FAQ

Questions, answered properly

Grouped roughly by when people tend to ask them. If yours is not here, just ask.

Booking and quoting

How far ahead should I book?: As early as you can. Month-end and Friday dates go first, and if you are moving around Goldsmiths in June or September the whole area is trying to move at once. The parking suspension also needs lead time, which pushes the practical booking date further back still.
Do you charge for a survey?: No. It is how we work out what the job actually is, so it is in our interest as much as yours. At the property or over video, whichever is easier.
Why not just give me a price on the phone?: Because a price given without seeing the access is a guess. Two identical-sounding two-bed flats are completely different jobs if one is a ground-floor conversion in Catford and the other is four floors up a Brockley villa with no lift.
What if my date moves?: Tell us as soon as you know. Date changes are normal in a chain and we will do what we can to hold the crew. The terms are in your booking contract, which we send with the quote.

Who arranges the bay suspension?: We do. We apply to Lewisham Council for the suspension or dispensation and factor the lead time into the schedule. What we need from you is the confirmed date, early enough for it to be processed.
My flat fronts the South Circular or New Cross Road.: Then kerbside loading is likely not available during controlled hours — the A2 through New Cross is a red route with no stopping at all. We work from a side street with a carry, or we start early. Either way it is planned, not improvised.
Is Deptford High Street a problem?: On market days, yes — it is closed to vehicles along most of its length. We check the market days before confirming a date rather than arriving at a closed street.
My house has a lot of front steps.: Common in Forest Hill and Sydenham, where the houses are built into the hill. Steps change the crew size and sometimes the standing point for the tail lift, which needs level ground. We assess it at the survey.
Do you protect communal areas?: Always, and especially in conversions. Damage to a shared hallway in a villa that is owned by four leaseholders becomes somebody else’s bill. Runners and corner guards go down before anything moves.

Will you dismantle furniture?: Yes — beds, wardrobes, flat-pack and garden furniture, and reassembly at the other end. Anything fitted, plumbed or wired in needs a trade, which we flag at the survey.
What will you not move?: Anything hazardous — fuels, gas bottles, solvents. Plants and perishables we advise on rather than refuse. Pianos and safes are movable but must be declared in advance so the right kit and crew are there.
What if something is damaged?: Tell us on the day if you can. We carry goods in transit and liability cover, explained before you book rather than buried afterwards. The claims process and its limits are in your booking contract.
Can you store things in between?: Yes. Sealed containers, written inventory, clean dry storage, out when you are ready. It is the normal answer when a sale and a purchase do not line up.

Next step

Ask it. We would rather answer something now than have it become a problem on moving day.