Keep pets secured away from open doors and vehicle movement, plan species-appropriate transport, and update identification through the relevant register. Ask a vet about health, medication or travel concerns; do not improvise sedation.

Before moving day

Check carrier/crate suitability, vehicle restraint, temperature, breaks, food/water and destination restrictions. Update the vet and prepare medication, records, bedding, cleaning supplies and a recent photograph.

Microchip and registration rules vary by species and country. Change the keeper/address details through the correct database rather than assuming a vet visit updates them automatically.

During loading

Use a closed, quiet room, trusted carer, boarding arrangement or another secure location. Put a clear sign on the door and tell the crew. Collars and verbal instructions are not enough when external doors stay open.

Travel and arrival

Follow veterinary and transport guidance for the species. At the new home, start with one secure area, check fences/windows and introduce space gradually. Keep familiar bedding and routine.

FAQs

Where should pets stay while doors are open?

In a secure closed area away from the work or with a trusted carer/boarding provider. Confirm responsibility.

When should identification details be updated?

As soon as the move changes the registered address/contact, using the correct database and local rules.

Suggested component

Use a Pet Move Safety Planner with species, supervision, travel and ID-update prompts. It must not recommend medication.

Related guides

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Keep children away from active lifting and preserve the routines and essentials that make the first days predictable. Give age-appropriate choices without making them responsible for logistics.

Before the move

Explain what will change using a simple timeline. Visit or show the new area, plan school/childcare records, label a personal essentials bag and let children choose a small set of items that travels with the family.

Arrange supervision for survey, packing and moving day. Open doors, stacked boxes, tools and vehicle movement make the loading area unsuitable for play.

Ways children can help safely

They can choose label colours, decorate room signs, photograph their old room, sort toys with an adult and pack a light personal box away from the crew. Do not involve them in carrying, climbing or identifying hazardous disposal.

First-night access

Keep medicines, comfort items, clothing, bedding, toiletries, school items, snacks and chargers accessible. Set up sleeping space before non-essential unpacking.

After arrival

Walk through safety boundaries, maintain familiar mealtimes/bedtimes where possible and allow mixed feelings. Confirm school, transport, healthcare and emergency-contact updates.

FAQs

How can children help without being near lifting?

Use planning, labels, room choices and light personal packing in a separate safe area.

What should stay accessible?

Medicines, documents, comfort items, bedding, clothes, hygiene, food and school essentials.

Suggested component

Use a Family Move Routine Planner with supervision, school tasks and first-night essentials, avoiding collection of unnecessary child data.

Related guides

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A piano move needs an item-and-route survey, not a price based only on postcode. Type, dimensions, weight distribution, stairs, turns, surfaces and final placement determine crew and equipment.

Describe the instrument

State upright, baby grand or grand; maker/model; width, height and depth; condition; detachable parts; and declared value. Grand pianos usually require different preparation and supports from uprights.

Survey both routes

Measure doorways, corridors, turns, steps, landings, lift dimensions/capacity, slopes and outdoor surfaces. Photograph tight points and note parking/walking distance. Do not plan a hoist or window route without specialist and property permission.

Quote questions

• Is the mover experienced with this piano type?
• What protection and specialist equipment are included?
• How many crew attend?
• Are stairs, cranes or waiting charged separately?
• How does liability apply to the declared value and pre-existing damage?
• Is tuning excluded after the move?
• Who confirms final floor loading and position?

Avoid DIY lifting instructions: concentrated weight, awkward balance and fragile mechanisms create injury and damage risks.

FAQs

Does piano type change the plan?

Yes. Construction, balance, dismantling, supports and route equipment differ between upright and grand instruments.

What should I measure?

Piano dimensions and every route restriction at collection and delivery, including turns and lift limits.

Suggested component

Use a Piano Access Survey Form with type, measurements, route photos, steps, surfaces and declared-value questions.

Related guides

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Some movers include straightforward dismantling; others charge separately or exclude particular furniture. List every item, access restriction and required reassembly before the survey.

What to record

For beds, wardrobes, tables, sofas and fitted items, record dimensions, material, construction, assembly instructions, floor and doorway route. Identify flat-pack furniture, glued joints, fragile finishes, wall fixings and missing hardware.

Flat-pack furniture can weaken after repeated assembly. The mover may exclude damage caused by prior condition or decline unsafe reassembly. Keep instructions and photograph condition.

If a sofa will not fit, do not assume doors or windows can be removed. A route survey may identify dismantling, specialist upholstery, hoisting or a different item, each with separate permissions and risk.

FAQs

Should I dismantle flat-pack furniture myself?

Only if competent and the mover agrees how it will be packed and reassembled. Label parts and retain every fixing.

What if a sofa will not fit?

Pause and assess the route. Obtain permission and specialist input before removing building elements or hoisting.

Suggested component

Use a Furniture Access and Assembly Inventory with dimensions, route photos, scope and hardware fields.

Related guides

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Prepare every appliance from its exact manufacturer instructions and use qualified people for gas, hardwired electrical, plumbing or refrigerant work. Movers transport appliances; they may not disconnect, install or commission them.

Build an appliance list

Record make/model, dimensions, weight, fuel/connection, shut-down time, transit parts, access route and who performs disconnection/reconnection.

The manual, not a generic article, determines defrost, orientation, transit-bolt and restart instructions.

Moving day

Confirm appliances are empty, dry and disconnected by the agreed person. Secure cables/hoses without damaging them and keep model-specific transit parts labelled. Photograph connections before disassembly if permitted.

At the new property, check services and clearances before reconnection. Do not power equipment simply because it has reached the room; follow settling, levelling and commissioning instructions.

FAQs

Who should disconnect an appliance?

The person competent and authorised for its connection. Gas and hardwired work require the appropriate qualified trade; check the mover’s written exclusions.

Where should transit and restart instructions come from?

The official manual or manufacturer support for the exact model.

Suggested component

Use an Appliance Move Planner that stores model-manual links, disconnection owner, transit parts and restart status.

Related guides

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Protect each item’s surfaces and edges, prevent movement inside the container and make unusual dimensions visible to the mover. High-value or irreplaceable pieces may need professional packing or a custom crate.

Before packing

Photograph condition, measure dimensions, record declared value and ask how liability applies to owner-packed items. Identify loose frames, damaged glass and hanging hardware before wrapping.

Glassware

Use divided cartons where appropriate, wrap pieces individually and fill voids so contents cannot collide. Keep dense pieces low, avoid overloading and mark orientation. Never rely on a “fragile” label to compensate for poor internal protection.

Mirrors and framed work

Protect the face without using adhesive that may damage the surface, reinforce corners and use a correctly sized mirror/art carton. Large, heavy, glazed or valuable work may require a rigid crate and specialist handling.

When to crate

Compare crating when an item is irreplaceable, high-value, unusually heavy, sculptural, vulnerable to pressure or travelling through groupage/international handling. Obtain the crate design, handling points and unpacking plan in writing.

FAQs

When does an item need a custom crate?

When ordinary cartons cannot control movement, edge load, impact or handling risk. Let the mover or specialist assess the route and item.

Should I photograph condition?

Yes, before packing and again if unpacked damage is found. Keep dates and inventory numbers.

Suggested component

Use a Fragile-Item Packing Planner with dimensions, value declaration, packing party and photo checklist.

Related guides

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Pack for safe handling and easy placement, not for the fewest boxes. Use sound containers, distribute weight, fill voids and label destination plus handling needs.

Choose containers

Use purpose-made or sturdy reusable crates for heavy, fragile or valuable contents. Reused retail boxes can suit light, non-fragile items only if dry, clean, rigid and undamaged. Avoid boxes weakened by moisture or missing lids.

Pack by weight

Keep books and dense objects in smaller boxes. Put lighter bulky items in larger cartons. Reinforce as the box maker instructs, protect edges and avoid top-heavy loads. A box should be liftable by the agreed crew without the bottom flexing.

Label for the destination

Use room name, brief contents, priority and handling direction. Number boxes and keep a separate inventory rather than writing valuable contents conspicuously. Colour coding helps only if everyone has the key.

Lower-waste choices

Reusable crates, returned cartons, paper padding and correctly sized boxes can reduce material. Reuse only where protection is not compromised. Ask whether the mover collects boxes after unpacking.

FAQs

Can I reuse supermarket boxes for everything?

No. They can work for light items when strong and clean, but inconsistent sizes, open tops and food contamination make them poor for fragile or dense contents.

How should I label boxes?

Destination room first, then handling/priority and a box number linked to your inventory.

Suggested component

Use a Box Label Generator that prints room, priority, orientation and inventory number without exposing high-value contents.

Related guides

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Start with items that need the longest exit route: valuable goods to sell, charity collections and regulated waste. Do not leave every unwanted item for the final week.

Use four decisions

1. Keep: useful, wanted and suitable for the new space.
2. Sell: enough likely value to justify listing, messages and collection.
3. Donate: accepted in its current condition by a confirmed organisation.
4. Dispose: no safe reuse route; follow local waste rules.

Measure the new home and check storage before moving furniture by default. Set sale deadlines and a backup route so unsold items do not block moving day.

Keep identity, financial, property and medical documents with you until retention and secure-destruction requirements are checked. Never put sensitive papers into an unattended open skip.

For waste-carrier checks, hazardous materials and local collection rules, use the dedicated Compare Waste Removal guidance rather than improvising.

FAQs

How early should I sell bulky items?

Start early enough for listing, viewing, collection and a backup plan. The more essential the space saving, the earlier the deadline.

Which documents should stay with me?

Identification, contracts, financial/legal records, medicines information and anything needed during the move. Review retention before secure disposal.

Suggested component

Use a printable Declutter Decision Log with deadline, route and fallback fields.

Related guides

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Packing help is most valuable when time, fragility, mobility or liability matters more than doing every box yourself. Compare full, partial and fragile-only services against a written inventory.

Ask whether materials, labelling, dismantling and disposal are included. Some items cannot be packed by movers, including hazardous materials, cash, important documents and certain valuables; use the mover’s exact exclusion list.

Professional packing does not remove your responsibility to identify high-value or unusual items and follow declaration terms. Photograph condition where relevant.

FAQs

Can I book fragile items only?

Often, if the mover offers partial packing. List every item and confirm whether custom cartons or crates are included.

What should I avoid packing first?

Keep documents, medicines, keys, chargers and prohibited/no-load items separate. Use the mover’s written list.

Suggested component

Use a Packing Service Scope Builder with room/item selection and user-entered prices.

Related guides

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Verify the business, the crew actually performing the move and the written contract before paying a deposit. Reviews are useful evidence only when combined with identity, address, insurance, scope and complaint checks.

Due-diligence checklist

1. Confirm legal/trading name, physical address, phone and company details.
2. Ask whether work is performed by employees, subcontractors or another mover.
3. Obtain a written inventory, access assumptions, price basis and terms.
4. Read liability, exclusions, cancellation, delay and complaint clauses.
5. Check membership claims directly with the named trade body.
6. Look for review patterns across more than one platform.
7. Confirm payment recipient matches the contracting business.

Red flags

Be cautious when a mover refuses a survey for a complex move, will not identify the business, gives only a cash price in messages, demands a large urgent transfer to a personal account, changes company names, cannot explain liability or uses copied membership badges.

A deposit is not automatically suspicious. The concern is amount, timing, payment destination, refund/cancellation terms and lack of a credible contract.

Who will arrive?

Booking websites and lead services may pass work to another business. Ask for the operating mover’s name, vehicle arrangement and responsibility for loss or damage. Recheck if this changes.

FAQs

How can I check who will carry out the move?

Ask the contracting company in writing whether it subcontracts and request the operating business details before payment.

What should concern me about a deposit request?

Pressure, personal accounts, unclear refund terms, mismatched names and an amount disproportionate to the stated booking commitment.

Suggested component

Use a printable Mover Verification Checklist. It records checks but never labels a company “approved” without a current documented basis.

Related guides

Compare House Movers is an independent guide. We may earn a fee from some links; this never affects what we write.