How to Choose House Movers in Melbourne (Without Regretting It on Moving Day)

Here's a pattern we see a lot. Someone's buying in Kew, settlement's on a Friday, and they book whichever removalist came back cheapest on a quote site. No follow-up questions. Then the day arrives. Truck's an hour late, the fridge won't fit up the stairs at the new place, and somehow the "fixed" price has picked up a stair charge.

None of that's really bad luck. Most of it could've been sorted with one phone call a fortnight earlier. So if you're comparing house movers in Melbourne right now, these are the things we'd actually check.

Work out what you're moving first

Sounds obvious. Most people still skip it.

A one-bedder in St Kilda might be a three-hour job for two blokes. A four-bedroom place in Kew with a piano, two fridges and a garage full of who-knows-what? Different truck, bigger crew, whole day. Walk round the house with your phone and jot down the heavy or awkward pieces, especially that solid timber dining table it took four of you to get through the door. Glass tops. Mum's old display cabinet.

Not sure how much there is? Ask for a video walkthrough. Anyone quoting a big house sight unseen is guessing, and guesses tend to get corrected on the day. Usually upward.

Fixed price vs hourly

Melbourne removalists mostly quote one of two ways, and you'll want to know which one you've got before you sign anything.

Hourly is simple enough. You pay for crew time, normally with a minimum booking plus some sort of call-out or travel fee. Fine for a small, easy move. The trouble is every hold-up lands on you. Lift double-booked? You're paying. Boxes still untaped when the crew walks in? Also paying.

With a fixed quote the total's agreed beforehand, and if the job drags on, that's the mover's problem. For a full house we reckon that certainty's worth more than saving a few bucks an hour. Mind you, we would say that, since it's how we quote.

Whichever way you go, get the inclusions written down. Stairs, long carries from the truck, pulling beds apart, boxes and wrap, public holiday rates. Those little lines turn a fair quote into a nasty invoice. A mover who won't put them in writing is telling you something. (At House Movers Melbourne everything's quoted fixed and confirmed before you book.)

"Fully insured" – meaning what, exactly?

Everyone says it. Ask the follow-up.

There's usually public liability, which deals with things like a gouged doorframe or somebody getting hurt on site. Transit cover is a separate policy and it's about your stuff while it's actually on the truck. Plenty of people assume one includes the other and only find out otherwise once something's broken.

So ask what's covered and up to how much, and how you'd go about claiming. Got antiques, art or a pricey TV? Check whether they need declaring upfront, because they often do. It's worth a quick look at your own contents policy too. Some give limited cover during a move.

Access is where Melbourne moves go wrong

Honestly, this is the big one.