Moving house or relocating your office is a tough task. You have endless things to do, and so many items to move from place to place. It’s impossible to do all of this without the help of some experienced Sydney removalists. The best furniture removalists around can take care of all your large objects and transport them safely to your new home/office. Instead of making multiple trips in your own car – or a rented van – the entire house move or office relocation can be completed in one journey!
There’s no denying the benefits of hiring removalists in Sydney. However, one question still remains; how do you find the absolute best company around? This is a harder question than it seems, particularly when you consider the trust that goes into hiring a mover. You trust them with some of your most valuable and sentimental items. Or, if you’re undergoing an office relocation, then you trust them to look after some vital business property and ensure it makes it to the new place in one piece.
Generally speaking, your best tactic is to create a shortlist of up to five different Sydney removalists. Get estimates from each, and consider their experience, skills, and services. When you weigh up all the options, you’ll soon find the perfect movers in Sydney.
To help you come to your decision, we’ve laid out a few tips that will help you shortlist the most competent removalist for your home or office relocation. Check them out here:
Ensure the removalists know your needs
Everyone has a set of specific requirements when dealing with house removals or corporate relocation. In your head, you will know precisely what you want to get out of the moving process. But, do the removalists know your needs as well?
When your moving company understands what you want to achieve from the move, then they will work to help you reach your goals. Both parties are on the same page, which makes the entire moving process a lot smoother for you. So, make sure you talk to the movers in Sydney and tell them what you’re looking for.
Don’t be afraid to have a list with you so you can read all the things from it. Are you looking for packing services in Sydney along with the moving service? If so, then you have to shortlist companies that can meet your needs by being movers and packers – not just removalists. List all the items that you want to move from place to place, so your movers understand what they have to do. Also, give a timeframe – this is particularly important when searching for office removalists. You need assurance that the move will be made within an allotted timeframe, so it doesn’t cause disruptions in your business.
As a brief summary; your removalist has to know your needs and goals. If they do, then they can either accept them and work towards them or tell you that they can’t do specific things for you. As such, you should only shortlist the companies that are capable of helping you achieve your moving goals.
Get a visual price estimate
It goes without saying that you need estimates for house removals. Moving companies all have different rates, but there’s usually one common way of determining the costs. Essentially, the more items you have – or the larger your items are – then the more expensive it tends to be. This is purely because more things equal more effort for your removalists. So, they will charge more for a large-scale move as opposed to one where just a couple of items of furniture have to be taken to your new house.
So, first and foremost, seek out estimates from different Sydney removalists before you narrow down the options. However, you must ensure that you get visual price estimates. What does this mean? Well, some companies will provide quotes based on your own estimation of how much stuff you have to move. For example, you call them up for a quote, and you tell them that you have two double beds, three sofas, a dining table, a fridge/freezer, and twenty moving boxes. They’ll ask for a bit of extra information, then provide a quote. The problem is that they haven’t seen all of the items in your home. So, you might make it seem like you have more things than you actually do – or less. In essence, it leads to inaccurate quotes, which means the actual price of the move will differ.
Therefore, you have to get your removalists down to your home or office. Let them walk around and see everything with their eyes. They can make a note of all the items you wish to pack up and move, along with other things like the accessibility of your property. It’s harder for office removalists to move everything out of an office on the fifth floor compared to one on the ground floor. Likewise, they take into account the number of floors they have to go up/down when arriving at your new office/home too. This impacts the overall price estimate, as does the journey length between places.
All in all, visual inspections lead to accurate price estimates. So, get a handful of office movers or house removalists to survey your property and provide a quote. Now, you can compare the quotes with more accuracy, showing you which company offers the best value. To make things even better, you should look for removalists that offer free call-outs as well. A lot of companies will charge to come to your property and figure out the price estimate. This is a needless expense, so try and shortlist removalists that don’t charge for this service as it can save you a little bit of money.
Get everything in writing
This tip is a simple way to differentiate legitimate companies from ones that shouldn’t be trusted. Before you agree to anything, make sure you have everything in writing. This refers to the price estimate/quote, information on what the removalist is doing for you, the moving date/time, any additional expenses/services, and so on.
A trustworthy company will have no trouble providing you with a contract that you can read over and sign. If you aren’t given anything in writing, then you can’t trust the company to be your Sydney removalists. It’s very fish if a business doesn’t draw up a legitimate legal document for you to sign. More often than not, it’s to cover their own backsides in case certain parts of the agreement aren’t met.
When you have a paper contract, then you have evidence of the agreement between both parties. So, if any of the terms aren’t met, you can use this to file a claim against the business. Let’s face it, no moving company wants to go through the stress of dealing with an unhappy client. As such, they stick to the contract agreement and ensure you’re satisfied.
Choose removalists that offer flat rates
Whether you’re looking for house removals or office removalists, the way in which you’re charged makes a huge difference. Typically, there are two options:
- Flat rate
- Hourly rate
The hourly rate is a sum of money you pay per hour. Now, here’s the interesting thing; it seems as though hourly rates are cheaper. You do get charged less, but the sneaky aspect is that removalists can drag out a move for longer than it needs to be. After all, they’re the professionals, so you trust they know what they’re doing. If you opt for packing service in Sydney as well, then they add the time it takes to pack all your belongings into the overall moving time as well. So, they can pack slowly, take their time when moving everything, and so on. Not to mention the fact that traffic can also extend the move – and there’s the ordeal of unpacking everything too.
As a consequence, a cheap hourly rate can suddenly transform into something very costly. Plus, you won’t know how much you pay until the move is finished. This is why choosing a flat rate is a better option. It might seem more expensive at first, but it will work out cheaper for moves that take a long time. The rate stays the same, and you know exactly what you have to pay. So, there’s no shock when the move takes twice as long as expected! Also, the removalists understand what they’re getting paid. Therefore, there’s no need to drag anything out. They’ll be quicker, so your move can go along smoother.
Think about additional services
On a base level, Sydney removalists will just take all of your belongings and move them from location to location. This is the lowest level of service you can get, but some people are perfectly fine with it. If you’ve already got your own moving boxes and have packed everything up, then all you need is a mover to come and provide the manpower and transport. In fact, if you’re looking to save money, then this is a smart option to consider. The more you can do by yourself, the less you leave your house or office removal company. As a result, the rate will be cheaper.
However, it’s worth thinking about any additional services that you perceive as valuable. For example, some people are looking for removals and storage services. This is common in instances where you’re moving to a smaller place and don’t have the space to keep all of your belongings. As such, you look for moving and storage services to move your boxes and items to a secure storage location. People who are moving to temporary accommodation will also need storage services to hold things until moving on again.
The same goes for packing services, some of you might deem these as essential. Packers and movers in Sydney can come to your property and professionally pack up all of your belongings. Some people like this as it leaves them with fewer things to do, but it will up the prices. Movers and packers seem to work well for corporate relocation as well. If you run a business, then you have a lot on your plate already. As a consequence, it’s hard to find the time to pack everything up before your more. By getting this additional service, it leaves you with fewer things to worry about, so you can continue working right up until the moving date. Also, packing services in Sydney can ensure your expensive office equipment is packed up securely and well protected during the move.
Think back to the very first point about your moving needs! Consider if it’s worth having additional services on top of the standard removalist offering. If you think you’ll benefit from packing or storage services, then shortlist companies that can provide this for you.
Make sure there’s insurance
If you decide to pack everything up yourself, then you put yourself in charge of them. If anything happens during the move – and your items get damaged – then that’s technically your fault. After all, you made the decision to pack your things up, and you chose the materials they’re packed in.
However, if you do opt for a moving and packing service, then you shouldn’t be liable for any damages that happen to your items. You’ve paid for their materials, you’ve paid for their time/work, and you do this under the assumption that all of your items are protected. The packers and movers should provide high-quality materials that keep your things nice and safe. They should have bubble wrap and other materials that protect your most valuable items, and they need to secure the boxes so things can’t fall out.
But, if your movers are doing all of your packing, then you need to ensure they have insurance. Talk to them to be sure that they have insurance in place that covers any accidental damages during the packing and moving processes. So, if something does happen – and your item is damaged – their insurance policy should help cover the cost of repairs or replacements. If there’s no insurance, then you shouldn’t choose this company. It’s too much of a risk, and it also says something about the business. Most moving companies are insured, and they use insurance as a way of showing they’re professional and trustworthy. It’s almost a case of them saying that they trust their ability to keep everything safe and protected, so they’re willing to pay for things if this doesn’t happen.
Avoid any moving brokers
There are plenty of removalists in Sydney, and business is booming within this industry. As a result, many individuals recognise a chance to make a pretty penny. This resulted in the rise of independent moving brokers and contractors popping up all over the city. Basically, these people act as the middle-man between you and your Sydney removalists. They try and secure your services with loads of promises about swift moves with no stress at all. Some will even offer attractive prices, but you shouldn’t be tempted.
Why? Because moving brokers don’t have any control over the services, they promise. They’ll secure your business, then find a moving company to do all the work for you. This means you don’t have any direct contact with the removalists that are in charge of your move. So, if you have any issues or directions for the movers, you have to go through the broker, then wait for them to pass the message on. Then, the process is reversed when they get back to you.
All in all, it’s too much stress – and it’s so avoidable. Plus, these brokers are only in it for one thing; money. They secure a nice commission from setting you up with a moving company. As a result, they’re not going to be as thorough as you are when conducting their research. In most cases, they have affiliate removalists with deals in place that ensure all business goes through them. It’s not worth the risk; do your own research and choose a proper moving company for your office relocation or house removal.
Look at the public opinion
Lastly, you will get a good idea for the best Sydney removal companies by looking at what the public says. Go online and check for reviews from previous customers. This is the best way to get honest opinions on different removalists, so you can separate the very best from the rest.
Most companies should show reviews on Google, and some will have testimonials on their websites. Check reviews from different sources, and ask any local people for recommendations as well. It might transpire that your friends all used the same company and can vouch for them. Or, if you’re looking for office relocation, ask other businesses in your building if they’ve ever used a removal company. Again, they could recommend one or a couple of businesses that they say are legit.
So, consider all of these points when shortlisting a competent removalist for your house or office. It’s crucial to weigh up all your options before you make the final decision. If you’re looking for some Sydney removalists that offer both packing and storage services for offices and homes, then we can help you out. Feel free to contact Furniture Removals Sydney for a completely free call-out!
