What to Look for When Choosing a
Storage and Moving Company

• Why choosing the right company matters
• What to look for
• What do they offer?
• Finding the right one for you
• Questions to ask your mover before you lock them
• Comparing your options
• Mistakes to avoid

• Why choosing the right company matters? There are several risks involved in hiring moving and storage services. Last minute cancellations, tricky insurance and paperwork, delay schedules or hidden charges are a few common ones. To avoid doubling your costs or attracting unnecessary last-minute stress, it is very important to choose a service you trust. Best moving companies in the UK will solve problems and understand key customer pain points rather than being a hard-sell. Look for those green flags before you make a decision and do a mindful evaluation.
• What to look for? Accredited moving companies in the UK will be highly professional in the way they deal with customers. Clear and transparent communication, living up to the expectations and keeping customers at the heart of the process is key to enabling a smooth process and being problem-solvers and not creators. Make sure they understand your needs, share sizes and dimensions and lay out a clear scope of work before they begin. Discuss insurance against damage and coordinate on special requests well in advance. Talk to the team and gain confidence by sharing concerns or apprehensions and understand their service model. Find exactly what you need, discuss budgets if needed and see how they tailor their services to make them the best fit for you. Compare moving quotes in London to find the best deals but don’t negate the trust and value driven by brands while making the decision.
• What do they offer? A lot of companies would be offering end-to-end moving and packing services including labelling, packaging, assembling, transporting and unloading. Storage units would be able to help with transport and storage unit facilities. You could coordinate with them on the slots or days that work for you in case you have a busy schedule and prefer weekends for example. Remember that the package is built around what your needs are and is supposed to be built to help you simplify the process. Communicate the gaps to them and let them help you figure a solution for you as that is their expertise.
• Finding the right one for you: Choosing a removal company is a tricky part because you have to make sure they address all potential pain points for you and that you can trust them with it. If you have a tight budget, you might want to aid in some services like packing or labelling- as most of them will charge on a project or hourly basis. Taking a smaller truck if you have lighter boxes can also help save costs by estimating the size of the transport vehicle you’d need. Business moves would attract extra paperwork. International moving would require clearances and additional logistical support. It is best to find a reliable partner and discuss your situation with them.
• Questions to ask your mover before you lock them: We made a short pre-move interview guide for you so you don’t have to. How do they handle fragile items and instruments? What are the charges if we go above or below the agreed hours? Who is the POC on the move day and how do we communicate with them? How can we track our items? Do you need anything from us to do this smoothly? What is the insurance policy and how do we claim damage if any and do you support in those services? What is included/not included in the rate we have agreed at? These questions should be able to give you a playing field to get to know your moving/storage services a little better before you agree to choose them.
• Comparing options: Check for any accreditations, appreciations or reviews that you may find online. Speak to their call centre or desk to know the scope of their services and costings. Enquire for hidden charges and support if things go wrong/are delayed. Compare insurance options and see which facility serves the area you live in or has been in the industry for a while and hence can be trusted more.
• Common mistakes to avoid: Despite finding the right mover for yourself and doing all the research it needs, things could go wrong if you don’t keep a few little details in mind. Booking the service last minute or delays on your end could shoot up the costs very quickly and makes coordination very hard for both the parties so plan well in advance. Not confirming insurance in writing can get you in real trouble later by creating confusion. Assuming everything is included without discussing a breakdown of services and scope of work makes the process inefficient. Budget for any unforeseen instances that may happen and have an honest conversation with your provider to minimise impact.

Having the right storage/moving provider makes this process a success or a disaster. You could be doing everything right but this elements stand to be the most key in your moving process and needs to be dealt with in detail. Finding a reliable partner is important and building that relationship and trust needs communication from both parties. We hope this helped you acknowledge the importance of this step in your journey of planning things, Happy moving!!

Do your online research, read reviews, speak to them and understand their scope of services and ask for accountability if things go wrong on their end. Get a detailed written quote and map your needs to their services.

Most reliable companies do- yes! It could be packaging, only fragile item- packaging or unloading and unpacking at the destination too. It is best to ask that company for the scope of their services, though.

A lot of moving companies also aid with the storage processes. You can decide the duration by sharing your needs with them as they would offer both short-term and long-term solutions. Do address accessibility, security features at the facility and charges involved.