Hiring a removalist is one of those jobs most people only do every few years, so it is hard to know what a fair deal even looks like. This checklist covers the questions worth asking before you book a mover in Melbourne, and the answers that should make you comfortable.
1. Is the company actually insured?
Ask directly, and ask what the cover applies to. “Insured” can mean public liability only, which protects the mover rather than your belongings. Movers4Melbourne is fully insured, and we explain exactly what that covers on our insurance page so there are no surprises on the day.
2. Are the rates hourly, and are they quoted upfront?
Most Melbourne moves are charged by the hour. What varies is how honest the hourly figure is. Watch for quotes that look low until a fuel levy, a call-out fee, a stairs surcharge and a heavy-item fee are added at the end.
Our rates are upfront hourly rates, starting at $40 per half hour for a van and man. You are told the rate before you book, not after the truck is loaded.
3. What is the minimum charge, and when does the clock start?
Two companies can quote the same hourly rate and still cost very different amounts, because one starts the clock when the truck leaves the depot and the other when it arrives at your door. Ask which applies, and ask what the minimum billable time is. Get the answer in writing.
4. Do they bring blankets, trolleys and straps?
Padding and equipment are what stand between your furniture and a scratched tabletop. They should be included, not an optional extra. We supply furniture blankets, trolleys and straps as standard on every job.
5. Have they moved your type of property before?
A third-floor apartment with a narrow stairwell is a different job from a four-bedroom house with a driveway. So is an office fit-out over a weekend. Ask whether the crew has done your kind of move, and mention anything unusual early: a tight corner, a lift booking, a grand piano.
We handle house removals, apartment moves, office and commercial removals, piano moving and general furniture removals. For smaller loads, a man with a van is usually the cheaper option.
6. Is the truck the right size?
An undersized truck means a second trip, and a second trip means more hours on the clock. Be thorough when you describe what you have, including the garage and the shed. A good removalist will ask follow-up questions rather than simply agreeing with your estimate.
7. Can they work on your day?
End of month and the last weekend before a lease ends are the busiest times in Melbourne. If your date is fixed, book early. We work seven days a week, which helps when a settlement date moves at short notice.
8. Are they local to your area?
A mover based nearby spends less time getting to you, and knows the practical details: which streets in Brunswick are too narrow for a large truck, where loading zones sit in Preston, how the lifts work in the newer Coburg apartment blocks. We are based in Campbellfield and work across the northern suburbs most often, including Reservoir, Preston, Coburg and Brunswick, as well as the western, eastern, south-eastern, inner city and regional Victorian areas.
9. What do their reviews actually say?
Look past the star rating to what customers describe: punctuality, care with furniture, whether the final invoice matched the quote. Movers4Melbourne is rated 4.9 on Google, and we have been moving Melbourne households and businesses since 2014.
10. Do they tell you what they do not do?
This one matters more than it sounds. A company that claims to do everything usually subcontracts the parts it does not do, and the accountability gets blurry.
So, plainly: we do not offer a packing service, and we do not offer storage. We do sell moving boxes and packing supplies if you are packing yourself, which most of our customers do. Our interstate work covers New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia only, and we do not move to Western Australia or overseas.
A quick note on packing your own boxes
Since you will most likely be packing yourself, three things save the most time on moving day: label boxes by the room they are going to rather than the room they came from, keep boxes under about 16 kg so they can be carried one-handed, and set aside a single box of things you need the first night so it is not buried in the truck.
Getting a quote
Tell us the pickup and delivery addresses, the property type, the floor and lift access at each end, and roughly what is coming. That is enough for an accurate estimate. You can request a quote online, call 0452 490 078, or message us on WhatsApp.
If you are moving between states, our interstate removals page explains how those jobs are priced, which works differently from local hourly work.