The most important thing for any move is to make a clear and executable plan well in advance. The very basic points to decide are: when is the best time to move, how to move and how much it will cost? Ask yourself a question how much of work you want to do yourself, such as packing and unpacking, furniture disassembling and reassembling? Which company you will use to do move for you and what will you be expecting from them? Start planning and arranging things early. Depending on the size of your move starting organizing 2 months ahead will not be a bad idea.
You will have to define strict timelines and course of actions that you need to address. There is plenty of things to think about, and essentially to be done so it’s very important to make a moving checklist. This will save you a lot of hassle and time on actual moving day. You might be interested in using All Removals London moving checklist - a complete step-by-step timeline with tasks for you to follow at all stages throughout your moving process. Keep in mind that moving it’s also a great time to de-clutter and make an inventory of your belongings.
It is proven that any relocation process normally takes longer then expected, so if you want to experience smooth and relaxed move start early and stick to carefully created plan.
It is important to understand that moving will cost more than just removals company fee, so the best thing to do is to figure out what are the other cost involved in moving process and how much you'll be spending in total.
So what are the other potential extra cost you might have to include in your initial moving budget?
Packing supplies – you will need whole range of packing materials to pack and secure your belongings. And this is not just about cardboard boxes, you might need to get plenty of good quality packing tape, packing paper, bubble wrap, mattress covers etc.
Transportation: Include cost of your own transport to the new location, especially if you moving long distance or abroad. If you're traveling in your own car add in the costs for fuel and maintenance fees. If you travel by bus, train, boat or plane do not forget to include the cost of your tickets.
Renovations: No matter if you selling your house or you moving out of the rental property, most likely there will be few things you'll need to fix before you go. Smaller or bigger fixes will certainly cost some money and affect your final budget.
Cleaning: If you moving out in most of the cases you will have to leave premises clean. Ideally you also want to move in into a clean house or apartment too. It might be worth of money to invest in professional cleaners and have them to do the cleaning part on both properties for you, so you can concentrate your energy on other important tasks.
Lodging: It might not be possible for many reasons to sleep in your new home first night or maybe even longer. Determine the number of nights and find out how much lodging will cost. You can save a lot of money if you book your accommodation ahead of time. Make sure to include cost of hotel or any other temporary accommodation in your cost estimate.
Moving day: This is going to be very busy day for you and your family. It might be handy to hire a nanny for your children and order some nice takeaway instead of cooking. Can be very nice to reward hardworking removals crew with a tip. Take these expanses into account too.
Mail redirection: Consider arranging post redirection service. It’s probably the cheapest and most effective way to make sure you will receive all your mail send to your old place while in the transition period and before you manage to update senders with a new address.
Utilities: If you moving in your new home, you will have to connect all sort of services and supplies such as gas, water, electricity, telephone, internet etc. Be aware that some companies charge connection or administrative fee. Enquire how much are they (if any) and do not forget to include it in your moving budget.
Storage: If is necessary use self-storage facility, research storage companies in your area to compare quotes based on size of the lockers and estimated length of time you will need to store your belongings for. Shop around and choose storage that fits your budget and requirements.
Ok, now, based on all aspects mentioned above you can make an estimate and have a better idea of what will be your real moving cost? At this point you also know where there is a possibility to minimalize expenses and how much money you will need to save. If necessary start putting money on the side for the big day in advance. This way you will certainly ease the financial burden. It is sensible to check if your employer offers some moving allowance (just in case that can save you handsome amount of money).
Remember to review your budget and keep track of your spending, to do so keep a record of all invoices and receipts related to your move. With careful budgeting you will not get any unexpected surprises.
It is incredible how fast we accumulate belongings without even realising. The moment of truth comes when we are moving to a new home and we need to pack and organise everything we own. There are so many things that you have not used for the last several years and that, probably, you will never use again. Here, we give you some tips on how to organise your stuff for a move, deciding what you really need and giving you some options to get rid of things that you do not want anymore. The key word for the day is “decluttering”, so get ready to lighten your luggage.
It is always useful to have an inventory of the things you own and, once you have made a decision to move, this exercise becomes quite necessary as you will need to know what you have and in what boxes you have packed it. First of all, you need to decide what you will keep and what you will not. The things that you do not want anymore can be sold, recycled, given away to friends and family, or donated to charity organisations.
Start with a plan before you declutter belongings: do not intend to declutter all the junk you have accumulated for years within a single weekend. You might consider establishing a decluttering schedule and, if you are really short on time, you can just set your mind to find 15 minutes every day to focus on at least one small space or project. You can also choose rooms to tackle one at a time and order them by importance or difficulty. If you have old enough children, you can involve them in the process by playing the game “12 Challenge”: locate 12 items to throw away, 12 items to donate and 12 items to be put in the right place. Items such as clothes, books, DVDs, old toys, board games, linens or blankets are good places to start with.
Once you have decided where things will go, do not wait to take them there. As soon as you see the first positive effects of decluttering, you will feel encouraged to keep forward.
Go through every room, storage areas and garage in your house or apartment to sort out your belongings and decide on what you going to move with you and what not. You might find yourself owning things that you do not need anymore. These can be given away or gifted to your friends, neighbours or co-workers. You might organize a garage or online sale to get rid of possessions you won't need anymore.
Rest of your unwanted belongings like furniture, clothing, bedding, utensils, machinery or electronics can be donated to your local or favourite charity shop. Visit our directory for the listing of charity shops that will be happy to take over your unnecessary stuff. Certainly you will make some people very happy with these. RRcycle anything that can't be sold, gifted, donated or given away.
Moving home can be quite exciting as you would be exposed to a new environment but packing and unpacking is surely a daunting task. Also, there is a need for you to clean first before you move out and move in and so, consider the following tips below:
Some of our most favourite cleaning tips:
Will be wise to acquire all necessary packaging materials and tools before you start packing. We offer strong moving boxes in three sizes: small, medium and large. Try to estimate how many these moving boxes you will need. Using uniform size boxes makes packing, loading, unloading and unpacking much easier, safer and faster.
You should also think about specially design archive boxes that will be very handy to pack up your home office. For packing your clothes (especially suits, dresses and coats) you will find our wardrobe boxes unreplaceable. We strongly advise you to order plenty of boxes, rather than not enough. If you choose to move with All Removal London we will take excess of your not used boxes back and refund you the money.
You might consider using bubble wrap to protect fragile or easily breakable glass items. Bubble wrap is also your first choice to securely wrap your flat screen TV, computer screen or mirrors.
Do not forget about white tissue packing paper for linens and any other belongings you like to protect from scratching or colorizing. Plastic sofa and mattress covers. We offer plastics covers for single, double and king size mattresses. You might be interested in one arm chair, two seat and three seat sofa plastic covers. Using those will keep your furniture away from the dust and dirt.
Make sure to order enough good quality packing tape to seal your boxes or to tape some things together. You will also need set of color marking pens, set of scissors and carton cutters. Keep some tools ready to be used if you have to dismantle and assemble furniture.
You can acquire all packaging items mention above on our website. Please visit our Packaging Store to order. To make your life easier we offer already prepared moving kits. Their sizes vary accordingly to the size of your property. You might look into these kits and if you have any questions or would like to make sure you order enough packaging materials please give All Removals London a call and we will help you with the estimate.
Labeling the removal boxes is one of the most important things to do when you plan a relocation, especially when it comes to a bigger relocation to a new place further away from your old home, as well as relocation with numerous, big and heavy removal boxes.
Labeling will ensure an easy and a better orientation among the piles of boxes and items, which one is the perfect way for quick removal activities like loading and unloading the moving van, and two, it's the perfect way for your helpers to know what's inside each box.
While packing you may use lot of cartons and boxes those look similar in size and color. Normally after stuffing your seal them with the normal scotch or masking tape but before you put the box aside you just finished make sure you codify that box so that you can identify it when it reaches the final destination. The best thing to do is to use color stickers or color duct tapes. Each color can represent a location in your house. For example red for bedroom, green for kitchen, yellow for living room and so on. It is also advisable to give every package a number and make a list of all packages to ensure that nothing is missed during the move.
Some cartons will have breakable items and to alarm the mover or even yourself during loading and unloading sticker with “Handle with care” and “This side up” must be used to avoid any breakage or losses.
Electronics, over the years, have become a rather integral part of our lives. They’re how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves largely. Most of us would feel lost without our cell phone or our laptop, and that’s perfectly okay! But when we’re moving, we have to pack those things gently due to their fragile nature. Screens can be easily damaged, components can be easily lost. We’ve compiled some tips for you here to make sure you will pack your electronic equipment properly and shift it to your new place in working order.
Many electronic items require dozens of cords to keep them working. Computers have cables for powering itself, cables connecting and powering number of other peripheral devices. Stereos and Home Cinema sets will have cables connecting DVD or multimedia players, video game systems, TV and speakers. And the each of these devices will have their own wires. Top it up with all chargers and all sort of other cables that we get with our home electronic devices. That means a lot of cables and it can really get messy, that’s why it’s super important to keep these separate from each other.
When you disassemble your electronics - do it one by one. Take picture of your current hook ups so you’ve got a visual which cable is connected where. You can write your own step-by-step guide while dismantling the equipment so you can refer to it when reassembling the set up.
Label or colour code all cords and wires connected to a device appropriately. If you use coloured stickers you can place small coloured stickers on each end of the cable and the same colour sticker where the cord connects to the device.
Once you’re done, bundle them with a rubber band or tape to keep them together. If possible attach it to device they belong to, or at least place them in the same box, so you won’t misplace them. This will save you a lot of time and the hassle of trying to figure out what goes where when you reassemble your electronics.
The best way to securely pack your home’s electronics is to put it back to its original packaging. Especially if that’s a 50 inch plasma TV’s or very sensitive computer tower. But not many of us manage or have space to keep their original boxes and packaging around, so in that case use replacement sturdy boxes and plenty of proper packing materials as padding – you can use bubble wrap to keep your devices from bouncing around.
Do not, under any circumstances, use packing peanuts or popcorn, as they generally hold a static charge and can potentially damage important components of your electronics.
Seal of your fully packed boxes with professional packing tape and make sure to clearly label the boxes with ‘FRAGILE’ and “THIS SIDE UP” so moving crew knows exactly how to handle the goods.
If you are moving large LCD or plasma television, the most preferable way to protect it while in transport would be to use manufactures original packaging. In any other case make use of bubble wrap and soft blankets to wrap them around, typing them with a large rubber band and packing tape. When you are done with wrapping, place TV in custom prepared, strong cardboard box for an extra protection. You might also opt to custom-crate your TV – what can be arranged by a third-party service. What people have tendency to forget about is outside antennas or satellite dishes. So please make sure to disconnect and take it down before your moving day.
Please keep in mind that most of TV manufactures recommend to allow TV to “set” and reach room temperature, before switching it back on, which might take few hours. It is always a good idea to refer to manual for more information on how to protect your TV from any kind of damage.
Make sure to prepare your inkjet or laser printer before moving, no matter if it is for short or long distance move. The following few tips will prevent printer from getting demaged.
To reduce the chance of attracting unwanted attention from potential thieves especialy If you can’t keep an eye on your boxes while moving, make sure to put small and most expensive electronic items in non-descriptive boxes, or even consider labelling them something completely opposite of what they are (for instance, label them “bathroom”). It’ll deter thieves from hunting through them thinking they’ve found the mother lode of items to steal, and assume they’re about to raid the towels instead - something that just doesn’t sell well on the black market.
We all know that our pets are important members of the family and, consequently, they also experience the stress caused by a removal. This is why it is important to keep them in mind from the beginning of the move and plan according to their needs too. Here, we will give you some suggestions that we found very useful.
On a first place, it is important that, while you are preparing to move, you keep your pet’s schedule as stable as possible, trying to maintain similar feeding hours and the walking and playtime times that your pet is used to. Helping to keep their habits steady will prevent unnecessary anxiety produced by continuous movement and noise during the packing process.
It is crucial that you also make arrangements for the life of your pet in your new home: take note of the nearest vet and assess if it is necessary to register your pet over there. If you are going to be very busy getting ready for the move, it might be a good option for your pets to spend that time in the animal day care or with some friends or relatives who can pay proper attention to them. Do not forget to make travel arrangements for your pets on the moving day: keep them away from the movers and make sure you take them with you in your vehicle instead of just putting them in the cargo van with the boxes. That would scare them.
It is inevitable that your pets will notice the change and they might take a little while to adapt to the new situation, but if you follow this little advice, the process will be probably smoother and easier for everybody.
Are you looking for self-storage in your area? Do you need some extra space for your belongings? There is plenty of reasons you might need storage: if you are moving out from a house before your new home is ready, if some of your furniture does not fit in your new place, if your loved one have passed away recently and is just too hard throw away things person left behind, if you need and extra space for storing your fitness or holiday equipment, if you need a business storage, or, simply, if you want to give a new look to your new house without getting rid of your old things. Whatever your reason is, self-storage can be a good solution for you. Storage spaces available widely vary in size and, consequently, in price.
Self-storage offers numerous benefits and here are some of its main benefits:
Security – there’s more security offered by a self-storage facility than you can find on your own home. Aside from a lock, there are surveillance cameras, gated entry, exterior lighting, security fences, limited after-hours entry, and security guards. If you own valuable items like jewelries, which you always use, it would be best to place them in a self-storage facility for an easy access and 24/7 guard protection and CCTV security.
Safety – your family’s safety is very important and for this reason along, it’s not a good idea to have renovation related tools and equipment in your home. This is really true, especially if you have small children in your home. If you have tools such as ladders, drills, saws, and other power tools lying around your home, try to consider keeping them in a self-storage facility. In this way, you will reduce the risks of having injuries and accidents within your home, keeping your family completely safe.
Reduce Clutter – whether it’s office or home, storage space can free up a necessary space and help reduce the clutter. A lot of people have the fear of throwing things because they think those things will be useful in the future. In most families, hoarding can cause a lot of problem because it creates reduction in the actual living space. When using self-storage facilities, we can clear that space and at the same time keep those items.
Space for Big Items – Many people like the idea of owing canoes, vintage cars, ski boats, etc. but if you don’t have enough room to store these items, it would be best to rent a self-storage unit near your home. In this way, you can save your own living space while protecting your items against different weather conditions.
A self-storage facility can be your affordable way to have your belonging closer to you without having them at home. When using storage, decide the items that you want to keep, recycle, donate or sell, and the things that will go into your storage.
It is always important to research how much space you will need for your things, how much access you will have to your furniture once stored, and what kind of notice you need to give. Prices also depend on this. Prices also depend on this. Ask around in order to get a good deal for your storage needs in London. If you are unsure of what storage company to contract, please check our Storage Directory or give us a call and we will be more than happy to advise you.
First thing you should do is to get your mail redirected with Post Office. You can save yourself time and effort and have your post sent to new address not only in UK but also abroad. All you have to do is fill in a redirection form that you can download from Post Office website and hand it over to your nearest branch. Nominally service is activated five working days after application has been received.
Next step will be to change your address with:
In most cases you can update your address easily via internet or phone. And just for you to make sure you haven't forget about anything we put this "Who to inform" list in our checklist.
Please make sure you have parking place arranged and access to your property cleared from all obstructions. This apply to both properties the one you moving from and the one you moving to. Please let your neighbors know in advance that a removal van will be parked outside your home on your moving day.
It’s your responsibility to arrange necessary parking permit if required. If there are restrictions such as yellow lines, red routes or residents only etc. you have to arrange parking permit with your local council. As much we wouldn’t mind to do it for you we can’t. Only you as a resident can arrange that. Check out our directory for relevant phone numbers and links to more information about parking in your area.