Same Day Removals: Book Today, Move Today

The gap between booking a same-day move and a crew pulling up is usually a few hours, and how you spend it decides how long the job takes. Loading is the part that runs over, and it runs over for the same reason every time: nothing is by the door.

Start at the far end of the house and bring what is already boxed towards the hallway, leaving a clear path from the front door to the room with the most in it. Strip beds and empty the fridge and freezer early, because both take longer than people expect and neither can be rushed at the last minute.

Find the keys for anything that locks, including window keys and the shed. If you are in a flat, prop nothing open until the crew is on site, but do check whether the lift needs a key or a code and whether the building has a loading bay you should be parked in.

Some moves do not benefit from speed, and it is better to know that before the van is on its way. A home that is not packed at all is one of them. A crew can load an unpacked house, but they will be packing rather than carrying for the first few hours, and the day gets long and expensive.

A move that depends on a completion is another, because keys can be released late and a van waiting outside a house you cannot enter yet is the worst possible use of a same-day slot. Managed buildings are the third.

If either address needs a lift booked or a loading bay reserved through a building manager, that permission usually cannot be arranged the same morning. In each of those cases, the earliest slot tomorrow is a better move than the last slot today.