Moving Yourself Advice.
The DIY approach or mini move isn't for the faint-hearted but if you don't have much furniture then it can be ideal i.e. small studio flats, student moves or even 1 bedroom flats. You can hire a van, ask your friends to give you a hand, load up and away you go hopefully saving yourself some money as well.
Before you embark on this approach their are risks so please read our pros and cons which hopefully will answer some of the questions you may have about van hire, completion issues and some of the legal requirements that you may not have considered.
If we haven't answered your questions or queries or you feel you would like to see more information on a particular subject then please email us and we will be happy to help. Please note these questions may be used on our site to help other visitors with similar queries.
DIY or Professional | Pros and Cons | The Biggest Issue | Van Hire Advice
DIY or Professional
 The only reason to move yourself is cost, the free work out or in the summer the free tan. You can obviously save money, but we would only recommend you move yourself if you don't have a large amount of furniture, and have a group of willing friends. Some of the things to watch out for when doing it yourself are listed below. But the main thing to remember is to enjoy the experience. It is a stressful time and situations are made worse when you loose sight of the adventure that a new home brings, so keep smiling.
If you are due to exchange and complete on both the property you want to move from, then the most important bit of advice is make sure you can load the vehicle that you hire in one go. You might think that you will be okay travelling back and forth with load after load, but remember you cannot unload until you have completed and get the keys in your hands. Completion times are normally around lunch times but more and more often this can be nearer 4 o'clock before you can gain access. If you haven't completely emptied your old house then we can guarantee that when you arrive for your second load the new owners will not be very happy that they cannot get all their furniture into their new house. To avoid this hire a vehicle that you can load everything into in one go. You will also have to be loaded roughly just after lunch just incase the completion does go through.
Don't forget to calculate into your costs petrol or diesel, time off work, packing materials, pizza's and free drink for all the friends or family that help you out. Some supermarkets used to allow you to take empty boxes from their stores but this doesn't seem to happen anymore. They generally were not strong enough for moving with or not large enough. You can buy packing materials online and prices normally include next or 2-3 day delivery. Check out www.helpineedboxes.co.uk for some competitively priced moving boxes. Make sure you buy boxes that will be strong enough, hold enough and the right size for what you will be packing. Use small boxes for heavy items such as books or cds etc, medium boxes for everyday things and large boxes for light objects like bedding and teddy bears. For more info on packing up visit the packing up page
Think about insurance, for example if someone drops your TV or your new carpets get damaged from muddy feet, remember these are your prize possessions. Check with your household contents policy as some will cover you while moving house but most will usually only offer protection if your belongings are packed and moved by a professional company so do read the small print.
Are you and anyone that is helping physically fit enough? Moving house can not only be mentally stressful but also very physically demanding. Make sure you have enough friends and family to help you carry all the large items of furniture and a problem solver to help when the sofa won't fit through the door.
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Pros and Cons
Do you move yourself or call in the professionals?
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Pros
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Cons
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A free work out
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It can be an exhausting day especially with steps and in the summer time (not for the unfit).
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You don't worry about strangers moving your belongings.
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Removal personnel are professionals and very quick and discreet, they move people every day. Friends, family and yourself tend to start looking through old photos or memorabilia making the day longer.
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You drive your own hired van enabling you to make as many stops on the way as like, picking up items from various places.
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You have to drive the van, are you confident in driving a large vehicle? If you are travelling long distances are you confident enough?
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If you are moving to an empty property, you can make many trips as long you have the keys in the morning and nobody is moving into your property on that day.
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You cannot make many trips if you are exchanging keys, in a chain and all moving on the same day. You will need a vehicle large enough to fit everything in the van in one go. see "the biggest issue" below
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You pack and unpack at your leisure noting where everything goes and making sure the right boxes end up in the right rooms.
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You will have to buy good strong boxes and will need to dispose of them when finished unpacking.
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You load the van watching all the personal items are not squashed.
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Will you be able to load a van securely without items falling over in transit or when unloading injuring somebody.
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It might work out cheaper if you can round up enough friends to help you for a pizza at the end of the day.
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It will be a long day, usually three to four times longer than if a professional company moved you.
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If you are in a chain the Biggest Issue... is completion times.
The first thing people forget about in the mayhem of moving is that if you are buying a property and moving out all on the same day is the keys. Exchanging keys is usually at lunch time (unfortunately more and more exchanges seems to be late afternoon) but this means you cannot gain access to your new property until you have the keys. This makes it impossible to do more than one trip as the moment you receive the keys to your new property, someone is receiving the keys to your old property and therefore you can not go back for another load because they will be unloading and expecting (legally) to find an empty property to do so into. This shouldn't put you off moving yourself but please do hire a vehicle that you can load everything into in one go. Even if the new people in your old property are not moving in on the same day and therefore you think it will be okay to do trips back and forth, just remember that you will load a Luton van hopefully by about ten o'clock then have to sit around until you receive the keys. We know that you will be told 12 o'clock to pick up your keys but experience tell us that this is more likely to be anytime after 3 and sometimes as late as 5 o'clock. Imagine starting to unload at 5 o'clock knowing you have to go back and pick up more loads.
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Van Hire Advice
Thank you to Vickers Self Drive Ltd of Morecambe in helping to compile this advice.
Click Here to find Van Hire Companies in your area
If you are going to move yourself, hiring a self drive vehicle (van) is more economical and practical to move your belongings than using friends and families cars, fully loaded.
When choosing a vehicle from a van hire company you need to consider exactly what you need to transport. Bear in mind that the bigger the vehicle, the more expensive it will be, the driving licence requirements will be different and the fuel costs will go up.
There is a wide choice of self drive vehicles to choose from. The most popular van is the Transit, for it's size and value for money. This size can easily carry 800kgs- so that's anything from wardrobes, a sofa, kitchen appliances etc and averages at 35 miles to the gallon. A Long wheel base high top transit adds three feet to the length of a standard transit and when combined with the high roof adds a lot more space for heavier goods, as it carries 1400kgs. Panal vans cannot be loaded as well as a Luton(box) van because the sides tend to gently slope inwards and therefore not as suitable to stand items against.
The Luton Box van has always been associated with moving home and self drive removals. It is basically a Long wheelbase transit (as above) but fitted with a large box on the back. These are easier to pack your belongings into and packed carefully will hold the contents of a one bedroom flat in one go (depending if you are a clutter monster or not). The box is higher from floor level than the panal van and therefore you will have lift items onto the van sometimes 2 - 3 feet from the floor. If you do have very heavy items, pianos, safes etc you could hire a vehicle with a hydraulic tail lift that will automatically lift items into the back of the van saving your back.
The biggest vehicle you can drive on your normal car driving licence is a 7.5 ton box wagon unless you passed your test after January 1997. This is a sensible choice because of its size and therefore capacity to hold a lot more items and carry more weight. This is also an ideal choice if you are traveling a long way and do not want to do the journey more than once or if you cannot collect your keys until after lunchtime and also have to leave you old home for someone to move in also in the afternoon.
Both the Luton vans and the 7.5 ton vans will be quite high, so please watch out for any low bridges, trees or wires when driving these vehicles.
Ask the van hire company about their charges so you know exactly what you are paying for. A lot of companies charge for mileage after a fixed allowance. The allowance can range from as little as 50-150 miles. After this some companies often charge from 8-12p a mile. This will increase your hire cost dramatically, so work out how many miles you will be traveling and how many trips you will be making. If you predict that you will use more than the allowance, it may be best to choose a company that offers unlimited mileage- then you won't have any hidden cost to pay for when you return the van.
Ask about special offers- often companies will do a weekend offer that will save you quite a bit and will also reduce the stress factor of having the vehicle back in 24 hours.
Choose a company that has full insurance included in the price. This will cover for any damages, theft or loss throughout your hire period. Remember to ask about any excesses that might apply to the insurance cover.
Make sure you get breakdown cover with your van. This will eliminate the worst case scenario of being stuck on a main road/ motorway and having to organise a recovery vehicle to transport you and all your goods to your destination.
Check the vehicle's interior and exterior condition. If there are any damages make sure the employee is aware of them before you hire, so that you are not to blame for the cost of repairs. Walk round the vehicle before you sign the hire agreement making a note of any scratches, dents etc
If you are moving to Europe or the Channel Islands then make sure that the hire company is happy with you taking the vehicle abroad. Some companies will allow you to drive abroad but need the vehicle returned to the place you hired from. So this will mean that you will have to drive to your destination, drive back and then find a way of returning.
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