In Singapore, most of us will experience home moving at least once in our lives. With the increasing hectic lifestyle in Singapore, most of us no longer have time to spend an entire day looking to rent lorries or vans and move house on our own.
Hiring a mover seem to be a logical choice, but with hundreds of moving companies and thousands of conflciting reviews on forums, how do we know which movers are reliable and suit us the most?
In this article we talk about 7 things you should ask before engaging a moving professional in Singapore.
1. Does the mover have license to operate in Singapore?
In Singapore, the government has strict policies to control and regulate home movers. Hiring a mover without a proper license can get you into trouble, and you are at a higher risk of being a victim of moving scams. Ask these professional movers for their registration number and license in Singapore, or any other certificates that is applicable.
2. Is the mover experienced in your specific type of move?
There are 4 main kinds of moving jobs:
- Local movers
- Interstate movers
- Long distance movers
- Commercial movers
Some companies may specialise in a few types of moving while some just focus on one. It is important to check what type of moving they do. Clarify with the professional before hiring to check for their years of experience in the various moving jobs.
3. Are they subcontracting the work or doing the work themselves?
There are 2 main types of moving companies — those that employ full timers and others that subcontract the work out. Truth is, companies that subcontract out will likely have a lower quality of service. These subcontractors do not usually care about how well they have done their job.
You should ask about the entire process in advance to figure out whether they are subcontracting their work, and clarify if they will protect and take care of your items while moving.
4. Does the mover provide cartons and packing materials?
Although most movers provide the cartons and packing materials, it is important to clarify beforehand. Some movers charge extra for the boxes, while others provide cartons and other packing materials like bubble pack, newsprints and tapes. These are usually sold at cost.
5. Do I need to pay for an estimate or site survey?
Most professional movers in Singapore prefer making an appointment with you and assess your home to determine the volume of items to be transported. Others will ask you for photos of your home and try to give a quotation from there. There are others who give you a checklist and ask you if you have those items stated on the checklist.
Site surveys help movers determine various factors (highlighted above) affecting the price, such as ease of parking, handymen needed etc. It will depend on your mover whether they need a site survey or not.
6. Does the mover provide assembling and dismantling functions?
Most movers do provide dismantling and assembling of general furniture. However do clarify this with your mover as they may have different policies and rules in assembling and dismantling of furniture.
7. What happens if my items are damaged/lost in transit?
This will vary between different movers. Some movers in Singapore may be able to provide money back guarantee, whilst others don’t. This is an important area to clarify with your movers before engaging them.
Reliable movers in Singapore
SGHomeneeds provides a directory of reliable local home movers and international movers in Singapore where you can engage a few that is suitable for your home moving needs.
