How to Choose a Removalist (and Avoid the Bad Ones)

Removals is an easy industry to enter and a hard one to do well. Anyone with a truck can take a booking, which is why the difference between a good and a bad moving day is mostly decided before the day, when you choose who to hire.

Here is what to check, and the questions that tell you quickly who you are dealing with.

Check insurance before anything else

There are two different things, and they are not interchangeable.

• Public liability covers damage to property, for example a wall or a lift.
• Transit or goods in transit cover covers your belongings while they are being moved.

Plenty of operators carry the first and not the second. Ask for both, ask what the excess is, and ask what is excluded. Items you packed yourself are commonly excluded or covered at a lower level, which is worth knowing before you box everything up.

Understand how you are being charged

Removalists price one of two ways:

• Hourly, usually with a minimum (often two to four hours), charged per removalist and truck. Travel time to and from the depot may be added.
• Fixed price, quoted from an inventory or a walkthrough.

Hourly suits small, simple, local moves. Fixed price suits larger moves, long distances and anything where you want certainty. The trap with hourly is that the incentive runs the wrong way, so ask for an estimated total, not just the rate.

Questions that sort the professionals from the rest

1. Are you insured for goods in transit, and what is the excess?
2. Is the quote hourly or fixed, and what is the minimum?
3. Does the rate include travel time, tolls, fuel or stair charges?
4. How many removalists and what size truck?
5. Do you supply blankets, straps and trolleys?
6. What happens if it rains, or if settlement is delayed?
7. Are you subcontracting this job to another operator?

That last one matters. Some businesses take bookings and pass them on, and the crew that turns up has no relationship with the quote you agreed.

Warning signs

• A quote given over the phone with no questions about access, stairs or inventory.
• A cash-only deposit, or pressure to pay a large deposit up front.
• No written quote or terms.
• No ABN, or a business name that does not match the ABN.
• A price dramatically below every other quote.

That last point is worth sitting with. Removals has real fixed costs: truck, fuel, insurance, wages. A quote well below the market usually means something is missing, most often insurance, and you find out which on the day.

Access is what actually drives the price

Removalists price on effort, not distance alone. Tell them honestly about:

• Stairs, and which floor, at both ends.
• Lift access and whether it needs booking.
• Parking distance from the door.
• Narrow driveways or low clearance that stops a large truck.
• Heavy or awkward items: pianos, safes, treadmills, large fridges, glass tables.

Surprises on the day are what turn a fixed quote into a variation.

Book earlier than you think

The end of the month, the end of a quarter and the days around public holidays are the busiest slots, because that is when leases and settlements land. For those dates, a few weeks of notice is not unusual.

Frequently asked questions

How much do removalists cost?

It depends on size, distance and access. We break down indicative ranges in how much removalists cost.

Should I pack myself or pay for packing?

Packing yourself is cheaper and usually reduces your insurance cover on those boxes. Professional packing costs more and is faster and better protected. Many people split it, packing the ordinary items and paying for the fragile ones.

What if something gets damaged?

Report it immediately, ideally before the crew leaves, and take photos. Then follow the claims process in the written terms, which is another reason to have written terms.

Start by comparing removalists in your area.