LEVANTE LIFESTYLE

MOVING TO SPAIN - THE “DIY” OPTION?

By Gary Fenwick

Sometimes moving costs can be brought down by doing it yourself, but often this is not the case. Aside from the cost of vehicle hire, diesel, and tolls, there are the ‘hidden costs’ to be factored in: taking time off work, ‘paying’ for relatives to assist, (food, beer/wine, etc.), the bruised fingers, the aching backs, the dropped items of furniture, the flaring of tempers, the boredom of driving at 50mph on a motorway, and finally having no one to blame for any damaged items. Obtaining insurance for a self move is virtually impossible.

But DIY can be an option if you have a small load, plenty of time and are not worried about some seriously hard work. To hire a ‘Lupton’ size van and move say 15m3 of furniture from Farnham to Mojacar will cost you about £1,600, inclusive of IVA. This includes hire charges, diesel, ferry and motorway tolls etc. To ask a removal company to do the same job will cost anything from £1,450 to £2,500, depending on which companies you contact.

One of the questions we continually get asked concerns packing. The easiest and cheapest way is to pack yourselves, especially if you have the time. But be aware that goods you pack yourself may not be covered under certain insurance or liability policies. This is because insurers can not be sure that a) the items were in good condition prior to packing and b) that they were correctly packed.
As for the actual packing, all removal companies offer a packing service. This service can extend to cover the ‘packing’ of all your small items, but you can negotiate to have only some of the goods packed, and most companies will provide all the materials you need for this.

Please note that items of furniture packed for European moves are generally ‘blanket’ wrapped on the vehicle. This is adequate for non-container moves. However, if you are moving ‘deep sea’ and your goods are to be placed in a container, then an ‘export’ pack is highly recommended. Here the furniture etc. is all bubble wrapped and extra protection afforded to delicate items. The reason for this is that containers on ships move about and damage to contents is not uncommon.
Finally, if packing yourself, please do not overload boxes.

To summarise removal basics:

1. Complete an inventory and be sure that what you are moving really is needed.
2. Check prices at your destination (maybe it’s cheaper to buy a new sofa rather than moving the one which is 21 years old!
3. Research your removal company. Is it legal? How long has it been operating?
4. Establish exactly what a quote includes (VAT, liability, packing etc.).
5. Be sure to let the removal company know of any heavy or bulky items in the load.
6. Let the removers know of any access difficulties (ie: eighth floor with no lift, or up a small dirt track).
7. Start your search for a company between 7-10 weeks before the move date.
8. Ask as many questions as you like from a company. After all you are entrusting all your possessions to the chosen company!