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Moving to and from the UK
Living, and working in the United Kingdom can be a wonderful experience while on an overseas assignment with your company. The history, the culture, the museums and ancient buildings, the rural countryside, are all a treat for the senses.
If you are just arriving here, Welcome!
If you are leaving us, we hope you enjoyed your stay, Hurry Back!
Unfortunately, whether you are relocating to or from the UK , packing up, and shipping your household goods and personal effects is part of the process, and what follows are some guidelines which will hopefully make the experience less stressful.
Selecting a Removals Company
When moving to and from the UK there are certain things one should consider in the selection of a suitable removal company.
There are many types of movers, and picking the right one to move your treasured items is vital to your peace of mind, even if your employer has an approved list of vendors for you to choose from.
The foregoing is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you some idea of the international remover's core competency when making your selection decision.
The Survey
Once the international mover has been selected then a survey will be set up to determine exactly what will be shipped.
An appointment will be made with you for the company's surveyor to visit your residence and physically ascertain what has to be moved, noting not only the total volume/weight of the shipment, but most importantly those items that need special care in preparation for shipment.
You should be prepared to spend as much time with the surveyor as necessary, indicating what is to be moved, whether it is to go by air (those items you will need on arrival at your new destination), by sea in the main shipment, or to long term storage, if you need that facility. You should indicate any items that you are concerned about, or that you feel may need special attention.
The surveyor will carefully note what is moving from each room, closely examine items that may need to be disassembled, measure items that require crating, and ascertain that there is adequate access to remove the items from your residence without difficulty. Similarly, the surveyor will examine external access to your residence to determine that a steamship container and other vehicles can be sited there without problems.
The surveyor should be knowledgeable about the move process and be able to answer any questions you may have. They should be able to tell you about the paperwork that will be needed to accompany your shipment, the destination agent who will be handling the move the other end, and any other pertinent information that relates to your shipment(s).
In summary, the survey is paramount to the success of the international move and should ensure that things go smoothly on moving day. The surveyor is an important representative of the removal company and should give you reassurance that your treasured belongings are in good hands once the survey is completed.
Moving Day
Here are a few pointers from experience that will help things go smoothly:
Have a clear idea in your mind about the demographics of your shipment, i.e. what's going where? While the moving company should be organised to accomplish this take the packing crew leader on a tour of the rooms, discuss key items, and go over your expectations
Talk to your neighbours about leaving clear access for the movers vehicles and in return you will be surprised how they will take care of things for you. Watching the children, providing snacks, and most importantly morale boosting, are all the things good neighbours can provide.
Keep all valuable items like jewellery and other important documents, like passports, separate from the shipment and where you know you can quickly find them. You will be able to trust a competent mover, but mislaid items can quickly lead to a deterioration of a valuable relationship that can have disastrous consequences for a successful move. These items are not part of your shipment and should be with you at all times in a secure location.
Give the crew room to move and get on with their job. You will find they know their business and left alone will accomplish an awful lot in a short space of time. Occasional refreshment like tea, soft drinks etc will certainly be appreciated by them.
Once your household items have been packed and loaded make one final tour of your residence with the crew chief to ensure nothing has been overlooked. Items left behind cause major inconvenience and extra expense for all parties involved and this simple step is well worthwhile.
Finally, ensure that you have copies of the packing inventory, one for each shipment (air, sea, storage), you will need them at destination.
Destination
Once you arrive at your new destination contact your destination removals agent and give them your telephone number and contact details. If you need to secure a new residence let the agent know when that is likely to be so he can arrange temporary storage (usually an additional charge) if necessary.
Customs clearance procedures vary tremendously by country, but your destination agent will advise the requirements, what they need in terms of paperwork, and if your physical presence is needed at the examination. Usually, used household goods and personal effects can be imported duty free in most countries though if you have new appliances included in your shipment these sometimes get additional scrutiny.
Once the shipment is cleared the destination moving company will work with you to arrange delivery. The procedure for this is similar to that outlined for handling arrangements with the movers at origin, most of the aspects outlined earlier will apply.
We trust the foregoing will be of help to you all when undergoing a move overseas.
