I get many people telling me that they are considering hiring a van to move themselves. Rarely do I even get people who tell me that hiring a van will be cheaper and easier than hiring us to help. Rarely!
I won’t ever tell you not to hire a van and make your own move, but if you are thinking of doing it yourself, here are some things to bear in mind and some handy pointers.
- You must travel to and from a hire company to collect a vehicle.
- Your vehicle will not be equipped with any necessary equipment for a safe and breakage-free move.
- You must pay a deposit on the vehicle, generally between £100 and £300.
- If you have an accident, you must pay an excess, usually between £300 and £800.
- If the vehicle is damaged, your deposit will be retained. (Our vans have been hit by cars while they were stationary and we were unloading—the cars have always driven off.)
- You will have to pay for and put the fuel in the vehicle.
- If you cannot complete your move in one day or must move on a weekend, you will pay for at least two days of vehicle hire.
- You will have to lift, carry, and stack everything into the van and take it back out again—please don’t put your back out and have to take a week off work!
- You will have to drive a vehicle you are probably not used to driving, and you will have to drive it when it is full of all of your belongings.
- You will not have insurance coverage that protects your household contents while in transit.
- You must wait 2-3 working days from returning your vehicle to receiving your deposit into your bank account.
OK, so I am a little bit biased, but many people don’t consider these things when they plan to do their own removal. So here’s what you get when you hire a firm such as ours.
- The vehicle will arrive at your door on the specified time and date of your move without you having to go anywhere.
- The vehicle has pads, blankets, and straps to protect your possessions.
- The vehicle will come fully equipped with two or more strong, trained and experienced men who will be happy to help you, won’t complain or moan about how heavy your washing machine is, and know precisely how best to load the vehicle to get everything in and protect your fragile belongings. They will even put everything exactly where you want it!
- At the end of the day, when everyone is tired, you won’t be dreading battling traffic to get the van back to the hiring firm.
- You will pay one pre-agreed fixed fee for your removal, with no hidden charges for extra fuel or scratches to the van.
- And the best bit: You won’t need to lift a finger! Not unless you choose to point at where your heavy wardrobe is going. Or, if you are kind enough to put us a brew on—coffee with milk and two, please!
So, if that’s not enough to put you off and you are still thinking of taking on your removal, all credit to you. Here are some tips:
Make sure everything is ready the day before your move, so you have as little to do as possible on the day.
If your van has a Luton shelf above the cab, fill this first with boxes, bags, and small items. You should load the van as if you intend to fill it, even if you don’t think you will; it’s much easier than rearranging your load later.
Once your Luton is full, bring out the large items first. You should have some old sheets, blankets, duvets, cardboard boxes—anything really that can be used to protect your furniture in transit. Where items touch each other, they WILL rub and be marked as you go over potholes, round corners, and speed bumps.
Any gaps between more oversized items should be filled with small items and boxes wherever possible, again protecting from rubbing.
All oversized and tall items should be secured to the walls or floor of the van.
Once you are loaded and ready to go, please drive carefully. Your vehicle will now have an increased stopping distance. The last thing you want to have to do is make a crockery-crunching emergency stop, so take it easy!