Over the course of the next few months we are offering an insightful Robinsons Olympic Help guide to all tenants, landlords and homeowners.

In the first post we discussed how the Games will affect immigration and in the second entry we suggested tips on housing and accommodation.

Today, we are examining how the Olympics will affect the logistical challenge for household goods moving operations.

It is certain that the sporting event will present difficulties with regards to home removals in London because a number of ‘Olympic Traffic Lanes’ have been identified on main arterial roads serving the Capital and within key areas.

It is not yet known how many lanes will be introduced but it will definitely have a knock-on effect on delivery and collection times throughout London for removals vans. It is reported though that they constitute 1% of the public roads of the 109 mile Olympic Route Network (ORN).

The Lanes will be used by officials and 18,000 athletes to get to and from the Olympics site in record times. What does it mean? Well parking is going to be affected as normal bays in which people park in will be restricted for security purposes and to reduce congestion. What is more, parking bays will be suspended for collections and deliveries dependent on property locations.

As specialists in overseas removals, we have offices in Beijing and Sydney that have described how the Olympics in the year 2000 were a ‘bit of a nightmare’ on logistics.

They detailed the impact how main roads were blocked for weeks before the event and how traffic was gridlocked. Deliveries were challenging and moving consultants faced serious delays.

Robinsons International Removals has to assume the effect in London this year will be much worse!

Stay tuned for our next post on how the Olympic Games will affect customs, port procedures and security…

If you have sold your house and bought another, it is possible to pack, transport and move all your belongings to a new home in time before the holidays- if you use expert removals services like Robinsons International.

We are the leading UK removal and relocation services and we can help with your home removal planning from an early stage making your move easy, step by step.

Juggling a house move and Christmas preparations at the same time can be stressful and tiring but let our dedicated moving managers assist in all the processes to ease the entire process.

From packing and transporting, we can take care of everything leaving you free to start shopping for presents. Moving house at any time of the year can be worrying but to move right before Christmas is especially demanding.

However, use the fact that the kids are off school as a positive to help you pack and give them little jobs to make them feel important and relieve you of work.

Get a free quote today by one of Robinsons’ moving consultants and start planning your move now so you have time to unpack and decorate the new home in Christmas trimmings.

At your new home, the move team will unpack and position your furniture where you want it and if the new property is not quite ready for all of your belongings right away we also offer long and short term storage facilities.

So if you are considering moving within the UK, do it quickly before the wintry holidays with Robinsons International.

Image Courtesy of brockvicky and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence.

The simple answer to this question is that there is never a right time but here is a help guide.

There will always be positives and downsides to moving home, whatever time of the year you move.

Some may prefer to relocate in the summer when the weather is warmer but other homeowners may be put off for the simple reason that by carrying so many boxes, one can become very hot.

SEASONAL

The winter is arguably the worse time of the year to move because of the cold weather front and falling snow. Removal vans can get stuck in the snow and it can be difficult to organise a move at the same time as Christmas.

BANK HOLIDAYS

Other key dates which tend to cause problems for home removals are during bank holidays when thousands of Brits get behind their wheels to travel. Although this may seem the best time to move because you don’t have to take time off work, it is also the time when everyone else is off work and so roads can become overcrowded.

This is similar for when the kids are off school during the summer holidays. Juggling boxes, the family pet and the children at the same time can be overwhelming. Turn a bad scenario into a positive one and let the little ones help- give them all a special role and make them feel important and included in the move to ease stress.

WEDDING

Moving house at the same time as planning a wedding can also trigger difficulties, as it can be extremely stressful to do both. A wedding requires a lot of effort and preparation, as too does moving home, so try to avoid doing both at once. If this is inevitable, bring in some help to share the duties and offload the amount of work.

So when is it really the best time to move…whenever it is, make sure it is with Robinsons International!

According to a Royal Mail survey, Britons have lived in five homes by the time they reach the age of 35 whilst their grandparents lived in just three properties during their whole lives.

The findings, which involved 1000 under 35-year-olds being surveyed, revealed that one in 10 Brits had lived at more than 10 different addresses.

The report also showed that 10% stayed in some houses for a month or less and 50% had moved out within six months.

Royal Mail published the survey as part of a campaign to encourage people to redirect their post when moving house in order to protect themselves against identity fraud. So if you are like the thousands of Brits who are moving house often, make sure you use Robinsons International’s professional removals service.

Keith Jones, the postal group’s head of data, said to The Press Association: “There are a number of key risk factors that heighten the threat of identity theft, including moving home.

“If people don’t take out mail redirection when changing address, their mail will land on their old doorstep, with no control over who opens it, and with more and more people renting and changing properties more often, this threat is escalating.

“We want people moving home to make sure they are taking the right steps to protect themselves. People should see a mail redirection as part of the whole process of moving home, so it should come just as naturally as booking in the removal van.”

The survey results suggest that people are reluctant to settle down, or that they are less able to buy homes and therefore are moving and renting. Other ideas are that Brits are relocating more for jobs.

Make the whole moving process simple and straightforward with the friendly experts at Robinsons. Click here to find out how they can help you move property.

According the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ quarterly social trends report released yesterday, people are moving house more often.

The figures painted the portrait of an increasingly mobile population across Australia with the desire for a bigger or better home, or a recent dwelling purchase, generally the most common reasons for moving.

Every second married couple with children had moved in the five years to 2007-08 and young people with no children were the most likely to find a new home (90 per cent) citing forming new relationships, as the reason for making a move.

45 per cent of families with dependent children moved within a five-year period compared to 17 per cent of older households without children.

For the small proportion of people who had a desire to move in the next 12 months, but considered it unlikely to happen, financial reasons were the most commonly reported barrier.

If you want to move, use the most reputable Removals Company Robinsons International, for reliable quality service.

PICTURE CONTRIBUTION: flicr Linh_rOm

The tenancy cheats are earning up to £20,000  a year by moving out of their council homes and renting it out to other people  at a higher rate.

Grant Shapps, the Housing Minister, is launching  a new £19 million crackdown today to catch the some 200,000 tenants a year who break the rules.

It is feared the illegal scam is affecting the long council housing waiting list, of five million people.

Mr Shapps is warning everyone that anyone caught abusing the system will be barred from getting a council house in the future.

According to the latest figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions, 8 out of 10 people who illegally rent their home from a council tenant would not have qualified for social housing.

A part of the shutdown, dedicated teams of housing officers will investigate suspected tenancy cheats and audits will be held to check that the right people are living in a property.

For more news on housing and Removals visit Robinsons today, at www.robinsons-intl.com.

It can really get on top of you with selling the house, buying another one, packing and moving; as well ensuring the children’s school routines, after school clubs and homework are not interrupted.

So can you imagine what it would be like to be doing all of these things at Christmas time, with the added pressure that you want to be settled in your new abode before Christmas Day amidst shopping for the kids presents and Christmas Day dinner.

Robinsons International can ease the stress of moving, with their reputable expert packing team and quality removals service. And with prices at an affordable low, you can save some extra cash just in time for Christmas.

We have put together some top tips to moving house this Winter season…

SNOW

Although usually you would love to have a white Christmas to play in the snow with the family, make snowmen, go sledge tobogganing and have snowball fights; snow can be a negative when moving house.

It hinders your removal van to drive so to avoid getting stuck in the snow, salt your path way, drive way and outside pavement to ensure the removals team don’t slip when carrying your glass wear and belongings.

Make sure you and the children have extra warm clothes to hand on the moving day, to avoid you all getting ill and irritated.

PLAN

Most weather conditions for the week are accessible online beforehand, so plan the moving day around the weather to shun the snow and make it as easy as possible.

Also, staff numbers can be reduced over the holiday period so ensure to book with us in advance.

And plan some of your Christmas shopping to ease the work load.

BILLS, BILLS, BILLS

Sometimes through all the moving chaos the little things might slip your memory. We have previously posted a moving guide check list, so you will know how important it is to contact your utilities provider.

This is especially important when moving at Winter, to dodge having zero heating, hot water, gas or electricity. You can imagine the problems when you are trying to put up fairy lights on the tree and cook the turkey in the oven over Christmas if your utility provider cuts you off for not notifying them.

DON’T FORGET TO TELL THE INLAWS

If you don’t tell you family and friends that your moving and give them your new address details, they will probably send your Christmas card to the wrong house. This goes for the same carol singers that you get year on year, forward your new details (well that is unless you want to get rid of them.)

GRUB

Over the holiday period some local shops close earlier than usual, especially with the nights getting darker earlier. So be conscious that when you arrive at your new home you won’t have any food in stock and your nearest store may not be open. In which case, scout the area beforehand and get the number for the best local takeaway.

DECORATE

It might be the last thing on your mind when you have moved but decoration is really important; for security, warmth and Christmas spirit.

Most people thing the first jobs are to unpack and get settled but it is actually necessary to hang up the curtains to keep prying eyes away for security and warm the house up. Start getting the tinsel out around the tree and up the stairs and make the new house feel homely for the children to adjust quicker.

CELEBRATE

Don’t forget what the season is all about; although the move can be challenging don’t miss out on the usual traditions your family do e.g. going to church or games night.

The couple had reportedly broken the home’s locks, and were in the process of moving their own possessions in. The home’s owner returned to find an unfamiliar car in his driveway and the home lights on – two factors that lead him to believe their had been an illegal break-in.

While the couple, Mihai and Laura Dediu, deny attempting to take possessions and items from the home, their case is peculiar in just about every way possible. The two were reportedly told by a ‘man in a shop’ that the home was unoccupied, and believed that they would be able to move in temporarily until they secured long-term housing.

Evidently, the  Northampton Crown Court didn’t share their view of ethical property removals. Sentencing them to a 12-month community order and over 100 hours of service, the judge remarked that the case indicates that Britain is “going back to Dickensian times.”

The young family now lives legally at another residence in the area. While their bizarre move-in case has resulted in laughs and groans from Northampton residents, it has laid out a blueprint for exactly how not to move into a new 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.

The most important thing to do when relocating is to break down the project into manageable pieces. For instance, packing all your stuff in the last few days not only sounds like the inevitable nightmare, but will play out in exactly the same fashion. Planning ahead is crucial, start by thinking about what you will not want in your new home. Any items that are destined for the scrap heap can be sold on auction websites or donated to charity shops, already cutting down the task ahead.

One of the next things you should do is make arrangements for picking up all important records from health clinics, schools etc. Make sure that these are either forwarded to your next address or picked up in person by you. While doing this, ensure you fill in a change of address kit (you can get these from the post office) for places like banks and insurance companies, along with healthcare providers. Ensure you pack all essential documents are packed in one place for convenience.

Once the life admin is dealt with, its time to actually begin the packing. Roughly work out how much packing supplies youll need and then order them. Once they arrive, work out what you can pack now, what needs to be left till the last minute and mark the boxes accordingly. While doing this, mark on the boxes what should be opened first, bedding and a kettle should be in one of the first boxes opened, after a long day moving, bed and a cuppa may be the only thing you are fit for!

Utility disconnection and connection can be easily arranged at anytime, so it is best to get this out of the way early on. There are companies that will arrange this for you, leaving you the task of ringing one number and speaking to one person, letting them do the rest. This is advisable if you have a particularly large move planned. Why struggle when you can share the strain out?

When it comes to the actual moving day, make sure the removals company are fully informed of the plans, given the full address and a mobile contact number. Ensure you have a contact number for them in case of last minute changes or heaven forbid – problems, it has been known to occur.

Throughout the move remember one thing; failing to plan is planning to fail.