd done it ourselves anyway... Plus the stress it saved. Worth five times the cost!

[GraceK]

We had packing with our (then) two year old as I thought she was as unlikely to unpack as to help pack! We had Bishop's Move & they were brilliant & worth the grand it cost. Though be careful they are very efficient - lock anything important - such as documents relating to the move, overnight stuff (if nec), important cuddly toys- in the car so they don't get packed when you're in a different room - our stuff wa going into storage for three weeks & we had to have all the above unpacked again.

Also our you do use professional packers, then check your house insurance since it will probably cover the packing so you won't need to buy extra insurance from the movers. Good luck

[KangarooCaught]

We didn't (we had a small 3 bed house then) and thought we could do it all...we were mad.
Would definitely use one now.

[PorkChopSter]

God yes go for packing. They will do it better and more quickly than you. And it will be insured for brakeages, and they will back on day 1, take it away so leaving you space to clean!

[Pisky]

Thanks guys x

We will go for the packing service then after that unanimous vote!

Am getting a couple of companies round to quote this week so hopefully not too expensive.

[systemsaddict]

Packing absolutely, it is a couple of hundred pounds on top but worth every penny; BUT I second the advice to make up your 'moving box' of everything that you will need to unpack straight away (kettle, toilet paper, snacks, nappies, important toys etc) and hide it in the car BEFORE the packers get there the day before, as they are frighteningly efficient and within literally minutes will have boxed up everything in their path, and it all happens so fast that it's very hard to think of what you are going to need while it is happening!

[scifidisney]

Hello, does anyone know if packing services normally include packaging materials like boxes? Sounds really worth trying!

We're going to move from a 2 bed flat to a 3 bed house, got lots of books and random stuff though. Guess it would be £1000+?

Many thanks for sharing! Such a good read on all the messages in this thread!

[funchum8am]

If the access to either property is difficult eg upstairs flat or parking directly outside is unavailable, it will cost more.

Do not use Alfargo Removals in West London - I had a truly appalling experience with them this year

[AnnaLP]

Agree with everyone that packing is really worth it but make sure you shop around on price - we had quotes that varied by £1500 !! for a 4-bed house. Ended up getting our packing and removals done for far less than 2 other removers had quoted us just for removals. Don't assume everyone will charge approximately the same.

[scifidisney]

We used AnyVan for our previous move, great price for just removal (no packing). But since it took us a whole month to pack, this time we are seriously considering to use the packing service as people recommened.

Has anyone use AnyVan for quoting the packing and removal? (They don't seem to have an established category for the packing service.)

[zeeww]

Yes to packing service.

We moved a few times and they were brilliant, wouldn't have it any other way.

The last company we used were good, when they came to survey they advised that you pack all your important/necessary stuff, either put those in the car or put it at a demarcated corner of the house eg, masking tape the floor to tell the packers its a 'no go' zone.

Anything that you are unsure can go into that area, and when the packers finished the rest of the house, get them to go through the 'no go' area with you and pack anything that you definitely dont need.

But, please make sure your demarcated area is small and realistic. We had this and it was brilliant, took the stress away and as the packers gobbled everything in the house, anything we came across that we may need are saved till last before being packed away.

[BasinHaircut]

I seriously can not stress how amazing it is to use a packing service. Being able to just live as normal until the morning before the move is just priceless. But in reality cost £200 more than removals without packing.

It does pay to have a good sort out in the run up though.

[AnnaLP]

It's so hard to have a good sort out - you need to be really ruthless but that is so difficult - I'm such a hoarder. If you need some help there are some really simple steps to prompt you on this blog //blog.houseremoval.com/5-steps-decluttering-home - the one I like best is stock up on readdy-prepared food so you haven't got the excuse of having to prepare a meal to fall back on to avoid the sorting out.

[Woozlebear]

Yes, but with a few caveats:

Do not ever ever ever use Luxfords of Weybridge. I had the most horrendous experience with them.

Have a safe place for things you need access too, and put them there in advance. They are like a whirlwind when they arrive and you turn your back for 5 seconds and realise half a room has been packed and the laptop is at the bottom of a box on the van....

Be prepared for the unpacking to be much much harder than if you had packed yourself. They use INSANE amounts of packing material, to the point that our biggest challenge was physically finding enough room to unpack boxes. Think individually wrapped batteries!!! We were up to our ears in paper, literally.

Also they pack rather illogically and haphazardly. They don't pack by type of thing, just by what was near what. And they label very generally (ie kitchen- yes but what bit of the kitchen!, or cushions - oh but we also shoved half your medicine cabinet and some chargers and a few ornaments in there. It took us weeks to find everything.)

I recommend Pickfords.

[1805]

so, am I correct in thinking that you just live as normal, and they pack everything? Clothes?? Pictures on walls?? Garden seating?? Garage contents???

I am about to start looking for a removal comp.

[Glittertwins]

We used Pickfords. So we only moved 700m as the crow flies but it was the only cost associated with moving house we would happily pay for. Amazingly quick and efficient both ends.

[SevenAteNine]

I feel qualified to speak here, as I was a removals man for a couple of years.
Packing is a horrible, time consuming job. However, I would want to very carefully check who was doing it because there is a lot of reliance on casual labour and in some cases you'll not know if things go "missing". It would shock you how often removals men are just people who have been picked up in the pub the night before.
Ask people local to you for recommendations. A man and van may be a good bet if they are well established qhere you live. Avoid the very biggest moving firms too. Thay are basically unaccountable when things go wrong.