December and January are the busiest times of the year for removals. People like to put their houses on the market in spring when the gardens look beautiful and everyone is coming out of their winter funk. It’s nice to be in the new home before Christmas or before the kids go to back school. Government and defence force moves tend to occur at this time as well, making the demand for removalists greater than the services available.

If you are looking to move around this time, here’s 7 solid tips to get you sorted:

1. Book early

Book early, even if you’re not sure of your dates yet, get something in place so that you don’t miss out. You can alter dates if your alternate date is still available. Leader Removals will allow a number of tentative dates in the lead up to the move and hold them for as long as possible to give you a chance to get organised.

2. Get it in writing

Make sure you know what service you are getting.
Is it limited to a door to door removal service?
Does it include packing or packing materials?
Is dismantle and reassembly of beds etc. included?
Do you have insurance?
Is your date locked in?
Is your price fixed or estimated?
Do you have a copy of the terms and conditions?

We receive a surprising number of calls from customers who thought they were booked in with a removal service based on a telephone confirmation, only to find out that they are not.

3. Organise a visit

Where possible, organise a visit. Most removal companies will provide an obligation free visit to assess your requirements. This means we get a comprehensive view of your needs, can offer very specific advice and there are no surprises on move day for us or for you.

If no visit has been arranged, your price will be an estimate based on the information you have provided. This can cause stress for both parties on move day if the information is not accurate. A removals consultant knows what to look for when assessing a property for a relocation, you may miss some very obvious things just because you are not looking for them.

4. Use removal cartons

Use Good Solid Double Core Removal Cartons! There are a lot of cheap and not so cheap options out there for packing, however, removal cartons are created for the purpose of moving so are the ideal solution. You wouldn’t use hedge trimmers to cut your hair, why use non removal cartons for your move. Use the tools appropriate for the job!

Proper Removal cartons are dual core cardboard so they are strong and won’t crush when loaded floor to ceiling.They are consistent in size which means we can utilise the space in the truck better as well as loading and unloading more efficiently.Using random and odd size boxes will add time and frustration to your move and rarely saves you anything in the long run.

The cartons may all start out looking the same, but they don’t always arrive the same!

5. Don't move all the boxes yourself

Don’t move all the boxes yourself and leave us with just furniture. Boxes form a base and a buffer between items so we can load the truck well. No boxes is like having sandwich filling without the bread to hold it together. It takes us longer to tie all the items in. Without boxes to square off the load, we often can’t utilise the space efficiently. By all means take some boxes but leave us enough to load efficently.

6. Ask a lot of questions

Ask a lot of questions. There are no stupid questions, you can’t know what you don’t know. Better to ask the question and know for sure than to fumble through and hope for the best.

For example: should I move on Settlement Day?

A: No, most settlements take place in the afternoon, this leaves no room for anything to go wrong and may not allow enough time to conduct the move.

7. Are you booking a cleaning service?

If you are booking a cleaning service, don’t book them on the same day as the removal. This leaves no room for the unexpected. Sometimes customers experience unexpected and unavoidable issues. Extremes in weather can slow down the day as can other little things. We can’t have cleaners in while we are moving, it creates a risk to all parties.