Removal companies Vs do it yourself

TBagpuss

Personally I would say it's money well spent to get someone to do it - professionals are MUCH faster, you are insured if they drop or otherwise damage anything and it's far less stressful.

That said, if you are young and fit and don't have vast amounts of stuff, and particularly if you are moving from rented accommodation and can do the move the day after you complete or over a couple  of days, then go for it. 

Think about what your heaviest / most bulky/awkward items are and how easy it will be for the two of you to move them twice, taking into account any staircases, how close you'll be able to park the van etc. 

KatieXZoe

ReadingTim said:

I won't make any assumptions about the gender of the OP and their partner, but if families are unavailable to help, and with friends not being mentioned, the first question would be whether the OP and partner are physically capable of moving all their stuff themselves?  One person cannot manhandle a washing machine or fridge freezer alone.... 

If not, then the decision has been made for them.... 

We are both fit and healthy young adults. Make and female. Technically don't need to move wardrobes, washing machine or fridge freezer as our rental came with white good included. 

Our bulkiest items include our king size ottoman bed, some bulky outdoor furniture set, dining table and 58 inch TV and unit really. 

KatieXZoe

KatieXZoe said:

ReadingTim said:

I won't make any assumptions about the gender of the OP and their partner, but if families are unavailable to help, and with friends not being mentioned, the first question would be whether the OP and partner are physically capable of moving all their stuff themselves?  One person cannot manhandle a washing machine or fridge freezer alone.... 

If not, then the decision has been made for them.... 

We are both fit and healthy young adults. Make and female. Technically don't need to move wardrobes, washing machine or fridge freezer as our rental came with white good included. 

Our bulkiest items include our king size ottoman bed, some bulky outdoor furniture set, dining table and 58 inch TV and unit really. 

Oh and a two seater sofa 

MatyMoo

On top of all the above comments think about damage too, removal companies will have insurance to cover it.

in the moves done by myself and family, before I even had large, heavy, items of furniture it took twice as long to pack as expected and we ran out of boxes at the last minute - another issue you won’t have with professionals!

Martico

Do you have a car? I've always moved things like TVs, monitors, etc, in my own car wrapped in a duvet on the back seat. The kettle, some mugs, tea bags and milk go on that journey too, so there's some easy-access refreshments at the other end

KatieXZoe

Martico said:

Do you have a car? I've always moved things like TVs, monitors, etc, in my own car wrapped in a duvet on the back seat. The kettle, some mugs, tea bags and milk go on that journey too, so there's some easy-access refreshments at the other end

We do have a car so TV could go in there. I'm getting some quotes to look at removal companies. Other half isn't convinced worth paying for it at this point but I'm all for anything to make life a bit easier 

Dark_Star

Pay someone….helped move a friend….never again….far more stuff than was visible I.e. empty the kitchen, wardrobes, chest of drawers etc. All took far longer than expected.
Moved ourselves once. Never again. Friends “ helped” with last minute on the day stuff. We had already packed most of it. Eventually found the tub of fish food in the spare pack of toilet rolls  …had to buy more fish food ….& so on as we didn’t know where friends had put stuff.
You pack - you know where it all is…you pay someone to do the shifting of your labelled boxes & life will be far less stressful. Whether you’re moving 5 or 500 miles…

eddddy

If you're moving from a rental to a place you're buying... do you have an overlap (or can you agree an overlap with your landlord) where you have access to both properties?

That could make things much less stressful, if you want to do a diy move...

• You can clean the new place while it's empty before you move in. (Unlike moving into a new rental, a place you're buying is very unlikely to have been cleaned by the seller.) Maybe even paint some walls, if you want to.

• You can make multiple trips with a smaller van - maybe over a few days / evenings, if you want.

• You'll have more time to clean the old rented place after you've taken out all the furniture

MFWannabe

Removal company every time 
it’s hard work! 

hazyjo

Pay for movers. WORTH.EVERY.PENNY!!!!!!! Might be a moneysaving site, but your sanity (and your back!), is priceless. Do not underestimate how much work is involved - not to mention wrapping paper, tape, boxes, etc.

Just make sure the movers know what's staying! They'll whizz round like magic and anything not labelled clearly will be packed.