Archive for the ‘Home removals’ Category

3 Must-Haves for a Successful Move

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Thousands of Britons move house every week, and almost all experience the stress that can come with a high-pressure move. Even a simple home can require a plethora of removals requirements, from secure possessions to a reliable removals service. The potential for damage and danger can also be high, with high-value possessions at risk of damage, and removals helpers potentially endangered under health and safety.

However, with the right combination of must-have removals factors, your down-the-street or across-the-country move can be a success. Before you pack away a single book, make sure you’ve got these three removals must-haves ready:successful removals

1.    Strong and flexible storage.

That’s flexible in terms of storage space, not construction. It’s best to look for storage equipment that can house and protect your possessions and valuables. Store items according to size, weight, and value, with similarly shaped and composed items put together in the same storage containers. Ultra-valuables are best left on your person, or at the very least in your own moving vehicle.

2.    A reliable removals company.

There’s nothing worse than uncertainty during a move. Pick a removals team that’s professional, not just the cheapest provider in the area. Almost all experienced removals teams will be able to provide insurance and equipment that suits you. Piece of mind is important, and sometimes it takes a professional removals company to provide it, especially when valuables are on the line.

3.    Excess time.

It’s amazing how many small things can go wrong during a move. These aren’t minor disasters, only small hiccups, but the amount of time they can drain is still incredible. Give yourself more time than you think you’ll need, and treat distractions and hold-ups as an inconvenience, not a crisis.



As Economic Uncertainty Increases, Many Brits Move Home

Friday, February 26th, 2010

The global economy truly is worldwide, as many British expatriates have discovered. Faced with economic uncertainty in foreign countries – many as close to home as Western Europe and Scandinavia – many Brits are choosing to return home to relatively financial security. Faced with a near-complete lack of resident welfare systems as foreign expatriates, the security of the UK is bringing many who left its shores back home.

Of course, many Brits are moving internally throughout the UK, searching for job opportunities or relocating as a result of their careers. For the recession-hit jobless, new locations within the UK represent a new opportunity – the same opportunity that was once pushing many Brits to move overseas.

The number of citizens leaving the UK fell by 12 percent in 2009, landing at 146,000. At the same time, over 87,000 British citizens returned home to take advantage of the UK’s welfare and relatively supportive economy. As foreign expatriates, British citizens are subject to relatively few welfare options and supportive financial programs.

While a large number of British citizens still look for opportunities overseas – over 140,000 left the UK in 2009, while only 87,000 returned home – the change in expatriation rates suggests that Britain’s professionals may eventually look for employment in the UK. Whether the moves were the result of financial necessity or long-term planning is debatable – a decision that the next five years are unlikely to uncover.



Unlike this lady, you needn’t be stressed moving house

Friday, February 19th, 2010

We didn’t know whether to laugh our cry after reading this little story! Remember kids, moving house is stress free with Robinsons!

“I never used to believe those surveys which ranked moving house in the Top 10 most stressful experiences in life. But following our move from North London to Surrey last week, I now know this to be true.

Stressful? There should be a Government Health Warning on moving house. Throughout that long, exhausting day I’m convinced my blood pressure hit danger levels on a number of occasions.

Watching the removal lorry slowly reverse into our car was certainly one of them. Only minutes earlier I’d taken the baby out of his car seat. We were parked a good 30 feet away, yet all three removal men swore they couldn’t see our family estate car in their rearview mirrors. It was a small dent in the bumper; a larger one to my confidence.

Then there was the £40 parking ticket slapped on the windscreen in the 30 seconds it took me to pick up my son from nursery. It was the equivalent of a goodbye card from those diligent employees of Islington Council.

While all this was going on, I was speaking to at least seven different operators at a call centre in the hope that one might possess the talent to set up an account on our new landline phone. They did not.

By the time we arrived at our new house (an hour stuck in rush-hour London traffic, another hour to get there) it was getting dark. Without a working landline phone I kept my mobile close at hand… until, that is, our over-tired toddler posted it down the toilet while I was running his bath. I suppose I can’t blame that one on house-moving: that’s just parenthood for you.

The next morning started with promise. We woke in our new home; the sun was shining, the birds tweeting. What could possibly go wrong today?

Within half an hour, a full mug of coffee slid off what we thought was a flat surface and all over the only carpet in the house that didn’t need replacing.

Then we locked ourselves out of the house. The previous owner had forgotten to drop the rather important Yale key with the agents on completion. We only realised this after we had slammed the front door.

How my husband managed to wriggle through the tiny downstairs window with the dodgy catch, I have no idea. I hadn’t seen such a contortionist since the Chinese State Circus came to town. He dropped six feet down onto the carpet, landing headfirst, and hasn’t been quite the same since.

Perhaps removal firms should provide an “after care” counselling service to help repair the shattered nerves of homeowners? Or a welcome pack containing spare keys, carpet cleaner, plasters, bandages, scotch and Valium?

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