Knowing how to choose a removalist comes down to one thing: finding the company that answers your questions clearly, and in writing, before you pay a cent. Most of the moving day horror stories we hear started with a quote that should have raised questions.
We’re removalists ourselves, so we know where corners get cut. This guide on how to choose a removalist gives you the eight red flags we’d watch for if we were booking our own move, what a good answer sounds like, and the questions that show you who to trust with your things.
How to choose a removalist: the short version
- Get two or three written quotes, each based on a list of what you own.
- Compare the hours, the crew and the truck, not just the hourly rate.
- Ask how the clock works, including the minimum charge, travel time and anything billed on top.
- Read reviews on Google, not only the ones on the company’s website.
- Ask what happens if something gets damaged, and get the answer in writing.
That’s how to choose a removalist in five minutes. If a company goes vague on any of these points, that’s your first red flag, and the eight below tell you who to cross off the list.
8 red flags that give away a dodgy removalist
1. They quote without knowing what you own
A price given in two minutes over the phone, with no list of furniture and no photos, is a guess. A dodgy removalist will lowball that guess to win the job, and the hours blow out on the day.
If you only remember one thing about how to choose a removalist, make it this: no list of your things, no real quote. A good removalist asks what’s coming, from the beds and the sofa to roughly how many boxes. Better still, they’ll look at it on a video quote so nothing gets missed.
2. Nobody asks how they’ll get in and out
Access decides the day as much as volume does, and it’s the part of how to choose a removalist that anyone in an apartment can’t skip. Stairs, a shared lift, a loading dock with a low roof or a truck parked 50 metres away can each add hours.
If you’re working out how to hire reliable removalists in the Sydney CBD, this matters even more, because most buildings there have lift bookings and loading dock rules. A removalist who doesn’t ask about them hasn’t done many apartment moves. Our guide to booking the lift and loading dock covers what to sort out first.
3. The hourly rate is far lower than everyone else’s
When people ask us how to choose a removalist, this is the trap we mention first. A low rate often means a smaller crew or a smaller truck, and two people doing a job that needs three can turn a cheap rate into a bigger bill.
Compare quotes on total hours, crew size and truck size in cubic metres, then do the maths yourself. The total is the number that ends up on your invoice.
4. They can’t explain how the clock works
Do removalists charge travel time? Most hourly ones do, and that’s fine. What matters is that you know the minimum charge, how travel time is billed, the increments after the minimum, and extras like tolls, parking and card surcharges before you book.
None of that is a red flag on its own. Finding out about it on the invoice is. Our terms and conditions set all of this out, and your quote shows the rate and the hours before we start.
5. They want cash, or the full amount upfront
Should you pay a deposit? A booking deposit is normal in this industry, and ours comes off the final invoice. The red flags are a company that only takes cash, asks you to pay into a personal account, or wants the full price before a single box has moved.
Before you pay anything, get the deposit amount, the payment terms and the cancellation policy in writing. If your settlement or lease date moves, you want to know what a change costs now, not the day before. It’s the least exciting part of how to choose a removalist, and the one people most often wish they hadn’t skipped.
6. They get vague when you ask about damage
No list on how to choose a removalist is complete without this question: if something gets damaged, what happens next? You’re listening for a clear answer about the insurance they hold, what it covers and how a claim works.
It helps to know the difference before you ask. Public liability insurance covers damage to other people’s property, like the walls or the lift in your building. It isn’t cover for your own furniture while it’s on the truck. That’s transit insurance, it’s worth arranging for anything valuable, and reliable removalists will tell you that straight.
7. Their reviews only live on their own website
Reviews are the easiest part of how to choose a removalist, and the easiest part to fake. Testimonials on a company’s own site are picked by the company, so read reviews on Google and other independent platforms, including how the business replies to complaints.
Watch for a sudden burst of five star reviews, or reviews that all sound alike. The ACCC’s guide to online reviews lists the warning signs, and the ACCC has penalised a removalist for publishing fake testimonials before. You’re welcome to read our Google reviews and make up your own mind.
8. They push you to book on the spot
“This price is only good if you book today” is a sales tactic, not a reason. A quote with an expiry date is fair enough, because prices move with the season. A price that disappears the moment you hang up is pressure, and a dodgy removalist needs you to decide before you compare. Anyone who knows how to choose a removalist walks away from that call.
Spring and summer are the busy months, so booking early makes sense. You should still get time to read the quote properly and put it next to the others.
Questions to ask a removalist before you book
This is the practical side of how to choose a removalist: the same questions for every company, with the answers written down so you can compare them later.
- Is the price hourly or fixed, and what’s the minimum? A good answer includes the minimum charge and how travel time is billed.
- How many removalists, and which truck? You want a crew size and a truck size in cubic metres, not “we’ll see on the day”.
- What do you need to know about my place? Good removalists ask about stairs, lifts, parking and the pieces that worry you.
- Are boxes, wrapping and mattress covers extra? Either answer is fine, as long as you know before you book.
- Can you take furniture apart and put it back together? Beds, desks and some tables won’t leave the room in one piece.
- Have you moved something like this before? Worth asking if you own a piano, a pool table or a heavy marble top.
- How do I pay, and when? Look for card payments, a proper receipt and the balance due when the job is done, not before.
A company that answers all seven without hesitating knows the job. One that needs to “check and get back to you” on half of them is telling you something too.
What a good removalist does instead
Flip the red flags around and you have your checklist. A good removalist asks about your things and your building, quotes hours as well as a rate, tells you what’s billed on top, puts the deposit and cancellation terms in writing, and gives you a straight answer about damage.
Ask friends and neighbours who they used, too. It’s the oldest advice on how to choose a removalist and it still works, because a name that comes up twice from people you know tells you more than a page of search results.
Whether you need to find removalists in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, ask everyone the same questions and put the answers side by side. That’s how you tell reliable removalists from the ones with a nice website, and it’s how to choose a removalist you won’t have to chase after moving day.
As one of our customers put it on Google: “The original quote was spot on and I didn’t see them stop until everything was unpacked and rebuilt.”
Ask us the hard questions
Now you know how to choose a removalist, use this list on us. Ask about the hours, the crew, the truck, the deposit and what happens if something breaks, and hold us to the answers.
We move homes across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and every quote comes with the hours before we start.