Is there anything more stressful than moving? It's hard to say, but a lot would argue there isn't! So… the goal should be to reduce stress as much as possible.

You already have to deal with temporarily living like a traveller, so making sure your belongings get moved safely and within a good timeframe is super important.

Now that we've stated the obvious, let's dive into what should be considered when choosing a moving company in Eastbourne.

Choose Local! You'll Be Grateful You Did

A good, qualified local team has all the knowledge and capabilities you will need to make this process run smoothly.



Response Times

When you're going through this slightly stressful period, you don't want to go through a call centre in Scotland or India to reach the guys who are actually moving your stuff around. You want people who can reply quickly and who will know all about the job when the moving date approaches.

Local Knowledge

Not only will a local team respond quicker, but they also know everything there is to know about local parking restrictions, council requirements, bad days to move on, etc. - another point for a local team when compared to national or regional brands.

Recommendations

Instead of trusting online reviews which could easily be faked, you can actually ask around about local companies. Any good local company will have dozens and dozens of references because people move all the time. Instead of just trusting reviews, ask a local company if they helped anyone in your neighbourhood move, then you can go directly to the neighbour and ask them about the company.

I.e. did anything get broken? What did the company do about it? Did they stick to the agreed date? Were they on time? Did they contact you the day before regarding parking spaces and other arrangements?

Key Points To Look Out For With Eastbourne Removal Companies

Here are four things any good moving company will have.

Insurance, insurance, and more insurance

Removals are slightly different to many other services. There are lots and lots of insurance documents required. When you enquire, make sure the company has full public liability insurance, goods in transit cover, employer's liability insurance, vehicle insurance.

Recommendations

As mentioned above, looking for local people to speak to is the best way to sound out a company. However, you should still pay attention to online reviews and read through them because plenty of companies fake their 5-star reviews, but it's hard to hide 1-star reviews… So check if there are any 1-starers that stand out.

Easy-To-Understand Quoting

Similar to airlines, removal companies love hidden fees. If you sign up with a company and two weeks later they're asking for all sorts of extras or you read through the contract and find hidden fees, that's an immediate red flag. Why use a business that likes to trick their customers?

The best thing to do is put upload your contract to ChatGPT before signing and ask the following: "are there any hidden fees in this contract that I should be aware of?"

Experience and Services

Make sure to choose a company that has been in the game long enough to offer the following services: Packing, Boxes, Storage, Dismantling Furniture.

Anyone who doesn't offer this is likely an amateur who probably shouldn't be trusted with your belongings.

Compare All Quotes

The Cheapest Isn't The Best

We all like to save money on stuff, same as we try to save money with our suppliers. However, when you're talking about personal belongings that will often add up to thousands of pounds, you really need to value safety over price.

Sometimes you'll get a really good offer from a good company, but definitely do your homework in that case.

More often than not, cheaper price means they're desperate for work and don't have the expertise or experience you're looking for.

Immediate Red Flags

Nothing in writing

If a business or individual insists on doing everything verbally, no written quotation or itemised list, that's not a good sign - they're either trying to avoid paying taxes (red flag - you can check their tax situation on companies house), or trying to get extra money from you later on.

Bad Communicators

If you sign up with someone and don't hear from them for weeks, that's not a great thing. Make sure you're dealing with people who will respond to messages or calls, and who are happy to answer your questions.

No Insurance or Lack Of Insurance

If the company can't provide all the insurances we discussed above, that's a pretty solid red flag. They should have all of them and they should not be expired or in different company names.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a local removals company cost in Eastbourne?

Local isn't just great for the reasons listed above, it's also great for prices. There is often less travelling involved, so that's less money out of your pocket.

Generally, you can expect to spend:

- £300 to £600 for a 1-bedroom house or flat

- £400 to £700 for a 2-bedroom house or flat

- £700 to £1,200 for 3 or 4-bedroom houses or flats

- £1,200 or more for very large properties

How far in advance should I book a moving company in?

We recommend a minimum of 5 weeks, ideally closer to 8 weeks.

This can be hard because moving can sometimes arise spontaneously, but in short, the earlier the better.

Do most removals companies in Eastbourne provide packing gear?

If they're any good, yes! This shows expertise and experience in the moving industry. We have an array of packing gear that we offer to customers. Contact us to find out more about packing materials.

Summary

In short, choosing a removals business in Eastbourne is quite straightforward, make sure they can give you recommendations from local people, provide you with the correct insurance documents listed above, provide a full quote with an itemised breakdown, make sure they are good at communicating with you and have been in business a while, and that's basically it!

Good luck with your next move,

All the best,

Plug Moves Ltd - Eastbourne.