There’s an interesting statistic, which claims that one-third of Australians aged between 20 and 29 years move their address every 12 months, while the latter two-thirds move once every five years. As you can see, in the digital era, urban nomadism seems to be more alive than ever. That being said, there are several ways to execute a household relocation. By far the most efficient, the quickest and the safest way to do so is to hire a professional mover to help you out. Still, how does one recognize and hire a good mover? Let’s find out!
Do some research
The first issue that you have to resolve when hiring professional movers is to get acquainted with industry standards. First of all, you need to check out what the prices are in order to figure out whether you’re getting your money’s worth. If you’ve never moved before or if you don’t know anyone who has used the services of movers recently, you might find yourself in a situation where you have no idea how much this should cost. People move all the time, so what are the odds that none of your friends and acquaintances used the services of professionals? Well, due to the fact that the majority of people either move on their own or just rent out transportation, the truth is that chances are greater than you would like. So, set some time aside to do your research.
Tell them the whole story
The next thing you need to do is be honest with your mover and tell them every single detail regarding this move. For instance, you need to give them a full list (or an approximate one) of the items that you need moved, as well as tell them the initial location and the target destination of the move. Keep in mind that some movers may charge you extra for any item that hasn’t been included in the estimate, which is one more reason why you should give them all the details regarding the circumstances of the move. Other than this, you might want to give them some peculiarities regarding the parking at both places, which might drastically impact the logistics of the move. Either way, the more details you leave out, the greater the odds are that something will go wrong.
Check their credentials
One of the things you need to keep in mind is the fact that there are a lot of companies out there whose credentials are not nearly as impeccable as you would like. In theory, in order for one to run a moving company, all they need is contact information and a truck. In reality, though, there’s so much more to having a moving company. For starters, you want skilled packers and drivers to take care of your precious belongings. So, at the very least, you want to make sure that every employee has a truck licence and enough experience in the field. Second, you want to check what kind of insurance or warranty they provide to their clients. What if something gets damaged or misplaced during the move? All of these safety measures are something that you need to worry about ahead of time.
The time of the move
Sure, sometimes your hand will be forced regarding the date of the move. You will have to vacate premises by a certain date or you will have to move for other reasons (change of employment, etc.). However, if you have months to plan and execute this move, it would be for the best if you were to move during winter. Why? Well, because a period between June and September tends to be the busiest in the industry. Going for a winter move, you will have the privilege of choosing between a greater number of potential movers, as well as have all the leverage on your side.
Read the fine print
The last thing you need to take into consideration is the contract itself. Here, it’s incredibly important that you read the fine print and understand all the terms before you sign anything. So, ask, ask and ask away about anything that sounds ambiguous or hard to understand. Keep in mind that it is your first time signing such a contract and that you aren’t really a legal expert. There’s no shame in not understanding one peculiarity of the contract or another. Fortunately, the bill of lading is not that complex of a document and you should be able to study it thoroughly without any problem. Here, you will have the name and address of the mover, the type of payment method and the minimum and maximum amount that you’re supposed to pay.
In conclusion
As we’ve already mentioned in the introduction, knowing how to hire the right mover is a skill that you will have a chance to use more often than you would like. Therefore, the sooner you learn this checklist, the sooner you get to reap the results of efficient moving practices. This alone is a reason enough to start devising your own moving strategy and learning how to hire a professional mover.
HEY ! I’m Nil (Founder of OnlineDrifts.com), Digital Marketer, Affiliate Marketer and a blogger writing about blogging tips, SEO, Tech Tips etc.