House Removals in Greater London

Are you preparing for an international move? We all know relocating abroad comes with its unique set of challenges as well as tasks - from applying for visas to learning new languages and everything in between. Fortunately, this post has been created in order to help you check out one of the most important to dos that’s probably on your list - determining how to move your personal belongings to a new country. Here, the first thing you should know while moving household items outside the borders is that it’s usually a bit more tricky than moving them within the United Kingdom, but it can still be achieved with proper planning. Below is an overview of the best ways you can put into consideration to move your personal belongings abroad.

• Moving by sea freight. This is the most common and cost efficient means to transport household items to another country. In order to achieve this, an international moving company will send a container to your home to be loaded with the household items. Once done, a truck will pick it up and carry it to the port. Generally, most international moving companies offer door to door and door to port service, in which an agent helps manage the move to make sure that your container is forwarded to the right carrier as well as seeing to it that all customs clearance documents are duly completed and submitted.
• Moving by air freight. This is less common and more expensive way to move household belongings to a new country. Although an airplane can only carry so much cargo, but many holds the belief that the convenience it offers is well worth the hefty price tag as well as space limitation. Therefore, if you wish to receive your personal belongings as soon as possible, going for this option would be your best bet.

Moving house is basically not an interesting thing to do because it's a stressful event you can go through. Either you are the type that loves moving or you moving for the first time, here are guidelines to be considered to successfully move a house. Any prep-work you can do to make your move a bit easier is a no-brainer.

1. Research your move

If you’ve gotten a new house and your offer to let the house has been accepted, it’s time to start your moving house checklist! Without complications, a straightforward move can take around 8 weeks to go through. It’s essential to get the legal side in place early on to ensure a smooth transaction of your property sale or purchase.

2. Arrange your home survey

You may want to start discarding some unwanted properties and arrange the useful ones in boxes. Having a good clear out will save you money on your removals, and make unpacking easier! You can start planning your move, even if you haven’t got a firm date yet.

3. Finalise contracts and pack

A month before moving to your new house, you will probably have had a chartered surveyor to inspect your new property and inform you of its structural condition of it well to standard or any minor renovation before hand. If there are issues, then may renegotiate your offer. You’ll now be able to talk to your solicitor about finalising your moving date.

4. Get ready to move home

At this stage, all necessary needs to be confirmed as regarding your relocation. If your removal company cannot provide some necessary additional services such as un-plumbing washing machines, disassembling/reassembling furniture and packing, it would be a good time to organise these too before the packing date. On your moving day, children and pets can stay other family members, meaning you can focus on getting everything moved efficiently.

5. Update your address and get organised

Few days before moving into your new home, your major priority should be organising, finishing packing your properties and  getting ready to go!

6. Prepare to leave your old house

Once the packing date has finally come,  it’s time for a final check and walk round the property to ensure nothing is forgotten. Separate your essential needs packed in a bag (face cream, toothpaste, toothbrush e.t.c) and  make sure that this is separate from the items going with the removal lorry.

7. Lock up and move out

Be ready for before your removal company arrives so they can begin action immediately. Identify whether any boxes need special care or are not to be taken by them. Make sure you take the meter readings for you to give to your providers and leave the keys for the new owner. It’s now time to move to your new home!

8. Check your new property

When you arrive at your new home it’s important to make your removal company aware of any special instructions and that they know which room the boxes are headed to. They can simply be supervised by you to ensure no mixed up or any forms of mistakes.Boxes should be moved according to the tags or description on them. Make sure you are happy that everything on your inventory is accounted for before your moving company leaves.

9. Relax in your new home

After a busy moving exercise, don’t try to unpack everything at once. Make up the beds and then spend the evening relaxing with loved ones and congratulate yourself on making it through the day.

Moving house doesn’t have to be a strenuous tasks. Follow up the guidelines I have compiled containing the ultimate moving guide featuring 12 tips to successfully move house, the main do's and don'ts to remember, and a room by room packing guide are simply below;

1. Declutter Your Belongings

Tidying is an essential task every now and then while considering moving house. Before even attempting to pack, you should decide what to sell, donate or throw out. By decluttering, you'll also keep your house removal costs down as there’ll be fewer boxes to move.

2. Book a Removal Company

Once you’ve tidy your physical possessions, you should book your removals company. You could attempt DIY if moving fewer belongings or moving within town but it would be a lot of added stress and time.

3. Create an Inventory

Creating an inventory helps to keep an eye on all your belongings to make sure nothing is lost throughout the process of packing.

4. Pack as Early as Possible

Once you compare surveyors, get conveyancing quotes, and set your moving date, then it's time to start packing.

5. Start By Packing Least Used Rooms

A good starting point will be rooms that are least used.The spare bedroom, garage  are usually easy places to start.

6. Arrange Your Utilities Early

It’s important to set up your utilities such as council tax, gas and home insurance early when moving house. Not only will this save you a lot of stress once you’re moved in, but you will have more time to settle in and relax in your new home.

7. Label Properly

You should label on boxes going to a particular room and a brief summary of what’s inside so there’s no confusion when you’re unpacking. If you don’t want to write a short novella on the boxes you can as well use tag to differentiate each boxes and where it belongs to.

8. Pack a Survival Box

Pack the things you need most every day and night in a separate bag and keep this with you at all times. Items such as medicine, face cream, toothbrush, toilet roll, change of clothes, phone chargers etc will all come in handy.

9. Visit Your New Area

You'll know your new home inside and out after you have carefully survey round the new environment, but what about the neighbourhood? Once the removal company is booked and you’ve started packing, go and spend the weekend in your new area, checking out the local pubs and shops.

10. Update Your Address

It’s a good idea to change your address with companies or organisations like the bank, the doctor’s surgery, car insurance company, local authority and post office 2 weeks before you move.

11. Check Council Tax Band

Many people will forget about taking care of their council tax when moving house. If you’re moving to a new area, there will be a need to set up new address. Check with your local authority for more details about your council tax band.

12. Register to Vote

Another important factor when moving house is staying on the electoral register. You will have to update your address and ensure you’re still able to vote. Luckily, it’s a fairly simple process and can be done through the government website.

Moving a house can be an exciting task, but also a stressful one at the same time. For most home and property owners, one fee that’s often overlooked when its time to budget is the removal costs. Most times, the additional money you’d have to set aside for a removals company to pack and unpack your household items can come as a big surprise to many. So exactly how much can you expect to pay for removals in the UK? Let’s take a look!

Overall, the average house removal costs for a standard 3 bedroom house move based on short distance removals of about 25 miles is about £500 to about £555. This amount should cover the basic costs provided all the necessary household items and furniture have already been packed. What’s more? There’ll be some additional costs to factor in the event whereby you need packing services as well as materials to be supplied by your local removal company.

If there’s also a need for dismantles and re-assembly of some items, this will also attract some extra costs. Further more, the relocation cost will also increase if your need special attention as well as care for any of your personal items.

In addition, a long distance move from your current home will obviously be more expensive than the cost of a local move in the UK. Also, international removals are significantly more expensive again. For instance, its more reasonable that an international move to Nigeria would be a lot more expensive than the cost to move to a nearby town.

Apart from long distances, another factor that can influence the removal cost is the size of the property. For instance a four-bedroom house will need more packing material, bigger removal vans and will also be more time consuming when compared to moving out of a one-bedroom house.