What Do Removal Companies Actually Do?

Most people picture two strong people and a van. That is the last ten per cent of the job. A good removal company starts weeks earlier with a survey and a written quote, then on the day it packs or protects your belongings, takes the big furniture apart, loads the van in a set order, drives it, unloads by room, puts the beds back together and takes the packing materials away. It also carries the insurance, arranges the parking and, if the dates do not line up, finds you somewhere to keep everything. Here is each part of the job, what good looks like, and what no removal company will touch.

What happens before moving day: the survey and the quote?

The job starts with a look round, not a van. Removal Reviews' guide to hiring a removal company calls the in-home or video survey a crucial part of the cost calculation, where the company assesses exactly what is being moved and any access issues, and says that should the removal company not offer any form of survey you should very seriously consider walking away. Compare My Move's checklist agrees: if they skip the survey or only give a rough estimate, that's a red flag.

From the survey comes the quote. Compare My Move says to expect a clear, written quote covering packing, dismantling and key-wait fees. Foundations goes one step further and gives a fixed all-in quote, so the figure you agree is the figure you pay. Compare My Move also notes that Fridays and school holidays are the busiest and most expensive times to move, so if your dates are flexible, say so at the survey.

Do removal companies pack for you?

Yes, if you ask, and it changes what is insured. Most companies offer a full pack, a fragile-only pack or materials only. Removal Reviews point out that your insurance company may not insure your goods during transit if you have packed them yourself, which is the detail that decides most people. At Foundations, goods packed and wrapped by our crew are covered under the company's insurance, while the contents of boxes you pack yourself are not.

A full pack usually happens the day before the move and a fragile-only pack on the morning. Foundations offers a full pack, a fragile-only pack or materials only, with double-walled boxes plus wardrobe, picture and TV boxes, and the crew can unpack and take the empty boxes away. If you pack yourself, label the top and one side of every box, keep heavy things in small boxes, and seal everything the night before.

Do removal companies dismantle and reassemble furniture?

The big pieces, yes. Beds, wardrobes, dining tables and desks that will not fit through the door come apart on the morning and go back together at the other end. White & Company's moving day guide says the removal team will reassemble any furniture highlighted and agreed on in your pre-move survey that was dismantled during loading, which is why the survey matters: flag the flat-pack wardrobe then, not when the crew is standing in front of it.

Keep the fixings with the furniture. A labelled bag of screws taped to the headboard saves twenty minutes at the other end. Anything that needs a plumber or an electrician is a separate job: Sanctuary's moving checklist suggests that if you're not confident to do it yourself, you book an electrician or plumber to disconnect and refit your appliances before the day.

How do removal companies protect your home and your belongings?

With wrapping, floor coverings and insurance, in that order. White & Company explain that furniture is wrapped using specialist protective materials, and fragile items are cushioned and secured, while floor coverings will be laid down on carpets and staircases to stop them being marked. That matters if you are renting and want your deposit back, or selling and want to hand over a clean house.

Insurance is the part to check before you book. Compare My Move's checklist puts goods in transit and public liability insurance at the top, with the advice to ask for proof, and says reputable movers should be willing to show written proof of insurance. Foundations is fully insured, ISO accredited and SafeContractor Approved.

What happens on moving day itself?

Load in order, drive, unload by room. White & Company describe loading as a methodical sequence: heavy, bulky items like wardrobes, sofas and white goods go in first, with lighter boxes layered on top, and the team will also prepare a numbered inventory so you can find things at the other end. At the new house, good movers won't just dump boxes in the hallway; they'll deliver items to the correct rooms based on your labels or instructions.

On a completion-day move the crew is usually loaded before the keys are released, which White & Company say can be any time between late morning and mid-afternoon, occasionally later. The crew waits with the van. If the keys do not come at all, overnight holding on the van or in a secure overnight hold is part of the Foundations removal service, not the storage product. Once you are in, the crew reassembles what it dismantled, and before the team departs you should do a final walkthrough with the crew leader to confirm everything has arrived, nothing is damaged and all rooms have been addressed.

What will a removal company not move?

Anything that could catch fire, leak or go off. White & Company's moving day questions say most removal companies will not transport hazardous materials such as gas canisters, paints, solvents, ammunition or certain cleaning chemicals, and that perishable food, plants and some pets may also be excluded. Removal Reviews add the reason to take it seriously: should you try to put such items onto the removal van you will likely invalidate your insurance.

Ask for the prohibited list when you book and move those things yourself in the car. Passports, jewellery, cash and the documents for the sale should travel with you too, not because the crew will not carry them, but because you will want them before the van is unloaded.

What else can a removal company arrange?

Storage, parking and the paperwork around the kerb. If your dates do not line up, Foundations offers storage through a partner facility, booked with the removal under one quote with one accountable team, at £50 to £150 a week depending on volume. Short stays of a few days are fine; billing has a one-month minimum term, so there is no pro-rata pricing for shorter stays. Your belongings are insured under our policy while in store.

Parking is the other one. On a London street with residents' bays, a parking bay suspension keeps a space for the lorry, and we arrange it as part of the service, with the council's fee passed through at cost. All our vans are ULEZ-compliant and no ULEZ charge is ever passed to the customer.

How do you choose a good removal company?

Use the survey as the test. Compare My Move's quick checklist is a good filter: goods in transit and public liability insurance with proof, a pre-move survey, a clear written quote and consistent reviews, and they suggest you get at least three quotes around 4 to 6 weeks before your move. Their red flags are a company that refuses to show insurance or accreditation, or won't visit your property or offer a video survey.

Then ask the questions that show how the day will run: who arrives and when, what happens if the keys are late, and what is covered if something breaks. A London move needs at least a week's notice, and two to four weeks gives the best choice of dates, though short-notice and completion-day moves are often possible subject to crew availability. Get a fixed all-in quote from Foundations and you will have most of those answers in writing before you decide.