Green Move responds to your most frequently asked questions about moving house in 2021
How soon should I start looking for removal company quotes?
Sooner the better. Some periods and days are busier than others so it makes sense to arrange your removal well in advance so as to avoid stress and disappointment. When Green Move gives out a quote it remains valid for up to six months. Once you have the date of your house move secured the first thing you want to do is book a removal company.
How do you come up with estimates for moving house?
Once you’ve made contact we'll need an inventory of what you are moving. The best way to come up with this is to walk from room to room noting down the contents and making a note of anything unusual, such as items that may need disassembled. It's not possible to know exactly how many boxes you’re likely to have (unless you’ve moved recently) so if you can just come up with an estimate we can make a quote on that basis. Remember garden, shed and attic items.
Other variables that determine your house move estimate are the floor positions of the two properties, whether we are able to park directly outside or if there’s a bit of a walk between van and front door, how many vans and staff will be required, and how flexible you are with your move date. Fridays are the most popular for home moves so if you can move on a different day of the week you might save money.
What happens if, after receiving a house move quote, I finish packing and the number of moving boxes and bags turns out to be a lot more than I’d estimated?
This is common. Once you’ve finished packing, let us know as soon as you can if the volume has changed significantly. If it’s just a question of a few extra boxes and bags this is not a big deal. But if you’ve estimated, say, 30 boxes, and the actual number turns out to be closer to 100, well, this can make a big difference and we may need to increase the price, especially if it’s a top floor tenement as every extra item means significantly more work and time, and we might need to assign another member of staff to get the job done. Even more importantly, if we issue a quote based on a list, and that list turns out to be a significant underestimate, those extra items could make the difference between everything fitting into one van, and having to draft in a second, which may not be an option at short notice.
Do you offer a packing service in addition to your removal service?
Yes. We offer a full packing service that includes all packaging materials. Let us know if this is something you require and we can quote for it. We can pack the entire contents of your home or just a designated room or two. It’s down to you. Many people prefer to do at least some of the packing themselves. Of all the partial packs we get asked to help with the most common is the kitchen, which is understandable as it is where a lot of the breakables are stored.
How long will it take for you to pack my home?
This depends on the size of your home and how much of it you want us to pack. We would typically send out a team of 3 or 4 and it can take anything from a couple of hours to a full day. Sometimes we may be able to pack and move on the same day, other times we might need to pack everything on one day and carry out the removal on the next.
What happens if there’s a delay between loading the van and getting keys for the new property?
This is frustratingly frequent when the removal is part of a chain. Getting the keys for your new property is completely outside of your control and, for whatever reason, solicitors can sometimes be slow in releasing the keys, meaning that once the van is loaded there can be a bit of waiting around.
We are sympathetic to this but since our staff members are paid by the hour we have to charge a waiting fee. To mitigate the likelihood of waiting and, in turn, the costs involved, we can start your removal later on in the morning, which means that by the time everything is loaded the keys are more likely to be ready. However, given that people moving out of a property is often followed by other people moving in on the very same day, you may need to be out by a certain time. In these circumstances there is little that can be done, but after the van is loaded we will take a half hour lunch break before the clock starts. In reality, the waiting time is rarely much more than an hour or two.
How much do you charge for any potential wait?
Once the van is loaded we take a 30 minute lunch break and then charge £15 an hour per person on the job. So if there are two movers on the job the cost is £30 per hour, if there are three people waiting around it is £45 per hour.
Do you do long distance house moves?
Yes. In fact we’ve visited some beautiful parts of the country these past few years. We frequently travel down to London and almost as often find ourselves heading to the most northerly parts of Scotland. We even do removals to the continent so if you’re moving to Europe please don’t think twice about contacting us for a quote.
Do you have house removal insurance?
Most certainly. We have hire & reward, which is a legal requirement for the work we do, goods in transit, which covers your possession during the time they are in our care, and public liability, which insures members of the public and property against any accidents caused while a removal is underway.
What happens if any of my possessions get damaged during the house move?
Whilst we always take the greatest care with every removal we do, it is possible that, very occasionally, damage might occur. In this instance we’ll firstly see if one of our staff members can repair the damage, either on the spot or after going away to collect any necessary materials. If this isn’t possible we’ll get some estimates for the repair. In the very worst case scenario we are, as discussed above, fully insured, which means we can ultimately claim against our policy
Does your moving company disassemble / reassemble items of furniture?
Yes. This is a chargeable service we offer. As long as it’s not an item that requires particularly specialist skills, or specialist equipment, we should be able to deal with it. Let us know in advance if you require this service, ideally along with some photos of the items, so that we can send out the relevantly trained members of staff.
Does your removals company connect and disconnect white goods?
This is not typically the job of a removals company, but it is a service we offer. It is ultimately the customer’s responsibility to ensure any white goods are safely disconnected and ready for moving, and we take no responsibility for problems that may arise with issues of plumbing. Because this service adds time onto a removal, it incurs a small charge.
What is your cancellation policy?
Upon issuing a quote for your removal there is an option to purchase a cancellation waiver for £50 + VAT. By purchasing this you are fully insuring yourself against losing your deposit in the event of a cancellation. If you choose not to purchase the waiver and your house move is cancelled, a full refund of your deposit will be issued if you give more than 7 days notice. Any cancellations that are 7 days or under will result in loss of deposit. If your removal is postponed rather than cancelled you will receive a 50% reimbursement of your deposit which will come off the final balance.
Do moving companies remove windows and doors if any of the furniture items won’t fit?
This isn’t something your average removal company will do. However, unbeknownst to many home owners, modern day doors often tend to lift off with relative ease. If your property has such a door, and removing it will allow for the safe passage of an item, we are happy to do this at no extra charge. The removal of windows, on the other hand, is a job for specialists, and is not a service moving companies usually offer.
Are your house movers trained?
Yes, to the highest of standards. Every member of our staff undergoes a period of training until fully competent. Drivers of the vans are proficient and licensed accordingly. Green Move staff will turned up in company uniform.
Will your removalists put each moving box into the room of my choosing?
Certainly. The most efficient way of arranging this is to have each moving box marked with the room it is designated to. In addition, once at the new property, there's no harm in having a member of the family direct our movers as they come out of the van with your belongings.
Do you offer storage?
Not directly. We have a partnership with Aabsolute storage in Glasgow and are happy to set everything up for you. If you require storage elsewhere we are also happy to get quotes and take care of all the legwork there as well. We can offer short term or long term for anything from a couple of items to a whole household’s worth of stuff.
What puts the ‘green’ into Green Move Removals?
Green Move has two flagship green credentials. The first is that, to the best of our knowledge we are the first removals company anywhere in the UK to count an electric vehicle in our fleet. Whilst smaller than our main removal vans, it has a payload of almost a tonne and a range of around 150 miles before needing recharged. Having acquired this van in November 2021, it's encouraged us to commit to an electric vehicle only policy when considering future acquisitions.
Our 2nd flagship achievement is the grove of native trees we have up at Trees for Life’s Dundreggan in Glen Affric. We make monthly donations that go towards adding more and more trees to our grove. The project is part of a growing movement that seeks to ‘rewild’ parts of the countryside so that many of the country’s indigenous species, including lynx and wolves, can eventually be reintroduced.
Our fleet of non-electric vans all have Euro 6 engines, which means they emit lower levels of harmful pollution than older vehicles, and comply with European standards that allows them to enter congestion charge and low emission zones without fee.
We are keen to see any furniture items that still have some life left in them re-circulated into the community, so let us know if you need anything taken to charity.
Will you take a deposit for my house move?
We take a 30% deposit for all jobs, which comes off the final balance. We also offer the purchase of a cancellation waiver, which means that, should your move fall through, you’ve essentially insured yourself and will receive your full deposit back. We aim to be as ethical a business as possible and, to that end, should the worst happen, and your job gets cancelled close to moving day and you haven’t purchased the waiver, we will reimburse you if we’re able to fill your spot with another job. For full details please refer to our terms & conditions.
Anything else I should know before moving day?
Just keep us updated if there are any changes that might effect your house move in any way. If we’re not packing for you, please make sure all contents are contained in sealed boxes, and it will make life easier for your unpack (and our team) if you label each box with the room you want them in.
All sounds good! How do I book a removal?
Simple. Either pick up the phone and call, or fill out one of our 'quick quote forms’ which you can find on every page of our website. Once you’ve done this, a member of our team will get back to you and take any additional details before getting a quote together.
Thank you to Movers Don Mills company for making my move stress-free. The team was not only skilled in handling the logistics but also showed genuine care for my belongings. The communication was excellent, and they kept me informed throughout the entire process.