One of the first things you need to organize, as soon as you know you are moving house, is your moving company. Moving house is renowned for being a difficult and stressful time and the right moving company can make the job so much easier and less stressful. But how do you know which moving company to choose? This article will attempt to answer this question.

Firstly, there are certain things you need to look for in a moving company. These include:

• Must be licensed and accredited for the removalist industry.
• Must have a good reputation.
• Must have experience in moving.
• You need to have confidence in the company.
• Must be able to move you from your current location to your new address – an issue with interstate and international moves.
• Must be reliable.

The best way to ascertain that any company fulfills these requirements is to ask questions. Ask friends and relatives for their moving experiences, both good and bad. Talk to the people employed by each company – you can tell a lot about a company by the attitude of its employees. Ask the company for referrals so you can talk to previous customers; you can get a feel for the ethics of the company by asking questions about any problems that may have occurred. You can get up to 7 free moving quotes on the MovinGood website, from reliable, efficient moving companies.

Based this information, select several moving companies and ask for a quote. The best companies will send a representative out to your home to discuss your needs before they will quote. This is really important – you don’t want them turning up on moving day with a moving truck that is too small to fit all your possessions. Ask this company rep lots of questions about the company, its insurances, its problem resolution policy, the removalists who will be attending to your move and what moving supplies the company can provide. Make some notes after each of these visits to help you remember who said what.

Individuals have their own criteria for assessing the best moving company, and what suits one will not be the best company for someone else. Only you can decide which criteria are most important to you and your situation, and this is what you will base your decision on. Based on the facts you have gathered about several companies, short-list down to two or three of the best.

Contact the removalists on your short list and find out if they are available on your moving date; this could be a determining factor in which company you choose. You may have questions you still need answers to, so ask these at this time; this might help you decide. Double-check the moving quote and make sure you are perfectly clear about what is included in the quote and what extra expenses there are going to be or could possibly be.

Make a booking with the company of your choice and ask for a moving contract to be sent to you without delay. This is so that you can check out the contract and make sure everything is clear and all points that have been discussed are included. If necessary, ask a lawyer to check it for you.

By following this information, you will be able to find the right moving company for you and your situation. If you are happy with the job they do, be sure to recommend them.

If  you didn’t find a local moving company at MovinGood and using phone book or ad from local newspaper, remember:

The Do’s:

• Before you sign a moving contract, ask for references and credentials that show adherence to the legal requirements of your state. Also check for moving references online for the company of your choice.
• Also before you sign a contract, make sure you understand what it says and what it means. Understand how the moving company calculated the quote and what they base their calculations on. If there is anything you don’t understand, and the company doesn’t fully clarify it for you, take the contract to a lawyer to check over before you sign it.
• You need to have moving insurance, so ask your moving company what they provide in this area. If necessary, take out separate insurance to make sure you and your possessions are fully covered against damage or loss.
• You do need to know how many moving boxes you have packed, and know that they are all in a central place to be loaded onto the truck. Count them onto the truck and then count them off at the other end.
• Make sure there is someone at the house when the movers come to pick up and pack your belongings, and then there is also someone at the new house when they arrive to unpack your belongings. It is important that someone makes sure that everything is loaded onto the truck and then everything is unloaded at the other end; that nothing is forgotten.
• Check the condition of every piece of furniture as soon as possible after it is placed in the house. Try to check the outside condition of all boxes as they are taken into the house. Even if you can’t do this immediately, it is vital that you thoroughly check everything within 24 hours so that you can notify the moving company of your intention of filing a moving claim.
• Pack valuable and irreplaceable items separately, and take these with you if at all possible. Things to consider in this category include precious jewellery, important documents, accounting and irreplaceable records and even photographs.

The Don’ts:

• Don’t be tempted to use a moving company that doesn’t have a good reputation or can’t provide references, just because they are cheaper than others. It just isn’t worth the risk.
• Don’t pay any money to the moving company until everything has been unloaded and moved into your new home.
• Don’t sign anything unless you are sure that everything has been accounted for. If you are even one box short, don’t sign that you are satisfied until you have done a recount and accounted for every box.
• Don’t be reticent to make a claim against your insurance if it is necessary; even small scratches can be expensive to repair and if the movers were at fault, they should be held responsible.
• Don’t wait to make the claim. If you are going to claim against the moving company, you need to do this as soon as possible, in order to be able to prove that they were at fault.