Your Pre-Move Survey explained
Your Pre-Move Survey explained
When you are preparing to move, the pre-move home survey is the most accurate way of obtaining information to prepare a proposal and price quotation for your move.
When does a pre-move survey usually happen?
In order to get a pre-move survey, you need to contact a moving company and discuss your move.
A moving company will not send a surveyor to your home unless you have seriously discussed details of the move and seem committed to using the company for their services. The pre-move home survey is free of charge and without obligation though.
We do hope, however, that we will be able to convince you that AGS Global Solutions – Netherlands is the best choice for your move.
A professional tablet pc, with software specially designed for the removal industry, will usually be used for the pre-move home survey.
Intake by phone
The phone intake you had with the office employee gives the moving company a good idea of what to expect, but since you are not a professional, it is likely that you will not know the exact answers to all questions asked at first. None of the information you provide in your initial telephone conversation is considered completely accurate. Although it would be helpful for your answers to stay the same, you aren’t bound to them.
That is why a pre-move survey is necessary to confirm these details.
Survey in a nutshell
The surveyor will arrive at your house at a pre-arranged time and date. He will walk through your house with you from top to bottom on a room by room basis, noting down the items you would like to ship. During the walk through, the surveyor will advise you on items which you may not be able to ship due to customs regulations in your destination country.
At the end of the walk through, the surveyor will then go through the details of your move. Customs information, duty and tax issues, international shipping routes and transit times will be discussed as well as possible moving dates and possibly additional moving services you may need such as storage, insurance and destination services.
From the information obtained during the home survey, we will produce a quotation outlining the details of your move.
How to prepare for the pre-move survey
In order to make the pre-move survey process more efficient, you should be prepared for the surveyor.
Carefully review the FIDI customs information, provided to you (including prohibited items and required import customs documents and formalities)
Be prepared to meet the surveyor at the scheduled time. When the destination address is known already, please write it down and hand it over to the surveyor so your Account manager can determine whether special provisions (and possible additional costs) are required at destination*.
*E.g. parking permit, external elevator, long carry, stair carry, shuttle service, etc.
Try to have all of your items easy to access and preferably don’t have them tightly stacked because the surveyor will often need to measure them individually.
Make sure you select everything that you are going to move before the surveyor arrives.
Late additions that aren’t surveyed may cause problems for the moving company when they are not advised of prior to the (first) moving date (e.g. not enough men power/ packing materials/ truck or container that is too small).
The survey process
The surveyor is there to document the estimated volume and necessary services required for the move.
Here are the most important things he or she will document:
• The (weight* and) volume of the shipment
*Usually for air shipments only
• Any items that require special handling (e.g. piano, safe) or storage
• Any problems the movers may have accessing your property, including parking issues*
*Applicable to destination address as well
• A complete inventory of the shipment
• Any other logistics that are necessary to complete the move
• Packing/ unpacking services required
• Disassembly/ assembly of furniture
• Special wood crating for fragile/ valuable items
• Handy-man services*
• Vehicle transport (and thus vehicle details required)
• Pet transportation
• Final/ requested dates for packing, collection, and/ or delivery
• Whom to send the proposal to and in which language (Dutch or English)
*Often items attached to walls and ceilings are taken down at origin and must be hung back at destination! You can think of mirrors, picture frames, paintings, curtain rods, lamps, shelves, TV’s and wall units (cabinets). Within the moving industry a handy-man is normally used for of services like drilling, hanging mirrors and paintings/ pictures, (electric) connecting lamps and the assembly of new and/ or complex furniture (that cannot or won’t be assembled by the move crew*). We can offer this service on request at an hourly rate.
*In some countries, due to reasons of liability or lack of knowledge about certain type of furniture (KIT type or IKEA) the movers will not assemble furniture themselves but hire a handy-man or carpenter. Unless stated clearly in the removal offer, this service is not standard included.
What you should do during the pre-move survey
The pre-move survey is the time to ask any questions and convey any concerns you have about the moving process. The representative from the moving company is trained to talk to you about all of it and relay the information to the company.
Here are some things you should do:
• Express any concerns about the handling of certain items
• Ask about what you will be required to do in regards to customs
• Confirm the timeline of the move
• Ask if there are any charges you can avoid by making your home more accessible
• Finalize all of your choices for the services you want
• Ask about insurance options (and own risk)
• Ask any additional questions about your shipment and desires
After the survey
Both you and the moving company should have an solid idea of what the move will take and how much it will cost after the pre-move survey is completed. Usually you can expect the proposal within just a few days. You can rest assured that the estimate you get from the company after the survey is done is based on real information and accurate.