Do removal companies pack for you? Who does what
Removal companies pack for you when you book it. Here is who does each job on a move abroad, and what changes when you keep one.
Removal companies pack for you when packing is part of what you book, and with us it is a service of its own, priced for your move. The price of the move itself covers the van door to door, the customs clearance and the driver's help at the van. It does not cover the packing, or the carry between your rooms and the van.
I price the extra hands on our moves, so most of the questions I answer before a booking are these. Who wraps the sofa? Who takes the bed apart? And who carries the boxes down three flights of stairs? Each one is a job you can keep or hand back to us, and each choice changes something: the price, the days you need to keep free, and who answers for an item while someone carries it.
What do removal companies do at the van?
On every move, the driver helps you load and unload at the van, at no charge. You bring each thing to the vehicle, and the driver loads it. At the other end, the driver passes it out to you. However, the driver cannot leave the van, so the carry between your door and the van is yours.
That carry is where most moves need more hands. Stairs, a long walk from the parking spot, a building without a lift: for those we send extra crew. We price it before move day from your list or photos, and we agree it with you in writing. We arrange it for your date and route, so ask early.
Not every end of a move has a crew of ours. Where we have none, the carrying is yours to arrange, with friends or helpers you choose. Our cover does not include damage your own helpers cause, so tell us before you book if you would rather we found the hands.
Do removal companies pack for you, and wrap the furniture?
We do, if you book our packing service. We price it from your inventory, or earlier from photos or a video of each room. Our team packs on a visit of its own and finishes before your collection window opens, then comes back to load on the day we fix. So you write the list you send us from boxes already packed.
If you pack yourself, you choose the boxes and the wrapping and buy them anywhere. However, they need to meet the packing standard our cover relies on: bubble wrap inside double-walled boxes for anything fragile, and blankets and film around furniture. Our guide on how to pack for moving house sets it out, with what to watch for.
You can also mix the two. For example, some customers pack their own clothes and books and ask us to wrap only the furniture. In that case, tell us which pieces, and we price only those. That is the question behind most of the packing quotes I write: not whether removal companies pack for you, but which part you want packed.
Do removal companies take furniture apart?
Ours do, when you book a crew. The crew takes furniture apart for loading and puts it back together when it arrives, and we price that with the crew, so you see it before move day. Name the pieces when you ask for the price: a wardrobe that comes apart into panels is a different job from a bed frame in a dozen pieces.
Where there is no crew of ours, taking furniture apart is yours, like the carry. Do it before your collection window opens, because everything needs to be packed and ready on its first day. Keep the screws and bolts for each piece in a bag taped to it, and photograph the joints first, so whoever puts it back together can see how it went.
What happens at the far end of the move?
If we have a crew at your new home, it can unload, unwrap each piece, put it in the room you choose and take the wrapping away with it. We do not unpack your boxes, though: that stays with you, at your own pace.
If you unload yourself, three things move to you. First, the driver passes each piece out at the van, and the carry inside is yours. Next, our cover ends when your goods arrive at the address, so it does not include the carry in. Finally, the heavy pieces need enough people. The HSE's guidance on lifting and carrying safely asks the right first question: will you need help with the load?
One price for the whole job: a move to Sweden
What to ask removal companies before you book
Removal companies that pack for you should answer these in writing. Ask them of any mover, us included, and keep the answers with your quote.
- Who packs, and if it is you, do you finish the packing before loading day?
- Does the price cover carrying between my door and the van, or only loading at the van?
- If I need stairs or a long carry, who does it, and what does it cost?
- Who takes the beds and wardrobes apart, and who puts them back together?
- At the far end, who unloads, unwraps and takes the wrapping away?
- If my own friends help carry, what happens if something breaks?
- Will you price every extra in writing before move day?
Where to book any of it
You can ask for packing, extra crew or taking furniture apart when you ask for your quote, or once you have booked. We price each one for your actual move, on request and subject to availability, and confirm it in writing. Our guide to removal insurance has more on who is covered while a thing is being carried.