SO WHEN YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A RELIABLE AND EXPERIENCED REMOVALS COMPANY TO HANDLE YOUR INTERNATIONAL MOVE, WHAT SORT OF QUESTIONS SHOULD YOU BE ASKING POTENTIAL FIRMS?
AFTER ALL, NOT ONLY DO YOU WANT A MOVING COMPANY TO HANDLE YOUR MOVE PROFESSIONALLY, YOU WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO NAVIGATE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS THE UK STIPULATES – THAT INCLUDES OBTAINING THE RIGHT DOCUMENTS AND GIVING YOU THE RIGHT ADVICE TO AVOID ISSUES WHEN YOU TOUCH DOWN IN LONDON.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE SUGGESTED TOPICS YOU SHOULD BRING UP WITH YOUR POTENTIAL INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS FIRM:
- WHAT ITEMS SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T I TAKE WITH ME?
- HOW MANY MOVES TO LONDON HAVE YOU HANDLED PREVIOUSLY?
- WILL YOU COME TO MY HOME TO VIEW MY BELONGINGS AND PROVIDE AN ACCURATE ESTIMATE?
- DOES YOUR QUOTE INCLUDE TRAVEL TIME, DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY OF FURNITURE?
- DOES YOUR COMPANY OFFER INSURANCE FOR INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS?
- ARE YOU A MEMBER OF BAR OVERSEAS, FIDI GLOBAL ALLIANCE OR FAIM?
- HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PAID? NOTE: MOST REPUTABLE REMOVALS FIRMS WILL TAKE CREDITCARDS OR CHEQUES
WHAT HAPPENS TO MY GOODS WHEN THEY ARRIVE IN THE UK?
PACKING YOUR BELONGINGS
WE ALL HAVE HOUSEHOLD ITEMS THAT ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE TO US IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER; AND WHEN PLANNING AN EXCITING MOVE OVERSEAS IT IS IMPORTANT THESE ARE PACKED AND SUITABLY PROTECTED FOR THE LONG JOURNEY AHEAD.
FRAGILE ITEMS
EXPENSIVE, BREAKABLE ITEMS SHOULD NATURALLY BE TREATED WITH UTMOST RESPECT AND CAUTION. YOU MAY WISH TO TRANSPORT THESE VALUABLES YOURSELF TO ENSURE THEY ARRIVE SAFELY, BUT IF THAT’S SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE IT’S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT ITEMS OF SENTIMENTAL VALUE WITH SPECIAL PACKING MATERIALS. YOU MAY WISH TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS FIRM AS THEY MAY HAVE INDUSTRY-STANDARD PACKAGING AVAILABLE TO USE TO PROVIDE EXTRA CUSHIONING WHILST IN STORAGE.
SENSITIVE DOCUMENTATION
DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING PERSONAL DOCUMENTATION CLOSE TO HAND PRIOR TO YOUR MOVE TO LONDON. YOU COULD WELL NEED BIRTH CERTIFICATES, BANK AND CREDIT CARD AND INSURANCE DETAILS AS PROOF OF IDENTITY. IF POSSIBLE TRY TO PACK AND STORE THESE FILES AWAY IN A SECURE FOLDER THAT YOU CAN TAKE WITH YOU.
ELECTRICAL GOODS
THE BEST INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS COMPANIES SHOULD BE ABLE TO HELP YOU PLACE LARGE ELECTRICAL GOODS SUCH AS DESKTOP COMPUTERS, HI-FI SYSTEMS AND LARGE TELEVISIONS SAFELY INTO STORAGE. IF POSSIBLE, TRY AND SOURCE THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING IF YOU HAVE KEPT THEM IN YOUR GARAGE OR LOFT, OR FIND SIMILAR-SIZED BOXES WITH PLENTY OF SPACE FOR PACKING AND PROTECTION.
ANTIQUES AND HEIRLOOMS
IF YOU ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE ACQUIRED OR INHERITED SOME PRECIOUS ANTIQUES OR FAMILY HEIRLOOMS YOU WILL NO DOUBT BE ANXIOUS TO SEE THEM TRANSPORTED SAFELY TO YOUR NEW HOME IN ONE PIECE. YOU MAY WISH TO CHOOSE AN INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS FIRM WITH EXPERIENCE IN PACKING AND HANDLING ANTIQUE ITEMS.
PACKING YOUR OWN BELONGINGS
IF YOU DECIDE TO PACK YOUR OWN VALUABLES AWAY INTO STORAGE THEN YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR REMOVALS TEAM AWARE OF THE BOXES THAT CONTAIN THE MOST PRECIOUS ITEMS. CONSIDER A COLOUR-CODING SYSTEM TO MATCH UP BOXES WITH ROOMS AT YOUR NEW LONDON HOME.
TRANSPORTING YOUR POSSESSIONS OVERSEAS TO THE UK
WHEN MOVING TO LONDON FROM OVERSEAS, THERE ARE THREE MAIN TRANSPORT OPTIONS AVAILABLE FOR TRANSFERRING YOUR POSSESSIONS. HERE ARE THE PROS AND CONS FOR EACH:
SEA FREIGHT
THIS MAY NOT BE THE QUICKEST OF TRANSPORT METHODS BUT IT IS ONE OF THE EASIEST TO TRANSPORT BULK ITEMS BY THE CONTAINER LOAD. YOUR POSSESSIONS WILL BE LOADED INTO VAST SECURE STEEL CONTAINERS AND RELAYED TO THE NEAREST CONTAINER PORT. THE COST OF THIS TYPE OF SHIPMENT WILL DEPEND ON THE VOLUME OF YOUR FULL CONTAINER LOAD.
GROUPAGE
A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE SHIPPING METHOD IS GROUPAGE. THIS IS WHEN SECURE STEEL CONTAINERS ARE FILLED WITH GROUPS OF POSSESSIONS FROM DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS AND COMPANIES THAT WILL BE EMBARKING UPON THE SAME ROUTE. THE CONTAINER DOES NOT LEAVE UNTIL IT IS FULL, SO YOU CANNOT DICTATE TRANSPORT TIMESCALES AS EASILY AS HAVING YOUR OWN CONTAINER.
ROAD
OVERSEAS REMOVALS ARE HANDLED IN DIFFERENT WAYS BY DIFFERENT FIRMS. SOME INTERNATIONAL REMOVALS COMPANIES WILL TRAVEL WITH YOUR CONSIGNMENT IN THEIR OWN LORRIES IN ORDER TO DICTATE TIMESCALES. YOUR BELONGINGS ARE PACKED AND BOXED JUST AS THEY WOULD BE FOR A DOMESTIC MOVE, BUT BE SURE TO KEEP AN INVENTORY OF YOUR ITEMS TO ENSURE ANY POSSESSIONS THAT ARE MISPLACED OR BROKEN CAN BE DOCUMENTED.
AIR FREIGHT
ARGUABLY THE MOST EXPENSIVE FORM OF OVERSEAS TRANSPORT, AIR FREIGHT CONSIGNMENTS ARE SECURED IN SPECIAL AIRLINE PALLETS AND TRANSPORTED IN THE AIRCRAFT CARGO HOLD. ALTHOUGH THIS COSTS MORE IT HAS THE BENEFIT OF SPEED WHICH CAN HELP IF YOU HAVE SECURED A LONDON JOB AND ARE LOOKING TO BEGIN YOUR NEW LIFE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
IT’S VITAL TO TEMPER THE EXCITEMENT OF MOVING TO THE BIGGEST AND BUSIEST CITY IN THE UK WITH CAREFUL PLANNING, ENSURING YOU TICK ALL THE RIGHT IMMIGRATION BOXES AND SAFELY TRANSPORT THOSE MOVING BOXES TO YOUR NEW LONDON HOME.