Removal Firms

[AnnoyedByAlfieBear]

We're about to exchange any day now, and given that there is usually a week between exchange and completion, I thought that I'd be fine getting removal people booked. Apparantly not! They all seem to be booked up! What do I do?!!

Argh! Rant over!

[wowfudge]

Just thinking of ways of dealing with this:

Find out who has a slot and when and fix completion for that date instead? If you can complete early or mid week there is more likely to be availability that at the end of the week. There is no requirement to leave a week between exchange and completion.

Can you use the same firm your sellers are using and push for completion early in the day? I sold a house recently and we completed at 9.30 in the morning mid week. If your sellers are packed and ready to go the day before completion, could their stuff be moved to their new place and the can then comes to you?

Look into hiring a man and a (big) van instead.

See if any of the removal firms can do a packing and storage service for you between exchange and completion with a view to having non-essential things delivered at a later date.

Hire a storage unit and store some things there until you can get them moved to the new house.

Ring more firms and see what they have available.

[wowfudge]

That's the 'van' can then come to you in my second suggestion!

[specialsubject]

there's no fixed time between exchange and completion. Most people want to complete on a Friday (it has to be a weekday) so they can have the weekend to settle in. Try very hard to pick another day.

alternatively, perhaps move out of your property earlier (but after exchange of course) and get your possessions moved into the new one when there is availability.This will mean paying storage and a few nights in a travelodge.

if you do this, you give your keys to the agent/solicitor who release them to the buyers on completion.

[Middleagedmotheroftwo]

Get some mates round and hire a van. Much cheaper. Mates will usually help out in return for a couple of beers/hot meal!!

[AnnoyedByAlfieBear]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've called 5 companies and all are saying they can't promise anything.

I think we'll end up hiring a van. Not ideal with a 2yo and newborn. Or putting it off til after Christmas.

[specialsubject]

do the latter - get the exchange done and then hold the move. If everyone else in the chain agrees of course.

[PerpetualStudent]

I got massively stung with a removal company recently when booking at short notice - it's like they can smell weakness!

I would say hire a van and get a man - cheaper and they won't try to flog you cardboard boxes and rolls of bubble wrap every 5 mins...

[RaphaellaTheSpanishWaterDog]

I can sympathise as we've just been through this too.....

We were due to exchange back in November (which was expecting a lot as we only accepted an offer/offered on our new house around the end of first week in Oct) and complete a week later (21st), so we had four removal companies round for quotes early in the month, but due to the FTB at the bottom of the chain this didn't happen.

When we spoke to our solicitor re: exchange and booking removals he advised us not to hand over any money till we'd exchanged (some wanted 20%, some payment in full upfront), which made perfect sense, yet at this time of year it adds to an already stressful time!

As we were looking at removal costs of between £3400 and £4000 - without the packing service - and there were penalties due if dates had to be changed, we decided to take our solicitors advice......especially as we had a nasty feeling it would all go pear-shaped at the eleventh hour with completion put off till the New Year.

We were therefore gobsmacked when we exchanged last Friday, just prior to which (once our solicitor hinted it may happen that day) we called round our chosen removers only to find they were now fully booked. We called all the ones rejected and ditto, but eventually found a fifth firm that said they could fit us in! At that point we told our solicitor we were happy to exchange, still not believing it would happen.....but it did!

Our removers have already done two collections from us, ahead of completion next Tuesday - I echo the idea to go for a day other than Friday if poss - and they will be back Monday for the final load. All together our move is spread over five days.

We couldn't use a man & van as we have way too much stuff, much of it antique, and not everyone does long-distance.

What we have found is that some firms are getting cancellations - one called us this morning, who had previously been fully booked to say they could now accommodate us, so it's still possible you could find someone able to do it.

Our EA even called us yesterday to ask if we knew of any removers with space as a mum-to-be desperately needed to find someone in the area that could move her family before Christmas, so that shows how busy these guys are at this time of year.....

Our guys asked for payment in full when they started (£3600 including all packing stuff) due to it being within seven days of our move date.

Tbh we were happy just to pay them and know it was taken care of!

Hope you get it sorted OP and that this will soon be a distant memory.....