What to check before you hire a moving company

Most moving problems start before the van arrives: a quote based on a guess, a narrow staircase nobody mentioned, a piano that turned up on the day. The fix is to give the movers accurate information and get their answers in writing. This checklist works for a flat, a house or a single large item.

Make an inventory first

Movers price a job by volume, weight, distance and how hard the items are to carry. You can only get a realistic quote if you tell them what they are moving. Walk through every room and list:

• Large furniture (wardrobes, beds, sofas, tables) and whether it needs taking apart.
• Appliances such as a washing machine, fridge or dishwasher.
• Heavy or fragile items: a piano, a safe, large mirrors, glass tabletops, artwork.
• An estimate of the number of boxes.
• Anything stored in a cellar, attic, garage or balcony. These get forgotten most often.

Photos or a short video of each room help a lot. Many movers can quote from them without visiting.

Describe access at both ends

Access changes the time a move takes more than most people expect. For both the old and the new address, note:

• Which floor, and whether there is a lift and how big it is.
• How far the van can park from the entrance.
• Narrow stairwells, tight corners or doors that might need removing.
• Whether parking needs to be reserved. Rules on this vary by city, so check with your local authority or building management well in advance.

Find movers and compare like for like

On Bouncing Bison, moving services are split into local moving, furniture moving, courier and delivery and junk removal. Filter by your city or use a distance from your location, and sort by rating if you want to see the most reviewed providers first.

Send the same inventory and access notes to two or three movers. When the quotes come back, check that they cover the same things before you compare the totals.

Questions to ask

1. Is the price fixed, or charged by the hour? If hourly, when does the clock start and stop, and is travel time included?
2. How many people and what size of vehicle will you send?
3. Do you bring blankets, straps, a trolley and wrapping material, or should I prepare them?
4. Do you take furniture apart and put it back together? Is that included?
5. Can you supply boxes, and at what cost?
6. Are my belongings insured while you carry them, and up to what amount? What is the process if something is damaged?
7. What happens if the move runs longer than planned, or if I need to change the date?
8. Can you give me an invoice?

If an invoice matters to you, for example because your employer covers part of the move, turn on the verified businesses filter. It shows only providers registered as a company with a valid tax ID format, who can issue invoices.

Read the reviews for moving specifically

Reviews for movers tend to mention the same few things: punctuality, care with furniture, and whether the final price matched the quote. Read a few of the lower ratings as well as the top ones, and look at how the provider replied. Photos attached to reviews sometimes show how items were wrapped.

Confirm everything in writing

When you book on Bouncing Bison you pick a date and time and send a request. The provider accepts or declines it, and the booking gets its own chat. Use that chat to confirm the final details in one message: both addresses, the inventory, the number of movers, the price and what it includes, and the start time. If anything changes later, add it to the same chat so there is one record both of you can check.

You will get a reminder email the day before an accepted booking, and you can add it to your calendar from the booking page.

The week before

• Pack and label boxes by room. Write "fragile" on the boxes that need it and keep them light enough to carry.
• Empty and defrost the fridge and freezer, and drain the washing machine, following their manuals.
• Pack a separate bag with documents, keys, chargers, medicine and anything valuable. Carry it yourself.
• Take photos of expensive furniture and electronics so you have a record of their condition.

On moving day

Be there when the movers arrive and walk them through the rooms, pointing out fragile items and anything that stays behind. At the new address, tell them which room each box goes to. Before they leave, check the larger items for damage and note any problems in the booking chat the same day. It is much easier to sort out a scratch or a broken leg on a table when it is reported straight away.

Once the provider marks the job as done, you can leave a review. Mention punctuality and whether the price matched what you agreed, since that is what the next person moving will want to know.