Removal costs

[vinoandbrie]

Is it possible to negotiate at all over removal costs. We’ve had a quote for £6k, and are getting another quote this week. It just seems rather expensive! This is to pack us up, move us an hour away, and reassemble beds and wardrobes.

I don’t want to be completely unreasonable by trying to negotiate a lower cost if this is not the done thing!

Get other quotes and compare, then you'll see if the first one is realistic or not. Did they price up the parts of the move separately so you can see the costs?

It very much depends on size of house, amount of stuff, ease of access etc.
We had 3 quotes between £4.5k and £5.5k for a 4 bedroom 200 mile move.

Definitely get at least 3 quotes. 3 bed, packing, assembly and moving a mile and we had quotes between £2.5k and £4k.

Check what packaging they give. We had to pay £1 per box that we had from them to pack ourselves, but got it back when we returned the boxes. Another cheaper quote gave the boxes but wanted them back within a week or they charged. Three months was more realistic.

See if any of the companies offer the 'late key' insurance. A friend bought this and it was invaluable, her seller didn't move out until 5 pm and the EA was closed :(

Get at least 3 quotes. We moved end of last year and one quote was twice as much as one of the others! Probably justified as they offered free boxes and tape. One other quote didn't give it in writing and was very vague about what it included. It was a very reputable company that came recommended. Another company didn't turn up when arranged to give us an estimate and never contacted us either. We packed ourselves but they did a great job and had our house (3 bed) emptied in 2 1/2 hours. I was very impressed.