Relocating yourself and moving home is an important thing that you might not do regularly! It is essential to ensure that you know what to do when going through this process, especially if it is your first time doing so! You should take into consideration all of the things that you have to do when moving property, but of course, the main factor is moving all of your belongings (furniture, appliances, etc.) – this is usually done by a removal company.
If you decide to opt for a moving companies instead of moving your things yourself, you should know what to look for in a moving company in order to ensure the safety and security of your well-earned belongings. The last thing that you want to experience in an already stressful time is breakages and losses of your things!
The first thing you should do when seeking out your moving company is have a look at those that operate in your area, and seek out reviews on them online. If you know someone else that has used one of the available companies – ask them what they thought of the business, if they thought the price was good, how well their belongings were looked after, whether or not there were any delays, etc.
After you have familiarised yourself with a number of different companies offering removal services, you should be sure to thoroughly read their reviews and not disregard bad ones as a “one off occasion.” When moving your personal belongings, you should not be too quick in opting for a company – be sure to take your time and ensure that you choose wisely.
After you have read reviews and considered them, narrow down your options to perhaps four or five companies. Whilst you are considering these four or five companies, you should make a clear note of your own requirements, and what you would like to see from your chosen company in terms of price, value, location, operating times, insurance, availability etc. In terms of noting down your own requirements, you should think about what the moving company will want to know about before contacting them, and what you need from them. For example, where your belongings are being moved to, whether or not you require the company to pack up your things or if they are already packed/in storage. You should also make clear what sort of moving this is, for example, are you moving things from your home/an office, and how worried you are about the nature of the articles that you are moving – i.e. how fragile are they, are they worth a lot of money, are they electronic, etc. you should not rush this stage, since the company will provide you with a more accurate quote based on how many details you provide them to start with.
The next thing you should think about when hiring moving companies for your relocation in the United States is where your items are going to – for example, are you moving them to another similar property, or into storage? The reason you should consider these things are that some removal companies only offer the moving of articles to certain types of property – you should ensure that the exact service that you are looking for is indeed one of those that they offer.
When considering a removal company for your relocation in the United States checking trusted reviews websites is also a great way of selecting an ideal removal company. A number of comparison sites also may offer you an incentive for using them.
The next thing to consider before you make your move is a pre move survey. After completing a pre move survey you are not obligated to use that companies moving services. During this process, a surveyor from the company will come to your house or property at an arranged time. They will inspect your property in full and note down the items that you would like to move. A pre move survey is a great way to gain a rough idea of price for an overseas move as well. During this inspection from the surveyor, the surveyor will advise you on items that you can and cannot ship due to varying customs regulations in the country to which you are moving. Even if your move is not an overseas move, this pre move survey gives the company a good idea of the resources that they will need to implement in order to make the move a success, such as staff, number of vehicles etc. Not only that, it gives you, the customer, the chance to get an idea of what you think of the company and make sure that you have confidence in them.
Another factor to consider when looking for companies for your move, is that of the parking situation at your destination property. This is essential to inform your moving company of so that they know where to unload and reload their vans on the day of your move to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
The next important thing to consider is insurance. You should find out what level of insurance your potential moving company offer, and even consider adding on your personal insurance for extra security.
When looking for a removal company for your relocation in the United States you should look into whether or not the company in question has a delays policy. It is a good idea to make yourself aware of this as soon as possible since sometimes delays can be inevitable for reasons that you cannot control on the day of your move. Should a delay take place, it is good to know what the policy of your chosen company is in advance.
You should look into the complaints policy of the company – of course, you hope that this will not need to be used but it is a good idea to know that it exists beforehand, and a reputable company will have no problem with you questioning this before taking on their services. When enquiring about this you should have all of your documents accessible so that you can inform the company there and then of any issues.
You should also inform yourself of typical things that good companies do not look for before your move commences. For example you should not pay a large deposit – good removal companies will not require you to pay a large upfront deposit before your moving day, and also before your things have arrived at your destination. In the event that you do pay a deposit, you run the risk of the company stealing your belongings as well as your deposit. When you do pay any deposit whatsoever, no matter how small, you should also be sure to use a credit card to make use of buyer protection in the event that something goes wrong.
Before your move, you may also want to consider avoiding packing costs. If you do choose to pack your things yourself, the moving company is not normally responsible for any damage which they take, but, if you request that your moving company does the packing of your belongings, you should consider that you may be an extra cost for this service. Not only might you pay an extra cost – you may be an even greater cost than just packaging and labour if one of your things is broken. In order to combat this you should ask about the experience of the company to give you piece of mind.
Before your move takes place you should never sign a blank contract – ensure that you get every single detail in writing, this includes any extra costs that are or could be incurred by the company and also the pickup and delivery rates of the company. Once you have this document be sure to read it carefully and ensure that all of the articles you wish to be moved are listed on it. The reason that you should do this is to make sure that all of the belongings that you claim left your property have indeed arrived at your new property, and in the event that they have not you can prove that something has indeed went missing during transportation. You cannot claim against the company for the loss or damage of your belongings during transportation if you had not agreed that the article in question was being moved to start with.
Finally you should consider the insurance and the protection that the moving company offers. All companies should assume liability and responsibility for the value of the property that they move – there are two different types of liability that you should be aware of, as well as the charges that are associated with each, and how much protection each provides. These two options are full value protection, and alternative level of liability. You should educate yourself on both of these, and make sure you know the level of protection that the company offers. Good luck with your move!
References
https://www.moving.com/tips/hiring-quality-movers/
https://www.storagevault.com/find-good-removal-company/
