A removal company, also known as a man and van company or moving company is basically an organisation or company which helps households and businesses relocate their goods and belongings from one location to another.
Generally, man and van companies provide two removal service solutions, these are:
- Short distance removals – these could be city wide or nationwide removals, depending on the size and span of the service provider and their technical capacity.
- Long distance removals – these could be either nationwide or international removals, again this depends on the particular man and van company selected for the job.
Apart from the two main types of property removal solutions available to customers, well-established man and van operators will also offer additional relocation options, including but not limited to:
- Single item removals for odd, bulky or awkward belongings which cannot be relocated safely and efficiently in any other way.
- High value item removals for irreplaceable goods, artworks, music instruments etc.
- Specialised removal solutions for specific items which do not fit the general profile.
To keep things simple, it will suffice to say that man and van removal companies form their service prices based on a number of important external and internal factors, some of these are:
- Business profit taxes, price of fuel, road tolls, pollution and congestion fees, licensing and operator costs etc.
- Weight, size or number of items to be moved, as well as the distance to be travelled and overall timeframe of the removal project.
- Some movers have flat service rates, others may adjust pricing as per the current season.
Having items relocated using specialised assistance on behalf of the man and van company is the more common way to conduct a property removal. However, customers can also do their own moving through hiring a van themselves. In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, this type of property relocation is known as DIY Moving. Although DIY moving can be suitable option in some cases, property owners must not forget that they need to obtain and cover the cost of all additional materials and equipment needed for the removal. On the same note, in some countries driving removal vans over certain size and payload capacity might require a special class driver’s license or temporary permit. In DIY moves, owners also cover any applicable road tolls, fuel costs as well as parking and congestion fees.
A variation of self-service man and van removals is for property owners to hire cargo space in special removal containers. These containers are mounted on semitrailer trucks and driven by qualified professional drivers to the destination in question. In this case, loading and unloading of goods is done by customers. In most such situations, the selected man and van company will provide customers with all the tools, equipment and materials required for the job. The removal containers in question are quite large – up to sixteen metres in length, and provide household and business owners with a sufficient amount of cargo space. It is up to customers though to utilise the space effectively.