When you are moving house, you are inevitably posed with the responsibility of making many difficult choices. Among these is whether you should hire someone to help you move or if you should do it all yourself.
Moving is expensive. The budget is often the biggest concern during such situations. Most people choose to move their belongings themselves rather than hire a moving company. This, however, shouldn’t always be the case. To help you decide if a DIY moving job is truly the way to go for you, we’ve come up with a list comparing its advantages and disadvantages.
Understanding The Alternative: Man and Van and Removals Companies
Before learning the disadvantages of moving house by yourself, it is essential for you to understand how the alternative option works.
A man and van is essentially a transportation service usually composed of a man, his van, and sometimes, another crew member to help out with the heavy lifting. They are often used for home and office relocations, student removals, self-storage move-ins, single item or parcel collection and delivery, courier services for large items, and many more.
Traditionally, a relocation job by a man and van service would only mean getting assistance for the carrying, loading, and transportation of your goods. However, in recent years, many man and van service providers have been open to making a full service move, which includes the acquisition of packing supplies, as well as packing up your belongings.
A removals company, on the other hand, provides quite similar services, but on a much bigger scale. Instead of the usual man and his van, a removals company would have an entire crew to help disassemble, pack, transport, unpack, and even arrange your belongings when you move.
The Pros and Cons of Moving House By Yourself
Now that you understand the alternative to moving house by yourself, you may start comparing the advantages and disadvantages of a DIY house move.
DIY Move: Pros
You Have Full Control
Essentially, this means you will be moving on your own terms, your own pace, and your own schedule. You can make decisions without having to take into consideration the limitations and service contract provisions of your man and van.
Additionally, you won’t have to worry about any of your valuable items being packed in with less important stuff, nor would you have to worry about your movers unpacking your boxes in furniture elsewhere, aside from the designated room.
You’re Not Paying Professional Help
There is a lot that goes into the computation of a man and van’s fees. By going the DIY route, you are potentially saving a fair amount of money.
A DIY move also saves you the trouble of figuring out which man and van company you will want to hire.
You Won’t Need To Worry About Handing Off Your Belongings To Strangers
If you are not too keen on the idea of someone you do not know handling the items you cherish and have worked hard for, a DIY move would be the best option. After all, it means you’ll always have that peace of mind knowing your goods are safe and secure under your care.
DIY Move: Cons
The Move Will Be More Stressful
By hiring a man and van, you are essentially saving yourself the trouble of organizing and coordinating the logistics of getting your items from one point to another. However, a DIY move means you’ll have to take care of most of the logistics yourself. This includes:
Looking for an appropriately sized rental moving truck.
Estimating and determining the number of boxes you need.
Purchasing or acquisition of said boxes and other packing materials. Looking for free moving boxes? Check this out!
Recruiting people you know to help you out with the move.
Planning how to load up everything into the moving truck.
Aside from this, you will also be doing the packing and heavy lifting, which is a stressful task all in itself, especially when you do not possess the necessary skill or experience of doing so.
Physical Stress
Speaking of doing all the heavy lifting, not hiring a man and van also puts you at risk for moving-related injuries. Here are some of the most common injuries one may acquire while moving house:
Back injuries
Cuts and bruises to the body
Inguinal hernia
Injuries to your extremities (hands, feet, toes, fingers)
Knee injuries
Muscle contusion
Muscle cramps
Muscle strain
Sprained ankles
You Are Risking Damage To Your Belongings
Most movers, including man and van companies, provide basic insurance coverage for the items you will be asking them to move. So, if any of your belongings do get damaged, you know you will be fairly compensated for its repair or replacement.
However, if you are moving everything yourself, you are risking losing that security. You are solely responsible for your belongings, which means no one else will be held accountable for any of your lost or damaged items.
To minimise the damage on your items, check out this guide to safeguarding your furniture while moving.
You’ll Be Spending Just As Much As You Would With A Relocation Company
Unlikely as it may seem, moving house yourself may cost you just as much as hiring a man and van. Chances are, it’ll even cost you more.
From the cost of wrapping and packing materials to the moving truck’s rent and fuel costs, you’re already looking at a few hundred and even a few thousand pounds! The only difference? You’ll have the help and guidance of moving and packing experts with a man and van!
Am I Making The Right Choice?
Ultimately, only you can tell if you are making the “correct” decision for yourself. As mentioned, your budget, as well as your preferences, lifestyle, and the distance of your move, will all factor into this decision, so be sure to evaluate one before choosing.
Author bio: This guest post is courtesy of WhatStorage, a Bournemouth-based price comparison site for moving services in the UK. WhatStorage offers price comparison services for self-storage facilities, removals companies, and man and van service providers.
