Moving house can be a daunting prospect for anyone – but particularly so for someone who has never moved house before.

As a Leeds removals company with over 100 years of experience under its belt, there’s not many removals scenarios we haven’t witnessed! But on the whole, most removals follow a similar path, and once you know what to expect, they don’t need to cause any anxiety.

So, what are our top tips for a smooth move?

• Plan ahead. All removals firms are busiest in the summer, towards the end of the month and on a Friday. You might want to bear that in mind when planning your move. However, whenever you’re moving try to secure your chosen removal firm around two months ahead of the move to ensure you can get the date you want.
• Quality is key. Make sure you choose a removal company (such as ourselves) which is a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR) and which holds all the relevant British Standards. You don’t want to cut corners when the company is transporting all your worldly goods!
• Consider if you want any packing assistance. At Holdsworths, we can offer a full packing service, a breakables only packing service, or you can manage all the packing yourself, ready for us to load onto the van on moving day. Remember you will need to dismantle flat pack furniture and disconnect washing machines and dishwashers.
• Don’t scrimp on packing materials. Cheap boxes are not worth the money you save – you won’t be able to properly load them so will need more, and they’ll damage and rip far more easily. Particularly if it’s raining, you want sturdy boxes and decent packaging tape. We can help provide boxes and packing material even if you are packing up yourselves.
• Start packing early. If you are packing up yourself, you’ll be surprised how long it can take. Give yourself plenty of time and that way you can have a good clear out as you go.
• Label everything. Make sure it’s clear which room every box needs to head to and roughly what is inside. You’ll be very grateful for it at the other end!
• Make sure you’re insured. We discuss insurance with all our customers so they can make sure they are adequately covered for their belongings whilst in transit. You may also wish to look at insurance in case plans have to change at the last minute – sometimes chains can fall apart or be delayed very late on in the process.
• Will you need storage? Sometimes move out and move in days don’t line up. If you need to move out before your new property is ready to move into, we can help keep your belongings safe in storage in between.
• Think about parking. Will you need parking permits at either end of your move for the removal van, or to secure sufficient space for it with cones?
• Create an essentials kit. Prepare an essentials kit which you keep with you for the move – things like medication, pet food, snacks, tea and coffee, toilet roll, handwash, tool kit, light bulbs etc. It’s often handy to have bedding and nightwear somewhere convenient too. Sometimes it can be late before you’re in and settled due to delays and you won’t want to have to go hunting for everything you need to go to bed for the night.
• Make lots of lists. Lists of people and organisations you need to give meter readings/new address details to. Lists of things to do before the big day. Lists will be your friend! We can help with one list – best removals company, Leeds…Holdsworths!

If you need removals companies, Leeds, why not get in touch? We’re always happy to help answer any questions you might have.