Moving house with a removal company

[blamethecat]

We are moving in 3 weeks and for the first time we are using a removal company to pack and move. Currently trying to declutter so we don't end up taking stuff we don't need moved last time and haven't touched since but can anyone give us any tips on what else to do beforehand ?

I would ask how much they charge to pack the house!

We only paid 250 quid and they did the whole house. Obviously I don't know your budget. We were moving abroad so it was a tiny cost relative to the rest of it!

Put a box of essentials in your car to take. Tea/coffee/milk/spoons/kettle and kids stuff/comforters.

We forgot to be aware of where breakfast stuff was for the morning after. Was a bit of an issue!

I've got prices and it's all booked. £200 for full packing service, in the time we had it's worth it.

If you can afford to have them pack for you then definitely do. I was surprised at how little it cost and they were great.
If you're packing yourself, get some decent boxes (try Freecycle). Having millions of random boxes is just awkward (for them to move and pack in the lorry, and for dumping in the new house).
Make the guys lots of tea and coffee! If you don't offer it, chances are they'll ask for it, and then you just look tight.

Chuck out as much as you can.
Sort kids and pets properly.
Have an essentials box to keep with you which includes wash stuff and fresh clothes.
Ensure you drink plenty of water.

My advice would be to pack anything very precious/fragile yourself, ahead of time. Removals packing is great but they are not generally as careful as you might be!

Make an inventory list ie what is being packed .
This is useful in the case of any damages or missing items
When they pack the boxes make sure they label them as to where they will go in the new property eg baby toys - storage in loft
Laundry items - utility room

Also another great tip is to make your own box with essentials in it that you need close to hand - like passports , vital papers , medications , essentials for arrival like tea , coffee , kettle , baby milk etc .
Place that box under lock and key so it doesn't get packed ( if no rooms can be locked maybe put it in the car?)

I have moved internationally several times and these are my tips learnt the hard way . Hopefully a within UK move will be way easier , but moving is stressful.
I have to say it is well worth the money to have you stuff professionally packed as the most work for you comes at the destination.
Keep the movers happy with regular tea/ coffee and consider a tip at the end too for a hopefully good job.

I would have said the opposite - removals men were much more efficient at packing fragile stuff than I would have been. They also provide sturdy boxes so that saves you money. Mine also included dismantling and reassembling beds, which really helped.
I put a bag of important valuables eg jewellery, passports, can opener etc. in the car so there was no danger of them getting temporarily lost.

Take the vacuum cleaner , some dusters and polish with you. Aim to arrive first and then hoover the empty rooms.

Getting removals to pack was the best thing we did when it came to moving. It was amazing. The only tip I would say is to make sure you put kettle, tea, essentials out the way and clearly label them so they don't get caught up with other stuff.

Also be aware they will pack absolutely everything they see so if there is anything you don't want pack put it in a labeled box or get rid of it. We ended up with them packing the doorbell and had to hunt it out and return it to our somewhat confused landlord.

I don’t think anything you pack yourself would be covered by their insurance. I would let them pack everything.

Be aware they pack everything, so you may find yourself with full rubbish bins coming with you! If there is anything you are leaving behind make sure you make it clear to them. I remember on another thread on this subject a PP said they were wearing their slippers whilst the removal men were packing, then went to put their shoes on when it was time to leave, and they had been packed!

They will pack everything so be sure to speak with the foreman about what they are not to touch, etc. I made sure bins were emptied, etc. I had to stop one of the guys using our damp, as in used, bath towels to pack up the bathroom stuff though on moving day.

Take bedding in the car with you - just roll up everything on each bed together, sheets, duvet and pillows, then you can make beds easily at the other end.

We had a box we put extension leads, chargers, remotes, etc in so they were easy to find.

Thanks for these ! We get keys a few days before so I'm planning on cleaning new place then and taking a few bits before but will pack kettle, coffee and biscuits on the day and take them with us. Great tip on extension leads, chargers etc .

Our movers found this funny but helpful (or so they said) - draw out the floor plan, assign coloured star stickers to each room, and use the same stickers on your boxes so that they know exactly which room to put each box in. It's easy enough to write "kitchen" etc on the boxes, but for different bedrooms this might help make unloading more efficient