How to Find a Removal Company: Landlords & Letting Agents

Finding a reliable removal company can be a challenge, and tenants often turn to their landlord or letting agent for advice at the end of a tenancy.

Providing quality recommendations for trusted tradespeople and services builds trust with tenants and means they’re more likely to pass on your details to friends and family.

In order to provide your tenants with reputable removals services, we explore what to look for when searching for a removal company and the benefits of using this service.

Do I Need a Removals Company?

If your tenant asks this question at the end of a tenancy, the answer is usually yes. Most people gather lots of belongings, even over the space of a year. When packing and transporting expensive items of furniture and fragile items, it can pay to leave it to the professionals.

Unless the property is very small, they are renting one room or rent a fully furnished property, it’s likely a professional removal service will be beneficial.

A professional removal service offers tenants;

• Time saving
• Safer packing and transportation of fragile items
• More van space

A professional removal service is even more important for families with lots of belongings and older tenants who may struggle to pack up their home.

How Do I Choose a Removal Company?

We’ve broken down finding the right removal company into a few simple steps;

Location

The first consideration is location. Removal companies based locally to your rental properties are likely to be cheaper than those that have further to travel.

These companies could become part of a portfolio of recommended tradespeople and services you can offer to your tenants.

Comparison Sites

One of the first places to go for local removal companies is a comparison site. Here, you will find a list of trusted traders and you will be able to filter your search results to find relevant companies more quickly.

Searching by price point, location and reviews can help narrow down your search.

Removal Quotes

The next step once you have found a few possible candidates is to check removal quotes. Most tenants will be searching for the most affordable option, so if you can recommend a reasonable company they should be happy customers.

Try to get at least three different quotes for the same move, with each cost broken down into insurance, packing, hourly rate, mileage and storage.

Customer Reviews

We’ve all heard disaster stories of rogue movers damaging expensive furniture or losing sentimental items, and tenants won’t be happy if your recommendation goes wrong.

Once you have narrowed down the search further, it’s time to check the customer reviews. Sometimes, companies are cheap for a reason, and you should be able to weed out any unreliable movers from the reviews online.

How do I Find a Reputable Moving Company?

We’ve got some top tips on how to spot a quality removal company you can rely on;

Ask for Recommendations

Word of mouth can be a powerful tool for finding reliable tradespeople and services.

Have any of your friends or family moved home recently? They may have their own recommendations to offer. It’s also worth checking which removal companies local letting agents recommend.

Have They Been Regulated?

An easy way to determine whether a removal firm is trustworthy, is to check whether they are a member of any regulatory boards or associations.

Check if the company is a member of The British Association of Removers (BAR), a regulatory body which ensures professional excellence. With lists of residential and commercial movers, all companies listed have been tested to industry standards.

Questions to Ask the Movers

Before you recommend a removal company to your tenant, ask these questions first;

• How long has the company been operating?
• Do you offer pre move surveys?
• Do you offer storage facilities?
• Do your quotes include insurance?
• Is a packing service included?
• Is parking on moving day included?
• What is your delay policy?
• Do you ask for any additional removal costs?

Having all the important information to hand is of great use for busy tenants and will make a great impression long term.

How Much Notice Do Removal Companies Need?

The process of getting an initial quote for moving house, the subsequent survey, finding an available date and getting all of the documents in order can take several weeks. It’s a good idea to remind tenants of this as it comes nearer to the end of their tenancy so they can be fully prepared on moving day.

What is the Average Cost of Removals?

The cost of using a professional removals company is dependent on several factors;

• The number and size of the items being transported
• The distance between properties
• Size of the removals team on the day
• Whether it includes packing and packing materials

The Movers and Storers Show

Another way to find reputable moving companies is to attend an industry event such as the Movers and Storers Show.

This year, the show is taking place in Coventry, 19th-20th November and is a convenient place to find trusted partners.

The Importance of Trusted Property Partners

Reputation is important in the lettings industry. If a tenant has a positive moving experience thanks to your recommendation, they are more likely to consider your services in the future and give positive recommendations to friends and family.

That goes for all services you use to manage the rental properties in your portfolio.

Here at No Letting Go, we offer a range of professional services to help landlords and letting agents manage their portfolios and stay on top of their responsibilities.

From property inventory to property visits, our services are designed to protect your investment for the long term.

Browse our full list of property inventory services here to find out how we can help.