5-6 weeks before your move
- Think about the exact date you want to move
- Start planning your move
- Decide what you want to take with you to your new home and what you are leaving behind - a floor plan of your new home may help you decide
- You might need furniture for your new home, start looking at ordering anything you need now as lead times for many pieces of new furniture can be lengthy
- If you think you'll need extra storage space, book it now
- Decide if you are packing yourself or ordering a packing service and plan accordingly
- Start researching your new area or the country you are moving to. If you familiarise yourself with the local community or the new culture ahead of time, the move will be much smoother
3-4 weeks before your move
- Confirm the date of the move with us
- Arrange childcare for the moving day – Moving with children can be stressful, but there are ways to manage the impact on them. Although older children may well want to be involved in your move, and even help you pack and organise some things, you may decide that it will be less stressful for younger children if you arrange for them to go to relatives or friends on the moving day.
- Make arrangements for moving your pets – Moving can be very disruptive for pets so you may want to also ask your vet for specialist advice on taking care of your animals during the move
- Take a full inventory and start sorting out your belongings
- Clear out unwanted belongings – Planning a fresh start in your new home is an ideal time to clear out any unwanted belongings. You can give these items to friends and family, give them away with Freecycle, or hold a garage sale. Local charity shops will also welcome smaller items such as books, ornaments, some furniture or clothing.
- Get the essential moving supplies.
- Start packing items you don't use very often
- Start using up the contents of your freezer
2 weeks before your move
- Notify your essential service providers, banks, and any other financial institutions about your move
- You will need to arrange for water, gas and electricity meter readings on the day of your move - make sure that all services are scheduled to be connected in your new home the day you move in
- Have your telephone number transferred or changed
- Arrange for broadband in your new home
- Arrange for your post to be redirected – Contact Royal Mail if you want to have your post redirected
- Organise the disconnection and reconnection of domestic appliances, such as your washing machine, cooker, and gas fires
- Plan the moving day in detail
- Decide how you are going to transport your valuable items, such as jewellery, money, antiques, and plants
- Finalise everything with us - confirm arrival dates, addresses, and think about parking facilities for the removal van
1 week before your move
- Finish packing all non-essential items and clean the house thoroughly
- Check attic, garage, and basement for items you might have forgotten
- Put all important documents in one box or bag which you will move yourself – this should include passports, driving licences, wills, birth certificates, insurance papers, cash and jewellery
- Defrost and clean your fridge and freezer
- Cancel any regular deliveries you have to your present home, like milk or newspapers
The day before you move
- If you have ordered our professional packing service, you have to prepare some things to make the packing as fast as possible – You can usually leave drawers and trunks with their contents intact, provided there are no breakable items inside. If you do this, however, it is your responsibility to point out to the crew any drawers, wardrobes, cupboards, and other containers that have ‘out of sight’ items within.
- Liquids, oils and paints must be placed into sealed containers. We cannot transport inflammable material, so dispose of these safely
- Empty all bins; it is your responsibility to ensure that all bins are emptied of contents. Our removal crew can't carry any type of receptacle containing refuse. This is particularly important when your goods are due to go into storage for a period of time.
- Put together a 'do not remove pile' – Essential things that you do not want us to remove, such as snacks, handbags, or cleaning materials. Some people put everything into their bathtub and tell the removals crew not to pack anything in their bathtub. Wherever you put it, just be sure to let the guys know on the day what isn't to be packed!
Moving day
You can now leave the hard work to us, but there are a few essential things you will need to take care of:
- Be present when the movers arrive and answer their questions when necessary
- Check the condition of your belongings as they are being loaded
- Perform final checks before leaving your home – Make sure that meter readings are taken, that water and power supply are turned off, and that doors and windows are closed
- Make sure that you are not leaving anything behind - walk around your property, ideally with the foreman of our removal crew, to check that nothing has been overlooked
- Drop keys at the estate agents if you need to
- Pick up the keys for your new home, if you don't already have them
- Make sure that you have exchanged contact numbers with our removal team, and arrange a time to meet them at your new home
- When you walk into your new home, don't start unpacking right away. Give yourself some time to enjoy your new home, sit down and relax. The most stressful part of the move is over. Only start unpacking when you feel relaxed and energetic.
- If you have requested an unpacking service, please assist the crew to ensure that items are placed in the appropriate rooms. You will need to place items such as clothes into wardrobes and cupboards.
- Our removal crew will remove the majority of debris from packing materials, however if there is any left behind or you have asked to complete the unpacking yourself, please contact us via the number on side of the box and we will arrange for a convenient day to collect the materials so they can be recycled
Removal quote appointment booking service
Britannia Bradshaw can help your move go smoothly. Contact us for a free, no obligation quote, or by calling 0161 877 5555 (Manchester) or 0121 504 0966 (Birmingham & Coventry) and speak with one of our removals specialists.
How are our appointments carried out
In the current times you might prefer that we don't visit your house in person to carry out a survey. This is fully understandable and we can just as easily undertake the survey by video call, using whatever method you're comfortable with, usually FaceTime or WhatsApp.
See what our customers think of us...
Very efficient at both ends
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
From the association website
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Great service from beginning
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
Very efficient at both ends
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
I could not have wished for a better removal experience
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
I liked the look of your vehicles
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Everything was looking good but when it was suggested to do a partial load the previous day that sold me.
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
They were stars of the highest calibre, so organised and helpful, nothing was too much trouble.
It was a long day since due to a national banking system problem the legal completion was late and they waited over 4 hours at my new property before the keys were released. Once we were in the four guys worked as a team and quickly, though with great care, moved me in. I could not have wished for a better removal experience. All the guys were great but their leader George was a brilliant communicator and made sure I was okay throughout the process.
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
Keep doing what you are doing
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
Thankfully Britannia Bradshaw took much of the stress off me
Email to Sam
Thank you for your help in make my house move go as smoothly as possible. I would also like to convey my personal thanks to the team that physically moved my belongings, George, Dave, Duncan and Mike. They were all brilliant throughout the process and nothing was too much trouble. As you are aware I was victim of late key syndrome. With that in mind I knew the lads were quite entitled to call it a day and finish the move another day. However, they were patient and gave me enough time to thankfully obtain the keys. Once we were in it was amazing how efficiently they worked as a team shifting my gear. Despite the time they took great care and worked with me on what went where etc.
I have been a senior manager in a service industry and trust me these people were top notch. George kept liaising with me so fantastic coordination and communication skills.
I will make it my business to recommend Britannia Bradshaw to all of my friends and colleagues.
Thank you again
David WilsonAll the team were hard working, knowledgeable and efficient.
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
Google search
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Company sounded professional and efficient, yet friendly and approachable
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
All the team were hard working, knowledgeable and efficient.
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
No need
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
From initial enquiries to moving into the new property, all the staff were friendly, efficient and professional. Nothing was too much trouble.
They really went out of their way to help us
Why did you choose to get a quote from us and where did you get our contact details?
Saw your lorry
How would you rate the way we dealt with your initial enquiry?
10/10
How would you rate the survey that we carried out?
10/10
Why did you choose to move/store with us?
Good reviews
How would you rate your move team?
10/10
Would you like to tell us anything about your move team?
Paul and Ellis were excellent they really went out of their way to help us
How would you rate our communication?
10/10
How can we improve our service?
Not sure
How likely are you to recommend us to your friends / family?
10/10
Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your move?
From my first call to saying goodbye to the 2 guys who moved us to the other side of the country the service you provided was brilliant!
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UK Price Guide
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Please note: Our Price Guide tool is intended for moves within the UK Mainland only. If you're moving to or from the UK mainland please speak to one of our friendly team who will be able to provide you with a bespoke quote.
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