My Home Ireland

Posted by myhome on October 3rd, 2007 in Removals, Selling Your House

Things you should know when using Removal companies  within Ireland or abroad:

1. Goods in transit are not covered by insurers unless they have been professionally packed. For example, bubblewrapping a prized painting or other goods yourself, which are subsequently damaged in transit, will not be covered by the insurance company. Insurance of your goods and prized possessions during the moving process is very important.You don’t want to discover that your valuable paintings or furniture are damaged and cannot be replaced due to inadequate cover.
2.  Be aware that there are cowboy operators in the removals market. They may assure you that all your goods are covered and may quote cheaper rates, but may not have full adequate insurance cover, if any at all. They may also engage in `woollen blanket wrap’ packaging as opposed to professional wrapping practices, which is unacceptable to insurers. 

3.  Many consumers might suspect that packing by the removal firm is an expensive constituent of the entire service. It’s not, according to industry specialists, who say that packing accounts for about 5 per cent of the overall price.

4. Choose a reputable company with a proven track record, which is happy to show you its insurance and trade association credentials in writing. Certain trade associations such as the Federation of European Movers Association demand and continuously check for high professional standards.

5.  If moving to th UK , contact the  British Association of Removers for accredited members.

6. Have the removal staff been professionally trained? Make sure you are not just using a `man with a van’ without proper insurance cover, professional training and so on.

7.  Insurance cover costs vary. The most common practices appear to be (a) quoting either 1.5 per cent to 2 per cent of the declared goods value, where the customer draws up a list of goods to be transported and their replacement value is given; or (b) charging 15 per cent of the removal costs. The 15 per cent charge covers relocation values up to about €150,000. If you are moving a small number of goods, it may make more sense to look for insurance cover based on a quote of 1.5 to 2 percent ofyour declared goods value rather than a charge of 15 per cent of the removal cost. A quick calculation will reveal the best value for money.
8  Check to see if the insurance cover is an `all-risk policy’, which means that your goods are not just covered in transit, but also during the unpacking process. Most insurance covers your goods for a set time, typically one week from the date of departure of your goods for domestic moves and two weeks for international moves. This means that you need to unpack your goods if it is not being done by the professional mover by a certain date to check and claim for breakages or damage that may have occurred in transit. If you miss the deadline, your cover is cancelled.
9  Consider including property damage insurance as an extra. It’s usually quite cheap, according to industry specialists, at about €30 extra, but means that if the relocator damages your wallpaper while moving a sideboard, or damages your gate pillar in your driveway, you are covered for this damage.

10  Confirm whether your goods removal is based on a part-load service (ie are you sharing a truck/container?). If you are paying for a full truck, you don’t want to discover that the relocator is selling the extra space in the truck at your expense.