Moving Guides

Professional Moving Advise

All these decades Orient has seen many clients waste a lot of money just because they thought Moving doesn’t need advance planning.

 

Kindly go through the following professional advise which we are sure will be of help to you :

 

a)Downsizing :

You don’t need to take all you have to your new destination.

Plan ahead what you are going to do with your belongings much before the moving day comes

Divide your belongings into groups and then remove items which you don’t need or can do without

Repeat this process as many times as you wish and you will endup with a good savings on volume of the shipment.

 

b)Insurance

 This is insurance specifically designed to cover your goods during international shipping, which can occur by land, sea, air or a combination of two or all three elements according to your destination. Factor in loading and unloading for each method of transport, along with storage at intermediate warehouses, and the potential for accidents increases.

Your Removal Contact gives you some rights of recourse against your moving company and they will pass on to you rights of recourse that exist against shipping lines and airlines. However these won’t always be adequate by themselves. They are limited by international conventions and often require proof of negligence. Given the number of hands through which your goods pass this is, in practice, far from easy. It is also difficult to instigate litigation in a foreign country with an alien legal code and in a different language.

c)Moving With Children

Break the news
It's important to make the news of moving house a happy occasion, so get the family around the dinner table with the kids' favourite food, keep it casual and have lots of conversation before steering it round to the move. If you're moving due to a new job or a promotion, explain why you're excited about it and how it will positively impact the family. Encourage them to share their thoughts and feelings on it - remember, if it's their first time moving it could be harder because they're leaving the only home they've ever known. What might help is sharing your first move experience, and let them know they will be involved throughout.

Get their input on the new house
Try and get the children involved in the selection process of the new house - show them pictures of different houses you're considering and ask them what they like and don't like about each of them. When you've narrowed your choices down to two or three, get some feedback on each one from the kids and, if you can, take them along to viewings. Let them know you'll take their views into account when deciding which house to buy, keep them posted throughout and have a little celebration once you get the house you want.

Throwing things out
We all keep things we no longer need and kids are no different. Get them to help you go through the house and decide what to keep and what to get rid of. When it comes to their possessions, let them know that it's alright to keep certain things that hold special memories, but that things that are no longer used should be considered for throwing away. You can always offer to donate them, so that another boy or girl gets to play with a toy yours no longer uses.

Find out about your new neighbourhood
Try to learn as much as possible about your new community and town. Share what you find with your kids. You don't have to make everything sound wonderful; honest, matter-of-fact information will be most helpful in the long run. If you oversell things and raise expectations, there's room for disappointment. Encourage your kids to do their own research. With your help, they can go online and look up community and school websites. You'll be able to learn about community organisations and groups, school events and sports, and other social and civic activities.

Plan their new rooms
To get your children excited about the new house, make room plans. You don't have to limit yourself to their rooms only. If they're interested in helping arrange and decorate other rooms in the house, let them. Take a trip to a DIY store to look at different paint colours. If you're going to purchase new furniture and the kids are interested, take them with you. For teenagers, set a budget and let them tackle their own rooms -- picking out colors, linens, rugs and furniture.

Visit in advance
If you're able, take the kids to the new place for a visit. If you're just moving across town, plan to spend the day doing a walk-through of the house and a tour of the new neighbourhood. If you're moving a great distance away, you might still be able to do this, even if it just means beating the movers by a couple of days and staying in a local hotel. In addition to touring the children's schools and the local library, make arrangements to see any additional facilities you might end up frequenting like the area YMCA, community theater or music school. You can also drive your children by where you'll be working.

Throw a 'See You Soon' party
Saying goodbye to friends is one of the hardest things for a child, so consider lessening the anxiety of the occasion by making a celebration of it with a get-together. Provide everyone with leaflets which can be filled out with contact information and take Polaroid photos to attach pictures to each one. With the rise of text messaging, e-mails and social media, your kids should be able to maintain contact with their old friends while adjusting to their new surroundings and starting to make new friends.

Take a day trip
Once you've started to settle into the new house, start about the process of becoming part of the community. If you can, get a guidebook for your new town or city, and plan some outings with the children to see local tourist attractions and other places of interest. Showing them what their new community has to offer will help to settle them in. If they've made friends already, encourage them to bring along a friend each to really cement that relationship.

 

d)How Do you Choose the ‘right’ Moving Company ?

There's plenty of choice out there in the market, so here are a couple of pointers to help you decide who to contact when moving house.

Take a recommendation
Word of mouth recommendations are a great way to find a reliable removals company.

Getting in touch
A reputable mover will give you as many options as possible to get in touch, hinting at a business that has the resources to handle you professionally. If the only contact information you can find on their website is a mobile number, think twice about making the call.

What insurance do they offer?
Any handling of goods is a risky business so household effects are at risk during a home move. Different removals companies offer different cover, so it is worth taking some time to understand the difference, as all removals insurance is not the same.

Do you have valuable or, fragile items? 
We all have something that is particularly special to us, so check to see how your moving company handles fragile and valuable items. Most professional companies will use different packing materials to protect unusual items and may deploy export packing or crating to protect the goods. 

Do their customers back up their claims?
Positive endorsements of a product or service are one of the strongest factors in making a decision to buy, so when doing your research pay attention to what people say about them.

How do they approach security?
There aren’t many occasions when you freely welcome complete strangers into your home so you should feel comfortable that they are well-trained, professional and above all, trustworthy.  Check to see whether their staff are CRB-checked – this is a process administered by the Criminal Records Bureau, a government agency, and ensures that businesses are aware of any convictions held by prospective new recruits.

Do they have quality standards?
Many removal companies use quality management systems as a management tool to ensure they deliver consistent service. Check to see if the company has a formal approach to managing quality, or carries a quality accreditation to help them maintain their quality standards

What is their approach to the environment?
Dealing with a company that is sympathetic to the environment should not cost you any more. Check to see that the company recycles packing materials and timber and has a system in place to ensure its business does not impact its local community.

 

e)The Move Day !

Draw up a floor plan 
Something that will save time and eliminate confusion is drawing a floor plan of your new home, and marking out where your possessions are going before you move.

Next, tag each item of furniture with a coloured label which corresponds to the room it is going in.

This way, the movers know where to put it and it saves you having to make decisions in a rush about where to put things. 


Make yourself available 
If you've hired a moving company to pack and deliver your property and boxes, you need to be available when they are doing the packing. If you're unavailable, ask a relative or friend to step in. 

The movers will produce an inventory of everything they pack - make sure you look over the list and check that it is correct and legible before you sign, so as to avoid any discrepancies further down the line if an item is missing from the list or damaged during the move. 


Help your helpers! 
If your family and friends are pitching in to do the heavy lifting, you need to get organised well in advance. 

Do all the packing beforehand, as you can't reasonably ask a friend or relative to pay for something they accidentally damage. 

Make sure access to the vehicle(s) you're using to transport boxes is clear and easy to negotiate. 

Last but not least, make sure you have plenty of beverages and snacks on hand, and if the move starts to run into dinnertime, get a takeaway! 


Create a safe environment for moving 
Whether a professional mover or your friends from the neighbourhood are helping you move, the last thing they need is a barking dog or hyperactive child running around while they are trying to manhandle heavy boxes and furniture safely!

If you can, ask a friend or relative to look after the kids and pets during the day - taking them out of the equation means you can focus on getting the job done. 


Plan for parking and access 
Make sure you consider the needs of the movers by making parking and access as easy as possible. This can be difficult depending on what type of home you live in, and also moving to. 

Moving in and out of houses is easy - just park in front - but if you're moving into a high-rise building, it is best to see if you can reserve space in advance. 

Check to see if lifts can also be reserved to help speed up the process. 

 

Moving Countdown

Eight weeks before you move

Obtain a floor plan of your new residence and what household items you want to keep.
Begin an inventory of all household goods.
Solicit estimates from several moving companies.
Contact your insurance agent, and ask them abour your homeowners policy to determine whether your possessions are cover when moving.
Establish a file for all moving papers and receipts.
Arrange to transfer child(ren)'s school record.
Choose a mover.

Six weeks before you move

Begin search for good health-care professionals in your new location.
Fill out post-office change or address cards.
Send your new address to anyone might need it - insurance agents, credit card, companies, magazine subscriptions, friends, relatives, etc.
Clean out closets and dispose of all items that you will not be taking with you.
Hold a moving / garage sale or donate items to charities.

Four weeks before you move

For self moves, reserve a truck or trailer. Obtain necessary moving supplies: boxes, twine, labels, etc. "Start packing!!"
If your mover is doing the packing arrange for it to be done one or two days before loding begins.
Send furniture, drapes and carpets for repair or cleaning as needed.
Begin to use up overstocks of staple foods.
Gather valuable personal papers that you may need at your destination location, including medical and dental records, school records, birth certification, etc.
Make travel plans and arrange any hotel or other reservations.

Three weeks before you move

Arrange to have utilities (gas, electric, phone, cable, water, etc.) disconnected in your present home, and connected at your new home.
Ready car registration and insurance records for transfer.
Notify State motor Vehicle Bureau of your new address.
Arrange for child care on moving days.
If necessary, reserve apartment elevator for pickup and / or delivery dates.

Two weeks before you move

Arrange to move pets.
Check with mover about moving house plants. (Some movers will not move plants.)
Dispose of all items to dangerous to move, including flammable. If necessary, have your automobile serviced and ready for the trip.

One week before you move

Transfer all bank accounts.
Cancel newspaper delivery.
Have enough medication to last at least two weeks. Have prescriptions forwarded to a pharmancy at your new destination.
Buy traveler's cheques.
Make arrangements to pay for your move.
Withdraw items and close safety deposit boxes.

Two days before you move

Have mover pack your goods (unless doing it yourself).
Defrost and dry refrigerators and freezers to be moved.
Set aside valuable items to carry with you including jewelry, vital documents, money and valuable small items.

Moving day

Be on hand to answer all questions and give directions to movers and stay until they are finished.
Ensure that you get a copy of Orient's handwritten (or typed) inventory.
Take a last minute round of the house, check the drawers with a stick to ensure that no small item is left in the house.
Ensure that Orient take all the boxes in their van.
Ensure that you give the Orient your complete destination address, etc.
Ensure that Orient gives you details of the destination agent (for door to port shipments) or makes arrangements so that you are informed by the airlines of the arrival of the goods (for door to airport shipments).

Delivery day

Ensure that you are present when the delivery crew comes in.
Ensure that you check every pc on your inventory list when it is being offloaded from the van.
Stop the work if the delivery crew is in a hurry.
If you find the shipment is externally damaged or you find damages after unpacking - notify the origin and destination agents and the insurance company and DO NOT throw the packing materials - Take photographs (digital preferred) and email it to everyone. If you keep quite or waste time NO insurance company will pay you.
Do not forget to send a small message of thanks to everyone involved if everything goes well - we really love good emails (and bad ones too!!!)