What can possibly go wrong if you do your own removals?

We would not recommend moving yourself!

If there was one part of the moving process that we really would encourage you to avoid… it has to be doing your own removals.

So much can go wrong?

Without sounding negative, we have seen it all, and the exhaustion from moving your furniture is the last of your worries!  On your completion day, everything is in the control of the solicitors who are required to pass the money up the chain through the banking system, which sounds simple, but unfortunately it is out of your hands and there is nothing you can do but wait for the call!

So the first thing you need to consider when you call in the loyal troops to give you a hand is to make sure you forewarn them it could be a stop-start day full of sitting around until the unpacking part, which could be late!

Stress factor No.1 – Will everything fit?

One of the most common mistakes a client makes when moving themselves is underestimating how many possessions they have.  This is the first stressful moment of the day when you find you have a hire van full of furniture and there’s a lot more still to go in.  With the reality setting in and your buyers waiting anxiously for their keys, the pressure will start to mount.

There is also the reminder not to forget there is navigating the wardrobes around the stairwell to contend with too!

Stress factor No.2 – When do you get the keys?

This really is out of your control, and the estate agents too!  You might be lucky and everything goes really well and you have the keys to your new home by 11 am.  But on the other hand, you could be sitting in your hire van still waiting for the call to collect your keys at 4.30 pm!  Before you start thinking this will be the same situation whether you do it yourself or employ a removal company, don’t forget if you found out in the morning that you still have to go back to your old home to complete a second trip, the pressure will now feel unbearable.

Stress factor No.3 – Pressure from your buyer?

Imagine you are the excited buyer waiting to pick up the keys to your new home and the solicitor advises you there is a delay with money transferring through the banking system.  This happens, and it is part of the process on completion day.  But imagine when you find out the seller still needs to go back to make a second trip to clear the property because they didn’t hire a big enough vehicle!  As much as you may be sympathetic to start with, if it gets to 4pm before the completion takes place and you find out you cannot have your keys because the previous owner still has to complete a second trip, this is when your patience will run very thin.

How do you reduce the risk?

Treat yourself and book a professional removal company to take the strain – it’s money very well spent.

Interested to read our Selling Guide? Click here

Article written by

Matt Holmes

Director