As someone who has recently moved cross country, I can say for a fact that a move can be a stressful situation if not handled with finesse, that includes hiring the perfect moving company to relocate your stuff to your new home.
Since step one of that plan is online research, its safe to say you’re on the right track. Here are a few of the steps you need to take to ensure your move goes smoothly.
Choosing The Best Mover
Make a list of at least 5-6 moving companies as potential candidates for your move. Then get to systematically begin your research.
1. Background research is a must when it comes to hiring any paid service, not just movers. Check the internet or your local Mover complaint registry for any complaints or grievances that might have been registered against your chosen company and have the benefit of learning from other people’s mistakes.
Along with this, look for positives like any accolades they have won for their moving services. You can also ask the company to provide a Letter of Recommendation, by which you get to check their credentials as well.
Check the terms of liability for your relocation company, and decide what level of liability protection you wish to secure your possessions with. You may choose either Full Value or Alternative level of liability while signing your contract with the moving company.
2. Under Full value Liability, in the situation that there is loss or breakage of an item, your mover must either replace the item or pay for it in full. This, however, does not apply to precious goods, like jewellery or electronics that cost a considerable amount, unless you have specified about them on the shipping documents.
3. Alternative value liability is more mover-friendly, and it decides the amount to be paid by the movers based on the weight of the object multiplied by a certain pre-decided amount per pound. This will hardly get you a pittance in return for your loss, but you must select this option while signing the contract to avail this benefit.
4. If you expect the moving company to hold up their end of the deal, you must not slack on your own side. Check out your new home with the mover, and if that is not possible, be sure to take accurate photographs and measure doorways and windows to help them decide how to fit all your belongings into the house with minimal difficulty.
ALSO READ: Tips To Make Your Housemoving Easier
5. While you ask them for a quotation, make sure that every cost you incur is covered. Whether it is for extra manpower, carrying boxes up the stairs, a house in a lane inaccessible to a large moving truck, hours allotted by the apartment complex, make sure to be clear and upfront to the relocation agency so they can give you a comprehensive bill and no changes are made at the last moment due to unexpected complications. Also make sure to pay in instalments and not at one go, to ensure that the movers do not flake out on you after receiving their payment.
6. Decide if you will be packing by yourself, or hiring the movers for that as well. You can ask them how much experience they have in packing and ask for an estimate for this as well, as you might end up being billed too much due to inflated prices and excess usage of boxes and other materials. If you are able to accomplish packing for your home move in a more economical budget, I’d say go for it!
7. For out of state moves, be sure to ask them about any consolidation policies and the estimated delivery window. Consolidation moves mean that your belongings are relocated to your home along with other customers to save money, but this means that it will take more time to arrive at its destination. They should provide you with a delivery window, which are the dates by which your shipment is expected to arrive. So be prepared to carry a suitcase full of essentials which will last you till the delivery window, so you don’t end up going to work in your pyjamas!
Concluding On Your Move
Lastly, and importantly, draw up a floor plan of where you want everything placed in your home so that the relocation agency can easily place everything where you want it and the move is completed on time and as efficiently as possible.
Express Movers is a premium moving service in Lagos, Nigeria. We have the best team of professionals that will make your move easy and stress free. Click Here TO Get a Moving Quote
