Damien Seaman from buzzmove.com has provided seven tips for landlords on how to find a professional removal company that provides good service and value for money.
Finding a good removal company for your letting business can be a godsend. But how do you know you’ve found the right company for you – one you can trust to do a professional job for a fair price? One that will be a reliable support for your business when you need it? These 7 tips will show you how.
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Compare services from multiple removal companies before you choose
If you have a growing letting business – or even if you’re just starting out – you want to look for a company that has the potential to be a long-term partner.
Good removal companies love repeat business, as this provides them with more predictable revenue streams throughout the year. So put in the time to talk to several removal companies, not just the first one you hear about.
Don’t just ask for prices for a one-off job, either. Ask them how they charge, and what they charge for. Are there any discounts for multiple jobs? Can they guarantee availability? How much notice do they need for a job? Do they offer any extra services, such as cleaning, house clearance, or storage?
The answers to these questions will quickly give you an idea of whether they’d be a good fit for your business. Then, if price is still an issue for you, you can always go back and negotiate. Just remember that quality service will be better for your business in the long run than a cheap price.
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Check how much insurance they have
All professional removal companies should have public liability and goods in transit insurance. Ask how much their goods in transit insurance covers them for – this is the policy that would cover any damage to your stuff during a move. The higher the insured amount, the more serious that company is likely to be about doing a good job. Even quite small firms will often be insured for £1 million or more.
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Look for a company that has a lot of repeat business
Any good removal company will have no trouble attracting repeat customers. Ideally, you want to find out how many they have. In practice, this can be difficult.
So look at reviews or testimonials on the company’s website. Even better, ask for the contact details of clients they’ve worked with who are similar to you. Get two or three numbers and give them a call. You want to ask those clients what it’s like working with the removal company. What sets them apart and makes them good? Why do those clients continue to work with them?
It may sound like a lot of work. But in the long run this is the fastest way to get an accurate picture of what that removal company is actually like to work with.
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Do they have any high-profile clients?
You’d be surprised at how many relatively small removal companies have high-profile repeat clients. Of those who work with Buzzmove, there are removal companies who carry out regular removal jobs for the Houses of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police, the BBC, local councils, and even famous celebrities.
Find out if the movers you’re considering have anyone like that on their books. Ask for details of the jobs and how they got the work. If possible, get a couple of contacts in those organisations you can follow up with.
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Google the company
Removal companies do sometime fall afoul of the law. If you’re looking for reassurance, it’s worth Googling the company to see if they’ve been in the press for any wrongdoing, or if they’ve ever been fined for dumping or fly-tipping, or any similar problems that could reflect badly on you.
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If possible, try out more than one removal company
Perhaps you have several properties, or you have multiple removal jobs you can carry out during a short time frame. If so, pick two removal companies and get each of them to do a different job for you, if you can. That way, you can assess how good they really are during a move. And you can compare them more directly with each other.
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See how they follow up after the first job
The best removal companies will be keen to secure your business longer term. They’ll see the potential for them of working with you on more jobs. So check to see how they follow up.
Did they check to see how the move went or if anything could have been improved? Did they ask for your feedback? Are they willing to secure your long-term custom with any multi-move discounts?
The more they ask about how good their service was, the better a company they are. So keep that in mind when deciding whether or not to work with them again in future.