Choosing a removalist is mostly a matter of knowing which questions to ask before you book. Most quotes look much the same on the surface — an hourly rate and a truck — and the differences that actually decide how your moving day goes are rarely the ones in the advertisement. Here are seven things worth checking, roughly in the order they tend to matter.
1. Check the insurance, and ask what it actually covers
“Insured” is not one thing. A removalist can hold public liability cover, which protects other people and property, and separately hold transit or goods-in-transit cover, which is the one that matters if something of yours is damaged between your old place and your new one. Ask which they hold, and ask whether there are exclusions for items you packed yourself, for anything already damaged, or for particular categories such as glass, stone or electronics.
A company that is comfortable answering that question in plain language on the phone is usually a company that has thought about it. Movers4Melbourne is fully insured, and our insurance page sets out the detail.
2. Get the hourly rate in writing, and ask what starts and stops the clock
Most Melbourne removalists charge by the hour or the half hour, so the advertised rate is only half the picture. The other half is how the hours are counted. Worth asking:
- Does the clock start when the truck arrives at your door, or when it leaves the depot?
- Is there a minimum number of hours, and what happens if the job finishes early?
- Is there a call-out fee, a fuel levy, or a charge for the return trip?
- Does the rate change on weekends or public holidays?
- Is the rate per half hour or per hour after the first hour?
Two quotes with the same headline number can end up hundreds of dollars apart once those answers are in. Get them in writing — a text message or an email is enough.
Our own rates are upfront and charged per half hour: a van and man from $40 per half hour, a 4.5 tonne truck with two movers from $55 per half hour, and a 6.5 tonne truck with two movers from $60 per half hour. There is more detail on our removalist prices page.
3. Ask what equipment comes with the truck
This is the question people forget, and it is the one that most often costs money on the day. Furniture blankets, trolleys and straps are what make a move fast and safe. If they are not included, either you supply them or the job takes longer, and on an hourly rate a slower job is a more expensive one.
Ask specifically whether blankets, a trolley and tie-down straps come with the truck at no extra charge. We supply furniture blankets, trolleys and straps on every job.
4. Match the truck to the job, not the job to the truck
An undersized truck means two trips, and two trips on an hourly rate costs far more than the larger truck would have. A rough guide for Melbourne moves:
- A van and man suits a studio, a small one-bedroom flat, or a handful of items — see man with a van.
- A 4.5 tonne truck with two movers suits most one and two-bedroom homes, including apartment and unit moves.
- A 6.5 tonne truck with two movers suits larger homes and anything with a full garage or shed — see house removals.
If you are not sure, describe the biggest items and the number of rooms over the phone rather than guessing. Moving a small number of large pieces is a different job from moving a lot of boxes, and a good removalist will say so. For single items and part loads, furniture removals is usually the right starting point.
5. Check they cover both ends of the move
Plenty of removalists advertise “Melbourne” and then quote awkwardly once they hear the destination suburb. Ask about both addresses at the same time, and mention anything unusual at either end — a narrow driveway, a shared lift with a booking sheet, a loading dock with hours, stairs, or a permit zone for the truck.
We work right across Melbourne. The northern suburbs are where we are busiest, including Reservoir, Preston, Coburg and Brunswick, and we also cover the western, eastern and south-eastern suburbs, the inner city and regional Victoria.
If you are leaving the state, ask which states they actually service rather than assuming “interstate” means everywhere. We cover interstate moves to New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia only.
6. Read the reviews, then check there is a real business behind them
Reviews are useful, but read the recent ones rather than the average, and read the middling ones rather than the best and worst. A three-star review usually explains more about how a company handles a problem than a five-star one does.
Then check the basics: a street address you can look up, a phone number that a person answers, and a business that has been trading long enough to have a history. We are rated 4.9 on Google, we have been moving Melbourne households and offices since 2014, and we work from 7/85 Cooper Street, Campbellfield.
7. Ask what they will not do
This is the most useful question on the list, and almost nobody asks it. A removalist who tells you plainly what is outside their service is far easier to plan around than one who says yes to everything and improvises on the day.
To answer it for ourselves: we do not pack your boxes, and we do not offer storage. What we do instead is sell moving boxes and packing supplies so you can pack at your own pace, and we move what you have packed. We also handle specialist jobs that not every removalist takes — piano moving, office and commercial relocations, and rubbish removal for whatever does not make the trip.
A short list to take to the phone
If you only have a few minutes per company, these are the questions that separate them fastest:
- What does your insurance cover, and are self-packed boxes included?
- What is the rate per half hour, and when does the clock start and stop?
- Is there a minimum charge, a call-out fee or a weekend rate?
- Do blankets, trolleys and straps come with the truck?
- What size truck would you send for a home like mine, and how many movers?
- Have you worked in my destination suburb and building before?
- Is there anything about this job you would not take on?
Write the answers down as you go. By the third call the pattern is usually obvious.
Getting a quote from us
We are a local removalist team based in Campbellfield, working seven days a week with upfront hourly rates, fully insured, with blankets, trolleys and straps supplied. You can request a quote online, call us on 0452 490 078, or message us on WhatsApp — and you are welcome to ask every question on the list above before you decide.