A ‘Moving Story’: Hints & Tips For Choosing A Removal Firm

Conveyancer Sherrie Litherland shares some useful hints and tips for choosing a removal firm….

As if moving house wasn’t stressful enough, the latest worrying trend is being let down by your removal company at the last minute. This is because firms are being offered more money elsewhere despite already being booked. Gazumping on removals happens whenever the housing market is really busy.

It can create all sorts of issues, not least that your furniture and belongings remain in a property that you no longer own.

When searching for removals on the internet do not opt for one of the generic names that head the list of results.  They sound like removal firms but are actually internet brokerage businesses that farm out moves to the highest bidder.  You may think you have secured a firm until a more profitable job comes along and they bid on that one.  If they are successful, they discard your move and you are left in the lurch.

The removal industry remains largely unregulated, so anyone can set themselves up as a man with a van removal firm.  Always opt for a reputable firm that is a member of the British Association of Removers (BAR) – click here. Ask friends for recommendations. Ask for references and take them up.  Always get a minimum of two quotations.  Removals is one of the last industries that cannot be carried out by computers – you need people and lorries or vans.

Sherrie Litherland
May 2021