Home removal within your area

For a studio flat, a student room or a handful of items, a single van with one or two people can be enough. For a family home, a crew of three or four with a larger vehicle usually finishes faster and handles heavy furniture more safely. The difference is not only size. An established removal firm normally carries goods in transit insurance and public liability cover, has written terms, and can supply blankets, wardrobe cartons and dollies. Some one-van operators have the same; many do not.

Ask any operator, large or small, what happens if a wardrobe is dropped or a door frame is gouged. If the answer is vague, the price is cheaper for a reason. Get the insurance details in writing, including the limit per item.

Local moves are often priced by the hour for a given crew and vehicle, with a minimum number of hours. That suits small moves where the volume is clear. The risk sits with you: if the lift at the flat breaks down or completion is late, the clock keeps running.

A fixed price, based on a home or video survey, moves the risk to the removal company. It should state what it assumes, such as the number of items, access at both ends and the time the keys are expected. If you add a garage full of tools on the day, the firm can reasonably charge more, so show everything at the survey, including the shed and the loft.

• the crew size, vehicle size and whether one trip is expected to be enough
• hourly rate and minimum hours, or a fixed price with the assumptions behind it
• waiting time charges if the keys are released late
• who dismantles and rebuilds beds and wardrobes
• protection for floors, banisters and door frames at both addresses
• the cover for your goods and the excess, if any

A good crew loads in a deliberate order. Garden furniture, boxes from the loft and anything you will not need for a week go in first. Beds, the kettle box and the children's things go in last so they come out first. Rooms are labelled at the new address so the crew can place boxes without asking you every time.

Washing machines need their transit bolts refitted before moving, or the drum can be damaged in transit; keep the bolts when the machine is installed. Removal crews usually unplug electrical appliances but do not disconnect gas. Disconnecting a gas cooker or gas fire is gas work, and in Great Britain it has to be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Book that separately and early.

Fridges and freezers should be defrosted and dried the day before. Tell the firm about anything very heavy or awkward, such as a range cooker, a large safe, a gym machine or a hot tub, because it may need extra people or equipment.

If you are leaving a rented home, the move often happens on the last day of the tenancy, with a check-out inspection soon after. Plan the removal early in the day so there is time to clean and to deal with anything left behind. Photographs of each room once empty are useful if the deposit is disputed.

First-time buyers moving from a flat often underestimate how long carrying everything down several flights takes. Tell the firm the floor, whether there is a lift and its size, and how far the van can park from the entrance. Some blocks have rules about moving times, lift booking or protecting communal areas; the managing agent can tell you.

Leaving packing to the night before is the classic. Half-packed rooms slow the crew, and loose items in open boxes break. Another is booking before the date is firm: in England and Wales the date is only fixed at exchange of contracts, so a provisional booking and a clear postponement policy are worth more than the lowest headline rate.

Finally, do not assume the new home will be empty and clean when you arrive. Sellers sometimes leave furniture or rubbish behind. Agree with your solicitor what should be left and tell the removal company to call you before unloading if something blocks the rooms.

Describe the two addresses, what you are moving and your likely date. After you confirm your phone number and email, the request is shown without your name to removal companies covering your area, and only one company can buy it. We send you its name, address and phone number before it receives your details. You pay nothing for this, and you can still ask other firms for prices.