Hocking Removalists

The first thing to do once you’ve moved into your new home is to check the house. Check out Chapter 4 of our moving house guide for a detailed outline of what to do after you move.

Each company has differing policies about notification before the pickup and delivery. Some companies can provide a time window on booking, others provide this the day before, while others will provide notice within an hour of their arrival. 

A cubic metre is 1m x 1m x 1m. A full-sized container size is 38m3. 

Truck sizes vary from 20m3 to 70m3 and sometimes 100m3.

Reading reviews is a great way to determine if a removalist is the right one for you. Platforms like Google, Product Review or Muval are great for this because they have built-in mechanisms to ensure reviews are from genuine people that have actually interacted with that business.

However, we advise to be cautions of moving companies with hundres of reviews and a perfect 5 star rating on these platforms as reviews unfortunately can be faked. Don't get us wrong: honest companies with a perfect 5 star rating do exist and they are excellent (we have a few on our platform!). But, given the nature of furniture removalist work, something, at some point, is bound to go wrong. Maybe the truck breaks down and is late for a job. Maybe someone accidentally trips and some items in a box are damaged. Whatever it is, accidents unfortunately do happen and these sorts of occassions rarely attract a 5 star rating.

Because of this, companies with a 4.5 or above rating are often just as good as a company with a perfect 5. So, we suggest, instead of looking for all 5-star reviews, take a look at a companies worst reviews and pay special attention to how they responded to the issue. Were they sympathetic? Did they respond promptly? Did they offer a resolution? Were they contactable for the customer to voice their concerns? These are the sorts of things that separate the best removalists from those who don't deliver a high level of service.

Read more about how to avoid dodgy removalists here.

The cost for your local move will depend on how long your move takes. Some dishonest moving companies quote very cheap hourly or half-hourly rates to get your job, and then work slowly on the day or surprise you with additional charges in order to make more money.

Unless they are running a limited special offer, most honest removal companies need to charge at least $45 per half hour or more in order to pay their staff (two people usually come to load and unload the truck for you), pay their insurances, and make sure their trucks are serviced regularly.

The earlier you book your move the more confident you can be that the date you wish to move will be available. However, the time in advance that you should book is heavily dependent on the time of year. Between October and March we recommend booking at least 3-4 weeks in advance of when you want to move. From March - September you can leave it a little later, booking 2-3 weeks out.

If you cancel within 48 hours of your booking (if your move is more than 5 days away) or give three weeks’ notice before your pick up date, you will get a full refund of your deposit.

Packing and unpacking boxes for your house is not usually included by default when you book a removalist. This is a service that needs to be booked separately (you can do this through Muval) or done yourself, and is best arranged for a day or two before your removalist is scheduled to do your uplift.

In our experience, people always dramatically under estimate the time it takes to pack their house, and it's usually one of the most burdensome tasks of moving! If you're packing yourself, make sure you start early and do a couple of boxes a day. Otherwise, save yourself the hassle and book packing services through Muval. Your future self will thank you.