What to do before the removalists arrive.

A removal crew moves at the speed of the house, not the other way around. When they can pick up a sealed, labelled box and walk it straight to the truck, the load flies. When they have to wait while someone tapes a box shut, or squeeze past a hallway full of clutter, or circle the block looking for parking, the day stretches. Everything below is about removing those small delays before they happen. Most of it is done the night before, and the rest takes an hour on the morning.

The night before: close out the packing

The single biggest thing you can do is finish packing before the crew arrives, not alongside them. Every box should be sealed with tape and labelled on the top and one side with its destination room and a short contents note. If you are still deciding how to pack, our guide on how to pack for a move walks through it room by room, and if you would rather not pack at all, our packing and unpacking service can do the lot the day before your move.

Two appliances also need a head start, because they cannot be sorted on the morning:

• The fridge and freezer. Empty them, switch off, and defrost with the doors open 24 to 48 hours before the move. Wipe the inside dry so it does not travel wet and arrive smelling of mildew, and tape the doors shut or leave them slightly ajar for the trip.
• The washing machine. The drum needs to be secured for transit, using the transit bolts that came with the machine if you still have them. Disconnect the hoses, drain them into a bucket, and tape the power cord and hoses to the back.

While you are at it, walk the house with a roll of tape and close anything that could spill its contents: drawers, jewellery boxes, toolboxes. A drawer full of loose odds and ends is not packed, it is just hidden.

The morning of: clear the runway

On the morning, your job is access. The crew will carry hundreds of loads between your front door and the truck, so every metre of that route matters.

• Clear a path from every room to the front door. No boxes stacked in doorways, no rugs to trip on, no clutter in the hallway. Prop internal doors open.
• Sort the parking before the truck arrives. The closer the truck parks, the faster the load. If street parking is tight, save a spot with your own cars the night before, and if your street or building needs a council permit or a booked loading zone, arrange that ahead of time. In an apartment building, book the lift and the loading dock with building management.
• Get kids and pets sorted. Small children and animals underfoot slow the crew and are not safe around heavy furniture on the move. Arrange for both to be elsewhere, or set up one closed room that stays off-limits. Pets need their own plan for the day, and we have written a full guide on moving house with pets.

Pack the box that travels in your car

Set aside one clearly marked box, or a suitcase, that never goes on the truck. It rides in your own car, and it holds everything you need before the first carton is opened at the new place:

• The kettle, a few mugs, tea, coffee and snacks.
• Phone chargers and a power board.
• Medications, glasses, and basic toiletries.
• Important documents: passports, contracts, the folder for the move itself.
• First-night things: a change of clothes, pyjamas for the kids, bed linen for one bed, toilet paper.
• Keys, remotes, and anything small and valuable you would rather keep with you.

Put it somewhere obvious, like the boot of your car or the kitchen bench with a big DO NOT LOAD note on it, and tell the crew lead it exists.

The two-minute walkthrough with the crew lead

When the truck pulls up, resist the urge to just point at the boxes and step back. Two minutes walking the house with the crew lead saves far more time than it costs. Show them:

• The fragile items: the TV, the glass cabinet, artwork, anything with a story attached. Fragile boxes should already be marked, but say it out loud too.
• What stays. If the dishwasher, the curtains or that one wardrobe belongs to the landlord or the buyer, say so now, not when it is halfway down the driveway.
• What goes last. The vacuum cleaner, the cleaning kit, the toolbox for reassembling beds: tell the crew what you will need first at the other end, and they will load it last so it comes off first.
• Anything unusual about the house: the low beam on the stairs, the gate that sticks, the neighbour's driveway you cannot block.

What not to do

A few habits reliably slow a move down or put things at risk. Avoid these and you are ahead of most households:

• Do not pack liquids open. Cleaning products, oils and sauces go inside a sealed bag before they go in a box, or they end up soaking through everything they travel with.
• Do not leave drawers full of loose items. A chest of drawers full of clothes might be fine to carry, but a drawer of loose cutlery, tools or cosmetics will spill in transit. Empty them into boxes.
• Do not stack unlabelled boxes in doorways. An unlabelled box has to be opened at the other end to find out where it lives, and a blocked doorway slows every single carry past it.
• Do not leave fuel in mowers or gas bottles connected. Crews cannot transport flammables, so drain and disconnect the day before.
• Do not disappear. Someone who can answer questions should be at the house from arrival to the final walkthrough.

Ready for the day

None of this is complicated. Sealed boxes, a dry fridge, a clear path, sorted parking, one essentials box in your car, and a short brief for the crew lead. Do that, and the crew can do what they do best at full speed. Because we work to a Capped-Price Promise, a faster day does not change your price, it just gets you into your new home sooner. Get a free quote online, or call and we will have a quote back to you within the hour, 7am to 7pm.