Please read through European Moving’s “Moving FAQs” before your moving day. We have packed our Moving FAQs full of useful advice, and at European Moving we believe in giving the information to you straight. We answer the everyday questions with honesty and integrity, nothing hidden in our terms and conditions unlike many other well-known removal companies may do. If you want 100% honest answers and want to make your move is problem-free, then please read on.

Q. Who pays for fines issued for excessive weight?

A. The customer is responsible for the weight of their goods. If the vans are stopped and fined for being overweight the customer will have to cover all costs and any additional costs to transport the excess weight if required. Please click here for a more detailed explanation.

Q. Can I send my animals with the van?

A. This is possible for an additional fee. However, it will depend on what type of animal you have and the distance you are travelling. Whilst the driver will be happy to give your pet regular food and water, we do not take responsibility for their welfare. All necessary paperwork must be supplied to the driver upon collection.

Q. Can I travel with the driver?

A. Generally, we do not allow people to travel with the driver. Our drivers tend to do most of their driving through the night hours to avoid heavy traffic. However, if it is a short distance this can sometimes be possible for an extra fee. Please speak to your move coordinator who can confirm this for you.

Q. Do you move pianos?

A. We are not professional piano movers. If you would like us to move your piano we cannot accept any liability or responsibility for it. You will also need to arrange for any loading equipment.

Q. Does the van have a tail-lift?

A. No. The vans do not come with a tail-lift as standard. We can request a van with a tail-lift for you, but it is not guaranteed and an additional fee may be charged. Please speak with your move coordinator as this will depend on the location of the collection.

Q. Are you operating outside Europe, too?

A. We do not operate outside of Europe. Our business has been created to offer the most competitive prices when moving around Europe.

Q. Who pays the taxes, duties and/or any deposit payments on the value of the goods?

A. The customer and owner of the goods are responsible for any fees due. If you require European Moving to arrange the customs clearance on your behalf this cover the administration costs only.

Q. Can I change or add to my inventory once customs clearance has been arranged?

A. It can be complicated to make changes once the documents have been finalised with the customs agents. It is also likely that extra charges will apply.

Q. How do we arrange customs when moving to Switzerland, Norway, The Canary Islands, Iceland or Liechtenstein?

A. You can either choose to do a customs clearance yourself or we can arrange this for you for an additional charge, you can select this option on the quote.

The customs clearance fee will cover the administration costs only.

If there is a deposit payment required on the value of your goods and/or any taxes and duties to be paid these are to be covered by the customer and owner of the goods.

If the van is delayed at the border for problems related to customs clearance additional holding charges may apply. Please speak with your move coordinator as this will depend on the length of time and whether the van is booked out on another job.

Q. Do my goods require customs documentation?

A. When you are moving from and to one of the European Union member states, you do not need to provide custom documentation.

However, if you are moving to Switzerland, Norway, the Canary Islands in Spain, Liechtenstein or Iceland you will be required to provide the required documentation.

Q. Will my goods need to be checked by customs?

A. Customs have the right to check any goods entering or leaving any country, unfortunately, this is completely out of our control. If this happens it is possible that your delivery could be delayed.

Q. What happens if I exceed my load size or weight?

A. The most important thing to remember is that your booking is based on either weight or cubic capacity, whichever is reached first.

Each van can carry 20m3 or 1000kgs (full load)

Part Loads

When you are booking a part load (less than 20m3/1000kgs), this means you are reserving a certain amount of space/weight allowance on the van and it is highly likely you will be sharing this space with other customers goods.

If your goods exceed the space or weight allowance of your booking you will be charged on a pro-rata basis based on the price you have already paid. Please see the following example;

If you have a booking of 10m3/500kgs and you have paid £750 this means you have paid £75 per unit of 1m3 or 50kgs.

 

If your load then becomes 700kgs, this means you are 200kgs overweight. In this instance you will be charged 4 units extra, 4 x £75 = £300 extra.

 

This works in the same way if you go over cubic capacity.

If the van only has enough space and weight allowance for your current booking and you have exceeded this, we may need to arrange for the rest of your goods to be picked up another time. However, we will always do our best to organise this on the same day for you if possible.

If your goods are considered overweight and you are going to require a whole van or more your move coordinator will inform you of the cost as quite often this can work out cheaper than the pro-rata basis. In any case, you will never be charged more than this.

Full Loads

If you have booked a full load of 20m3/1000kgs and you exceed this amount, there will be several options based on how much overweight/capacity you are and your circumstances.

If you are only slightly overweight by up to 100kgs the driver may be willing to take the extra load for no extra charge or a small additional fee, your move coordinator can confirm this for you. However, this would be at your own risk and if the van is stopped and any extra charges or fines are incurred, they are payable by the customer before unloading.

If you are overweight by 200 – 700kgs we can arrange a part load for you, however, please bear in mind that this is unlikely to be possible on the same day. You will need to provide us with a 3 working day window of your choice to arrange this for you, this window can start from the next working day.

Of course, this all depends on your circumstances as quite often you may need to vacate the property that same day. In this situation, we can arrange a 2nd van for you and in most cases, this can be done on the same day.

If you are overweight by more than 700kgs we would recommend that you take a 2nd van or multiple extra vans depending on how much overweight the goods are. The vans will be charged at the same rate as your 1st van was charged.

For remote areas, there may be an additional fee depending on how far away the next available driver is, your move coordinator can confirm this for you on the day.

In all cases for both part loads and full loads, we can just take what you have booked for and you can make your own arrangements for any extra items leftover.

It is not always possible that the driver will know if your goods are overweight just by eye, we must make it very clear that the weight and capacity is the customers’ responsibility. If the driver or the customer has any concerns, we can always arrange for the van to weighed at a local weighbridge if available. If the vans are stopped because the load is overweight, and any extra charges are incurred these must be covered by the customer.

It is also worth remembering that we can resolve most issues, there are very few situations and circumstances that we haven’t experienced. If you are concerned about anything, please speak with your move coordinator who will endeavour to find a solution for you. It may be that we can bring your goods into storage until you are ready to receive them.

In Switzerland, Norway and Austria the weight restriction is 800kgs – the cubic capacity is still 20m3.

Q. Does my shipment include VAT?

A. Yes. Your move with us is subject to VAT. The rate of the VAT will be charged in line with the rate of the VAT applicable to the collection Country. For example; if you are moving from the UK to Germany you will be charged the UK VAT rate which is currently 20%.

The quotes will include this charge for you and you will be able to view the rate.

If you are moving to or from any of the following Countries no VAT will be charged as they are VAT exempt. Switzerland, Norway, the Canary Islands in Spain, Liechtenstein or Iceland.

If you have a company registered in the Country of collection we can arrange to reverse charge the VAT and invoice your company direct. The company will have to be VAT registered to qualify.

Q. Will you provide an Invoice?

A. Yes. You will receive your invoice once we have received your deposit payment. All details on how to bank your final balance bank transfer will be included on your invoice.

If your company is paying for your move and you would like to have the invoice made out to them, please let your move coordinator know and they will arrange this for you.

Q. Do I need to complete an inventory?

A. Yes. All shipments need to have an inventory list. If you have booked more than 1 van each driver should have a copy of the inventory. You will receive an inventory template upon booking, although you can use any format of your choice – you can even do it by hand! We ask that you email a copy of your inventory to your move manager 3-5 days before collection so that they can cast their eye over it for potential issues for loading. Most importantly you must print a copy for yourself and the driver/s. All goods should be checked onto and off the vans and all copies should be signed by both the customer and driver/s on both collection and delivery.

Claims against our liability coverage will not be considered without a signed copy of the inventory by all parties.

Insurance claims against 3rd party providers will be rejected for miscellaneous and unrecorded items.

Q. Will I be able to add more items at a later date?

A. You can increase the size or weight of your load up to 1 day before collection, however, if you want to decrease the size or weight of your load please check with your move coordinator as any cancellations or downgrades will usually incur a 50% fee.

Q. Will my driver speak English?

A. We cannot guarantee that your driver will speak perfect English, however, they will have a basic understanding at a minimum. We cover a vast number of European Countries and our network of drivers are from many different nationalities. We also have multi-lingual staff in our offices who can assist if there is an issue with a language barrier.

Q. What are your payment terms?

A. We require a £50/€50 deposit to secure the booking, this is fully refundable should you need to cancel for any reason. The remaining full balance payment is due 14 days before your collection date. Full balance payments need to be made by bank transfer, details of which you will find on your invoice.

Please note: Your booking is based on the default currency of Euros. If there is a currency fluctuation of +/- 2% between the day of booking and payment day this will incur a surcharge or partial refund.

Q. Something has been damaged or is missing. Can I make a claim?

A. If a box or item is missing on delivery please call our office straight away before signing the delivery note so that we can check with the driver. If you are not able to speak with someone in our office for any reason, please make sure you make a note of any missing items on the delivery note before signing. Please also make sure you highlight this on your inventory before getting the driver to sign it. You can make a claim under our liability cover for £40 per item or box upon receipt of a clear signed inventory.

We do not offer any form of compensation for goods damaged in transit unless the van has been involved in an accident, in which case you can claim against our liability cover for £40 per item or box or up to £10,000 for total loss on a full load. You will need to provide a copy of your signed inventory upon collection to make any claim.

Q. Are my goods insured with European moving?

A. No. We do not offer insurance; however, our liability cover is included free of charge. This will cover you in the event of fire, theft or damage due to vehicle collision for £40 per item or box or up to £10,000 total loss on a full load. You will need to provide a copy of your signed inventory on both collection and delivery to make any claim against our liability cover.

You can take out your own insurance with a 3rd party provider or you may find that you can add this to your existing home insurance policy for a small premium. In any case, we advise that you check the level of cover provided as it may only be equivalent to what we include free of charge anyway.

If you do have items of particularly high value, we strongly advise that you take out additional insurance cover on these items. Please also make sure that they are clearly listed as a separate entity on your inventory and the driver signs against each item. It is also a good idea to take photographs if possible.

If you are taking out your own insurance, please make sure your inventory contains replacement values.

Q. Is delivery to the ground floor or doorstep only?

A. This will depend on what service you have booked for.

‘Easymoves’ The driver will assist with the loading and unloading from and to the ground floor of the property, to any room of your choice. If you require upper floor assistance from the driver please inform your move coordinator of the details and they can add this on for you for an additional fee, this will depend on the floor level and whether a lift is available.

‘Load & Go’ The driver will assist with the loading and unloading on and off the van only, he will not come into the property. This is a roadside collection and delivery.

If you have booked a packing or unpacking service, the team of porters will assist the driver/s with the loading/unloading or both to any room of your choice depending on your chosen service.

Q. Does the van come with straps?

A. Yes, all the vans should come with straps as standard. These can be used to secure larger pieces of furniture to ensure safe transit. Please make sure you are happy that your items have been secured safely before the van sets off on its journey. It is both the responsibility of the driver and the customer to ensure the goods are strapped securely.

Q. Does the van carry trollies and any other loading equipment?

A. No. The vans do not carry any equipment other than straps. If any of your items require ramps or trollies, you will need to provide them yourself and if you have any items that may be particularly tricky to move please let your move coordinator know in advance.

Q. Will the driver help to load the van?

A. This will depend on what service you have booked for.

‘EasyMoves’. The driver will assist with the loading and unloading from and to the ground floor of the property, to any room of your choice. If you require upper floor assistance from the driver please inform your move coordinator of the details and they can add this on for you for an additional fee, this will depend on the floor level and whether a lift is available.

‘Load and Go’. The driver will assist with the loading and unloading on and off the van only, he will not come into the property. This is a roadside collection and delivery.

For both services, you will need to supply at least 1 able-bodied person per van to assist the driver/s with the loading and unloading. If you are not able to help or provide help for the driver, please speak with your move coordinator who can arrange additional manpower if available in your area. This will incur an extra charge.

If you have booked a packing or unpacking service, the team of porters will assist the driver/s with the loading/unloading or both to any room of your choice depending on your chosen service.

Q. Will European Moving pack and/or unpack my belongings?

A. Our basic ‘Easymoves’ and ‘Load & Go’ services do not offer a packing service. Please ensure that all goods are adequately packed and protected before collection, including larger items of furniture. Please read our movers guide page for packing advice.

We hope these Moving FAQs have been useful. If you think of something to add, please Get in Touch with your suggestions. With your help, we shall make them even better.