Moving home is an expensive life event and it can also be really stressful. You’ve just paid a fortune for your dream home and now you need to decide whether or not to pay the additional cost of a removal firm. Is it possible to do it all yourself? Below you’ll discover everything you need to know about the pros and cons of both DIY moves and removal firms in the UK.
Cost differences
There can be a significant cost difference between doing it yourself and hiring a removals company. Not only do you typically tend to pay for the actual service, but you also have to cover part of the company’s overheads. They need to factor in the cost of fuel, labour and overheads. When it’s just you all you really need is a van. If you have a friend with a van you can borrow then all you really need to pay for is the fuel and packing equipment. So if you’re looking for the cheapest way to do it, DIY wins every time. However, the cost shouldn’t be the only thing you look at.
The amount of work involved
If you choose to do it yourself, it adds a lot of extra work onto your already busy schedule. You would need to pack, sort out transportation, load and unload everything yourself and unpack. It’s surprising how tiring this can be, not to mention stressful! A removal company on the other hand tends to take care of all of this for you. Not all of them will pack your belongings, but a lot do and it can be really helpful. All you need to do is let them know where your belongings will be going and they will sort out the rest.
So if you’re looking to cut back on hassle, hiring a removals company is definitely worth considering.
Protecting your belongings
When moving all of your stuff, you need to be aware of how you pack things. There’s a high risk of your belongings getting damaged in transit; especially if you’re doing it yourself. A removals company has vast amounts of experience packing and loading things into the van. Therefore they know how to protect your valuable items. They will also come with insurance in case anything does go wrong. When you do it yourself you don’t have insurance. So if anything were to break, you would need to foot the entire bill. Even if you have contents insurance, it likely won’t cover goods being damaged in a move.
Taking distance into account
One thing you need to think about before making a decision of which removal method to go with, is the amount of distance you’ll need to travel. Sometimes it’s easier to do it yourself if you are only moving a short distance away. However, if you’re changing counties or even countries, you will likely need professional help.
Things to be aware of with do it yourself moves
Before you make a decision based on cost, it’s important to think about what could go wrong. Doing it yourself may not actually be cheaper in the long run. There’s the possibility you could hire the wrong size van and you also need to take into account that lorry’s and vans are pretty difficult to drive. If you end up having an accident in the van, you will also be liable for excess.
Overall while it can save money doing a house move yourself, it is highly recommended you seek help from a removals company. They can eliminate so much stress and make the day a whole lot easier.
Love Removals is a removals and storage company based in Brighton, UK.
