Planning A Move

If you are selling your property and moving on to pastures new, important decisions need to be made regarding your move. Perhaps one of the most important decisions to make is whether you move yourself or be moved by professionals.

There are benefits to both, so here are our points to consider when deciding whether to hire a removal company or move independently.

Professional Removals Company

Lifting and shifting: Your furniture and possessions are handled, loaded and unloaded by the company.

Book early: As soon as you know a moving date, book the company as soon as possible. Many people choose companies they have been recommended to them – if your friends or family recommend them, chances are others are recommending them too, so book in advance if possible to avoid disappointment.

Cost: Hiring a company will obviously cost more than moving independently, so bear this in mind when making a decision. If you haven’t been recommended a company, why not take time to “shop around” to find the best company for your removal needs. Find out the removal charges from each company and identify what these charges cover.

Fees and Fines: Some companies charge additional fees/fines if a move is delayed – find out if this is the case when choosing your removal company.

Strangers: Some movers do not like the thought of strangers in their home. While companies are professional and trustworthy, if you are not comfortable with the idea of unknown people accessing your belongings and property, moving yourself may be a better option. 

Moving yourself

Cost: For movers on a budget, moving yourself will be the cheaper option compared to hiring a removals company.

Van Rental: Contact local hire companies who will be able to advise on the size of van to hire for your move.

Friends and Family: Having friends and family that can help you with your move will help lighten the load. Some may be able to help with the lifting and shifting, whilst others may be able to provide transport. Also consider friends that may be able to babysit/pet sit during your moving day. For advice with moving pets please read our post "Stress Free Moving With Pets".

Flexibility: If the date of moving day has to be changed or extended, you do not need to worry about incurring any additional fees or fines if you are moving yourself.

Responsibility: By taking the DIY approach you are fully responsible for your move, particularly in terms of knowing what is packed and where it is!

Packing Crates: Avoid wasting time trying to find enough boxes to pack your belongings in – why not rent packing crates and packing material from Easycrate instead? Our crates offer better protection than cardboard boxes and are easily stackable and transportable.

We hope you find our advice useful and whether you decide to hire a company or go it alone for your move, the team at Easycrate wish you a successful moving day.

Why not read our Packing and Moving Tips for further advice? 

Packing and Moving Tips

Moving house is a hectic and often stressful time. If you are planning a move – upsizing, downsizing, first time buyer, retirement buyer, moving locally or moving further afield – read our Packing and Moving Tips to help you prepare.

        Start ASAP: Packing up your belongings is a lengthy process and whether you have a small flat or a large house you often find you have more things to pack than you first thought. Once you know you are moving start the ball rolling – start packing the things you are least likely to use – seasonal items/clothing for example.

Have a clear out: Why spend time packing and moving things you don’t actually need? Take the time pre move to sort through your belongings – can they be sold, sent to a charity shop or thrown away?

       Crate Hire: Avoid wasting time hunting down cardboard boxes, choose crate hire as a time saving alternative. Our plastic packing crates are more sturdy and longer lasting than cardboard boxes and our collection and delivery service will not only deliver your crates but will also collect them after you have finished using them.

       Label your boxes: To help save time once you have arrived at your new home, label your boxes - what each box contains and the room it is intended for. This will enable whoever is moving the boxes to know exactly where each box needs to go and will make unpacking much easier.

        Documents: Keep all your important documents together in clearly labelled  files and folders in case they are needed during the move. 

  Home Services: Try to organise your services – telephone, TV and internet for  example – in preparation for your moving day so that when you move in your  home is ready to go.

  Address: Take the time to update people of your new address, not only family  and friends but also bank, mobile providers etc which may have your current  address on file. For a fee, the Post Office can also redirect your mail  https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection       

 Time: As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day” and the same applies for  moving house. Moving takes time and shouldn’t be rushed. Weekends are ideal  for moving, particularly if friends and family can help out but where possible,  try to book time off around your moving day to give you time to not only  unpack but to also get over the exhaustion of moving.

 Essentials: There is nothing worse than trying to work out which box you  packed the kettle in when you are gasping for a cup of tea or coffee. Make  time  to pack an “Essentials” box – things you will need up until you move out  and the things you will need when you first move in.

 Avoid Overpacking: Everyone wants moving day to be as stress free and  injury free as possible. Read our Avoiding Injury post for safety tips.

  Child/Pet Care: As well as asking friends to help with the move, why not find  out if friends can help with child care or pet sit during your moving period?  Read our post about Stress Free Moving for Pets for advice about moving with  pets. 

Stress Free Moving With Pets

Image from Pinterest

Moving house is a stressful time for everyone. We often think about the impact moving has on adults and children, but have you also considered the stress moving can have on our beloved pets?

With many homeowners also being pet owners, find out how you can make your move as stress free as possible for your pets.

According to Animal Central.net, these are the key indicators of stress in your pets: 

Dogs: Trembling, increased shedding, excessive panting or salivation, inappropriate urination, sweaty paws, increased vocalization and/or growling.

Cats: Excessive shedding, drooling, increased vocalization and/or growling, inappropriate urination or defecation.

Birds: Refusal to socialize, feather picking, hiding or perching at the bottom of the cage, increased defecation, rapid breathing and increased or abnormal vocalizations.

Image from Pinterest

While Guinea Pigs and Rabbits may seem like easier pets to move, they can easily be distressed during a move too. Look out for these signs of stress in your small animals.

Guinea Pigs: Head tossing, fidgeting, teeth-baring. They can also appear listless and lacking energy if depressed.

Rabbits: jumpiness, frequent urination and defecation. 

If you are concerned about your small animal, please consult a vet. 

How can I make my pet stress free during our move?

When it comes to moving day some pet owners prefer to put their pets in catteries or kennels and some offer small animal boarding for rabbits and guinea pigs (either as a separate business or combined with a cattery/kennel). If this is your preferred option, ring the boarding place(s) in advance as certain times of the year e.g. summer can be very busy. Some owners use a boarding service for only moving day, while others use it for a few days to allow the madness of moving day and unpacking to settle down.

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Boarding your pets can be costly, particularly if you have a few pets. Sometimes a cheaper alternative can be asking a friend or family member to look after your pets during your move. This can be a great idea if you are a dog owner and your dog needs regular walks. Asking friends or family to help can also be useful for child care during your moving period.

If you would prefer not to send your pets away for a little vacation, there are steps you can put in place to help make your pet feel safe.

It is often recommended that your pet is kept in one room, surrounded by familiar items – pet bed, scratch posts, litter tray, toys etc with the door shut and a notice put on the door to advise people “Do not disturb”. This will keep your pet safe, and more at ease if they are surrounded by their home comforts. Plug in stress relievers (bought from pet shops) are a great idea to help calm your pets during this unsettling time.

Image from Pinterest

If your move is local, chances are you will be doing multiple journeys to and from your new property. If possible, set up a room in your new home for your pet to be transferred into, again set up with familiar items to reassure them. If you are a dog owner and the previous owners were dog owners, take time to thoroughly clean your new house before your dog arrives as your dog may feel apprehensive smelling the scent of a previous dog.  

When the time comes to move your pet, ensure they have a sturdy and secure pet carrier to transport them and if possible, have a familiar face to travel with them to reassure them during their journey.

Image from Pinterest

When your pet arrives at your new home, allow them time to settle. Even rabbits and guinea pigs will need some adjustment time to familiarize themselves with their hutches and runs. 

Although allowing them time to settle and explore is important, your pets will also benefit from a fuss and reassurance (without overbearing them) – many pet owners will be able to read the expressions of their pets and will know when a good cuddle is required!

Image from Pinterest

If your pet is microchipped, ensure you visit a local vet to get your details updated to your new address.

For more advice please visit The Blue Cross website for more information:

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1957-2769/moving-house-and-travelling-with-cats.html

http://www.bluecross.org.uk/1958-2793/moving-house-and-travelling-with-dogs.html

Conference and Exhibition Offer

If you are a conference or exhibition company in the UK, you know how important it is to transport your items safely and securely between venues and events. At Easycrate, we aim to help by offering 20% discount to all conference and exhibition companies that use our fantastic crate hire service. 

Why you should chose crate hire from Easycrate: 

1) Our crates come in a range of sizes and are multipurpose to suit your needs.

2) Our crates are made of the highest quality hardwearing plastic - making them reusable time and time again. 

 

3) Interlocking lids make our crates stackable and space saving - they can even be used as presentation cases!

 

4) As well as the interlocking lids, our crates can be security sealed for added protection. 

 

5) Our price promise means our quotes won't be beaten - not forgetting the fantastic 20% discount offer!

So why not contact us to find out how Easycrate can benefit your company? 

Refurbishment Storage

Are you considering redecorating or refurbishing your home or office? Concerned about what to do with your possessions during your project? 

Why not consider our crate hire service from Easycrate? Our range of hardwearing plastic storage crates are ideal for keeping your possessions safe (and paint and dust free!). Each of our crates come with a sturdy, interlocking lid, meaning our crates are stackable and space saving, leaving your project space clutter free. For added security, we can supply security seals to "lock" your crates, and crate labels to help make identification of each crate's contents easier. Our crates can be delivered to you and collected from you after use, allowing you to return your home/office to normal quickly, without having to worry about box disposal. 

Visit our website today to view our crate hire range and find out how Easycrate can help with your refurbishment storage.  

Hassle Free Moving

On social media sites, there has been a steady increase of "For Sale in..." and "Freegle" pages - people selling/giving away unwanted items. Recently lots of people have also been posting a similar request: "I'm looking for moving boxes. Need asap!" 

While these social media pages are possibly one of the best places to ask for help, it also leads to uncertainty. Will you get boxes? Will you get enough? Will they be big enough? If they don't have them themselves, people often comment about where to look for boxes, but sometimes we're not in a position (or have time) to travel around gathering boxes. There is also the consideration of what to do with the boxes after they have been used - it doesn't take long for recycling bins to fill up if a few boxes are added and recycling collections aren't always immediate. 

The Solution? Forget boxes, choose Crate Hire!

At Easycrate, we offer a fantastic, hassle free crate hire service. Our hardwearing plastic crates come in a range of sizes to suit your needs and offer better protection than cardboard boxes. 

Cardboard boxes can be unreliable

Simply choose the number of crates you need (or speak to a member of our team if you are unsure) and we will not only deliver them to you, but collect them from you when you have finished. 

Our flexible rental contracts mean you only pay for the rental time you need, with no hidden charges, and if you find a cheaper quote elsewhere we will BEAT it! 

Call us today on 0800 027 2665 to find out how we can help. 

Extended Offer

In August we offered removal companies a fantastic 20% discount when hiring our crates. We are pleased to announce that this offer has been extended for ONE MORE WEEK! So if you are a removal company in the UK, don't miss out - contact us today to take advantage of this limited time offer!