The moving process: what to expect..

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We'd love to meet with you..

We offer a complimentary home survey of your property with a 15 mile radius of Redhill, Surrey. We do this first and foremost to meet you in person and secondly in order to provide you with an accurate quote. To start the ball rolling we kindly request you fill out our online self-survey quote form on the main page of this site. Please note all your information is held confidentially.

After we have received your self-survey quote form we will contact you to arrange your home visit. This will entail taking a detailed inventory of items, record any specific requirements you may have and better assess access to the properties.  This visit may take up to an hour but can take longer for more complex moves.

Once we have received your self-survey quote form (and conducted a home visit where possible) you will receive a quote within 48 hours in the form of an email. We may need to contact you in order to gather further information prior to producing a quote. If you are happy to proceed we would then require an email confirmation which would then act as the contract between us. We then require you to make the deposit stated on the quote and let us know as soon as you have done so in order to secure the job and your date. The account details are on the bottom of your quote. The balance will then be due on the day of the move and we can send you a receipt.

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Packing service

We offer a full packing service in addition to a standard move.  This can entail packing your delicate items in boxes and wrapping furniture. We are very experienced in determining how and what to pack in relation to the nature of your possessions. We will supply all the relevant materials such as boxes, bags, bubble wrap, tape and cling film. We often opt to do packing (and some loading) on the day before your move, in order to meet handover deadlines.

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Delays and changes

It is quite common to need to add items after we’ve agreed your inventory.  Similarly it often transpires there are items you no longer need moving.  You might decide you wish to ask us to take some items to waste.  Please let us know when you have changes and we can amend the quote where applicable.

It is not unusual for delays to be applied from solicitors, agents and other people in the chain.  If you have secured a date by means of deposit we will of course endeavour to honour these changes. This may not be possible on a specific date, however.  Completion typically takes five days following exchange of contracts. With all jobs we require notice of at least one calendar week for changes to inventories as well as dates.     

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The moving day

We will arrive at your property at the designated time with our team and vehicles.  Should we be delayed for any reason we will touch base with you en route.  We will then park our vans in the designated places.  We will meet you and then conduct a quick assessment of the property layout and items to be moved.  

By the time of moving day we will typically have a good idea of what we will be taking (which may be all or part of the contents) and so we should be able to proceed with loading almost immediately.  This is useful as time is very valuable on moving day.

Upon arrival we will give you a physical copy of the quote sheet which we will require you or your proxy to sign. This document ensures we have your permission to come onto the property and confirms details. Any additional inventory or changes to the scope of the job can be amended at this time so don’t worry if you have any extra items to be moved. As long we capacity we will do our best to move everything. If it is not possible to be on site (eg. if we are going straight to a storage unit on your behalf) we will require you to be available via phone.

We understand there will be tasks you may need to do on site, as we load, but we generally ask customers to go off-site for health and safety reasons. This is a good time to go for a farewell coffee! We should hopefully be finished loading by handover time but if it does look like we will be delayed then we will keep you informed. Unloading is often quicker than loading.  

We are mindful of new carpets but prefer to keep our shoes on if possible. We are happy to take shoes off, or wear overshoes if you prefer but reserve the option of wearing them should we determine it to be safer for our team on the day.  All going well we will have loaded an/or reassembled your furniture and be finished by a reasonable time.

As we are onsite for some time we would very much appreciate use of your toilet and kettle!

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Payments

All balances are to be made before we leave the collection property on the moving day. Should there be any changes to the price due to changes to inventory or scope we will discuss this upon arrival when we give you the quote sheet. If the scope of the job changes in the afternoon, which does happen from time-to-time, we will discuss any surcharges and require this to be settled before we leave the destination property. 

Please be aware that under the Customer Contract Regulations Act (2013) you have 14 calendar days to cancel and this ‘cooling-off’ period would start immediately. Our account details are on the bottom of the quote form.

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Keys and handovers

Many moves are time-specific.  We call them ‘timed’ moves in which you are part of a chain.  Your solicitor and/or agent will be able to explain this process to you but it often involves the need to officially vacate your property by a specific time.  This is often noon but can be an hour either side of that. Any time before or after this is unusual.

After you have left the property you will typically need to return your keys to the estate agents. This called the ‘handover’. There then occurs a period of time of no more than 90 minutes, during which nothing happens.. we like to call this period ‘limbo’! It is, in fact, part of the legal transaction process.  After this you will receive the keys.  At this juncture we can begin loading into your new home.  We will typically arrive at the new property before this time and be waiting nearby.

Occasionally there are delays to this process and these can be a source of stress for you. In our experience most of the jobs we have done have happened on the same day, albeit sometimes delayed.  Please be reassured we are always prepared for these eventualities and our team is in a position to stay on until you are all moved in.  Please note should this occur we will occasionally have to retain some or all of the deposit.

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Dismantling

Some items of furniture will need to be dismantled in order to be moved.  This is because they were either constructed within a room with limited access or because it will make packing the van and transporting the items easier and safer.  It is worth noting that furniture was never intended to be moved. Occasionally we will have to dismantle factory or hand-built items (in addition to flat-packed) if the access to the room has changed.  We are happy to offer dismantling as part of any move but are also happy should you wish to do this yourself ahead of the move, in order to save time and money.

Almost every bed or wardrobe is different. We have a number of tools and methods for efficient dismantling.  We do sometimes discover missing bolts/screws as well as inherent damage in furniture. When the happens we will always discuss it with you ahead of taking an item apart. We are quite experienced in this process. For any complex dismantling job we find photos and original instructions very useful but may ask you for specific makes and models ahead of the move. 

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Reassembly

We are happy to include the reassembly of furniture in any quote but, again, you may wish to do this yourself to save time and money. You may not need everything reassembled especially if it is surplus and/or going into storage.  We ask you to specify on the self-survey quote form any items that do not need to be reassembled. Please note there could be occasions where where wood has warped or bent over time but this is very much the nature of reassembly.

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Property protection

With all jobs we assess the access and layout of properties when we arrive and deploy our special doorway, floor, stair and banister protective covers.  We have a plethora of protective bags for sofas, chairs and mattresses as well as appliance covers, picture bags for artwork and televisions. We deploy these protective measures as we determine on the day. 

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Our vehicles

At Daniel James Removals we have chosen to use Citroen Relay L3H3 vans.  These have a weight capacity of 1.25 tonnes (1250kg) per vehicle and a capacity of 13.3m3.  They have a high roof and a long wheelbase. These are amongst the most flexible and efficient in the industry.