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Choosing a removalist should involve more than comparing hourly rates or selecting the first company available on your moving date.
The removalist you hire will be responsible for handling furniture, appliances, packed belongings, and items that may be difficult or expensive to replace. The service may also involve access to your home, building, storage area, or workplace.
A suitable removalist should understand the complete job before accepting the booking. You should also understand how the price is calculated, what services are included, what preparation is required, and what happens if the plan changes.
Use this guide to assess your move, compare quotes properly, and know what to confirm before paying a deposit.
Before contacting removalists, establish what type of move you need.
Moving a few items locally is different from relocating an entire household interstate. An apartment move may involve service lifts and restricted loading times, while an office relocation may require staged collection and delivery.
Your initial summary should cover:
Local, regional, or interstate move
Residential or commercial property
Pickup and delivery suburbs
Preferred moving date
Approximate household size
Number of packed cartons
Stairs, lifts, and floor levels
Parking and loading conditions
Heavy or unusually large items
Packing, storage, or assembly requirements
This information helps a removalist determine whether the job fits its services, availability, vehicles, and crew.
Avoid asking only, “How much does a three-bedroom move cost?” Homes with the same number of bedrooms may contain completely different amounts of furniture, outdoor belongings, and garage contents.
Your inventory is one of the most important parts of the quote.
List everything that will occupy truck space or require handling. Include furniture, appliances, boxes, bags, outdoor settings, gym equipment, garage items, and belongings stored in less obvious areas.
Check:
Built-in and freestanding wardrobes
Garage and shed
Balcony and courtyard
Storage cage
Spare rooms
Under-house areas
Laundry
Outdoor entertaining area
Mention whether furniture can be dismantled and whether you need the movers to complete that work.
Take clear photographs of unusually large, fragile, heavy, or awkward belongings. Photos can help explain an item that may otherwise be difficult to describe accurately.
If your inventory changes before moving day, update the removalist. Additional boxes, furniture, or collection points may affect labour time, vehicle space, and the quote.
A short distance between addresses does not always mean a simple or inexpensive move. Difficult access can have a greater effect on labour time than the driving distance.
Tell the removalist about:
Internal and external stairs
Narrow corridors and entrances
Tight corners
Small or slow lifts
Loading-dock bookings
Long distances between the property and truck
Steep driveways
Low-clearance areas
Restricted street parking
Building moving hours
Multiple pickup or delivery points
Access conditions must be provided for both addresses.
For apartment moves, contact building management before confirming the removalist. Ask whether you need to reserve a service lift, loading dock, parking bay, protective coverings, or a particular time slot.
Measure narrow entrances if you have oversized furniture. A lounge may fit through the front door but fail to turn through the next corridor.
Complete access information allows the removalist to plan the crew, equipment, parking, and expected duration more realistically.
Pianos, safes, pool tables, stone furniture, oversized mirrors, gym machines, commercial equipment, and items weighing more than 100 kilograms must be disclosed during the initial inquiry.
These items may require:
Additional movers
Special preparation
Particular moving equipment
More truck space
Access measurements
A different loading method
A site assessment
Do not describe a piano as an ordinary cabinet or leave a safe off the inventory because it occupies little floor space. Weight, shape, balance, available handholds, and the route to the truck all affect the plan.
Safe Work Australia explains that lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, carrying, or otherwise moving objects may become hazardous when the task involves high force, repeated force, awkward postures, or vibration.
Clear photographs, dimensions, and access information help the removalist decide whether the item can be handled safely under the proposed conditions.
Not every customer requires the same level of support. Confirm which tasks you will complete and which ones you want the removalist to handle.
Possible services include:
Loading and unloading
Local or interstate transport
Packing and unpacking
Packing materials
Furniture wrapping
Suitable dismantling and reassembly
Piano moving
Heavy and bulky-item handling
Temporary storage
Backloading
Office or commercial relocation
If you are packing yourself, make sure the cartons are sealed and ready before the team arrives. Unfinished packing, loose belongings, and unlabelled boxes can slow the loading process.
If you need packing assistance, clarify whether it covers the whole home, fragile items only, selected rooms, or last-minute belongings. Ask whether packing materials are included or charged separately.
Furniture dismantling must also be arranged in advance. Removalists cannot assume every bed, wardrobe, table, or modular lounge is suitable for disassembly.
A professional-looking social media page is not enough information on its own.
Check whether the business provides:
A functioning website
Verifiable contact details
Clear service information
Written terms and conditions
A formal quote or booking process
Information about deposits
A way to raise questions or complaints
Consistent business identification
Ask how long the company has been operating and whether it has experience with your type of move.
A team experienced in small local moves may not necessarily be the right fit for a large interstate relocation. Similarly, a standard household mover may not be prepared for a piano, office move, or unusually difficult access.
Speedy Move has operated for 16 years and provides local, regional, interstate, home, office, backloading, and storage services across multiple Australian cities.
Online reviews can help you identify patterns, but the overall star rating should not be the only factor in your decision.
Look for detailed feedback about:
Communication before the move
Arrival and scheduling
Handling of furniture
Quote accuracy
Care around the property
Responses to problems
Whether the reviewer used a similar service
A review for a small local delivery does not necessarily tell you how the company manages a full interstate household move.
Be cautious when reviews are vague, repetitive, unusually concentrated within a short period, or inconsistent with the company’s visible history.
The ACCC advises that online reviews must reflect the independent opinions and genuine experiences of customers and must not be fake or misleading.
Reviews should support your research, not replace direct questions, a written quote, and careful reading of the booking conditions.
A removalist should be able to explain the service clearly before you commit.
Useful questions include:
Is the quote hourly, half-hourly, fixed, or volume-based?
What is the minimum booking period?
Is there a call-out or travel charge?
How many movers are included?
What is the charge for an additional mover?
Are packing materials included?
How are stairs, lifts, and long carries handled?
Are there additional conditions for heavy items?
Is dismantling or reassembly included?
What happens if the move takes longer?
Are tolls, parking, or waiting time charged?
How much deposit is required?
What happens if I reschedule or cancel?
What services are excluded?
Pay attention to whether the business asks questions in return. A removalist cannot properly assess the job without knowing the inventory, addresses, access, timing, and unusual requirements.
A very confident quote based on limited information may rely on assumptions that do not match the actual move.
The cheapest-looking quote may not represent the lowest final cost.
One quote may include a larger crew, furniture wrapping, travel, and handling equipment. Another may show only an hourly rate while adding call-out, stairs, long carries, heavy items, or packing materials later.
Compare:
Number of movers
Vehicle size
Minimum booking
Billing increments
Call-out charge
Travel time
Packing and wrapping
Additional-mover fee
Heavy-item conditions
Stair and lift conditions
Long-carry rules
Storage and waiting charges
Cancellation terms
Give each company the same inventory and access information. Quotes based on different job descriptions cannot be compared fairly.
If something is unclear, ask for an explanation in writing before booking. Do not rely on what you assume “standard moving service” includes.
An hourly quote charges according to the time used, usually subject to a minimum booking and other agreed fees.
This structure may suit local moves where the job can be completed within a practical working period. However, the final amount will depend on how prepared the property is and how efficiently the crew can access the belongings.
A fixed quote is generally based on an agreed inventory, access, distance, and scope. It may change if the information supplied is incomplete or the job changes.
Neither method is automatically better. What matters is whether you understand:
When charging begins and ends
The billing increment
The minimum charge
Which additional fees may apply
Which assumptions were used
What happens if the scope changes
Speedy Move’s local service is charged at $75 per half hour, with a minimum of two hours plus a one-hour call-out based on the applicable $150 hourly rate. A third mover is available at $60 per half hour when required.
Customers should still request a personalised quote because the actual plan depends on the inventory, properties, travel, and service requirements.
A deposit may be required to reserve the truck, crew, and moving date.
Before paying, confirm:
The exact deposit amount
Accepted payment methods
Whether it is refundable
What happens if the date changes
When the remaining balance is due
How additional time is charged
Whether a receipt will be issued
Speedy Move generally requires a $100 deposit for local bookings, while some interstate bookings may require $150. The exact amount and conditions should appear in the booking information.
Keep copies of the quote, payment confirmation, emails, text messages, inventory, photographs, and agreed changes.
If you discuss a material change by telephone, request written confirmation afterwards.
Do not assume that insurance is automatically included or that every reference to “insured movers” means your belongings have comprehensive cover.
Public liability, workers compensation, vehicle insurance, goods-in-transit cover, and customer moving insurance serve different purposes.
Ask:
Is any cover included?
What does it protect?
Who provides the policy?
Is the removalist qualified to offer it?
When does cover begin and end?
Are self-packed cartons covered?
Are high-value items subject to limits?
What exclusions apply?
What evidence is needed for a claim?
What excess applies?
The Australian Furniture Removers Association advises customers to confirm that a removalist is properly qualified before obtaining insurance or financial-product advice through that business.
Read the Product Disclosure Statement and policy documents before deciding whether the cover suits your belongings and circumstances.
Moving insurance and storage insurance should not be treated as the same product. If your belongings will enter storage, confirm whether cover continues during that period or whether separate storage insurance is needed.
Terms and conditions explain the responsibilities of the removalist and customer.
Read sections covering:
Inventory accuracy
Property access
Parking
Stairs and lifts
Carrying distances
Heavy items
Restricted goods
Delays and waiting
Storage
Payment
Cancellation
Damage reporting
Dispute procedures
Do not wait until moving day to question an unfamiliar condition.
Under Australian Consumer Law, eligible services come with automatic consumer guarantees. The ACCC explains that service providers must use due care and skill, provide services fit for an agreed purpose, and complete them within a reasonable time when no timeframe has been agreed.
These rights exist separately from additional warranties. However, customers should still read the contract carefully and understand the agreed scope before accepting the service.
Once you are comfortable with the quote and conditions, confirm the practical schedule.
Make sure both parties have the correct:
Moving date
Arrival window
Pickup address
Delivery address
Contact numbers
Inventory
Access instructions
Lift or loading-dock time
Parking arrangement
Crew size
Requested services
Storage or additional stops
Do not book the removalist for the same moment you expect to receive keys unless the timing is certain.
Consider settlement delays, building access, traffic, key collection, property inspections, and cleaning arrangements. A practical buffer may prevent paid waiting time or a truck arriving before the destination is available.
For interstate moves, ask about the expected collection and delivery windows rather than assuming the load will arrive on a particular day.
Unless packing has been arranged, everything should be packed before the movers arrive.
Complete these tasks in advance:
Seal and label cartons
Separate belongings that are not moving
Empty furniture where required
Defrost and dry refrigerators and freezers
Disconnect suitable appliances
Arrange qualified tradespeople where necessary
Reserve lifts and loading areas
Clear entrances and walkways
Protect pets and children from work areas
Keep documents and valuables with you
Ensure keys and access codes are available
Confirm someone can receive the delivery
Do not pack fuel, gas cylinders, corrosive chemicals, fireworks, or other prohibited materials without checking the removalist’s restrictions.
If you have dismantled furniture yourself, place fittings in labelled bags and keep them with the correct item.
Moves can change because of settlement delays, illness, weather, building restrictions, access problems, or inventory updates.
Before booking, ask what happens if:
You need to change the date
The destination is unavailable
The inventory becomes larger
A lift booking is cancelled
Parking is blocked
The move requires more time
Storage becomes necessary
Severe conditions make the work unsafe
Some changes can be accommodated, while others may affect availability or cost.
Tell the removalist as soon as possible. Waiting until moving day may leave fewer workable options.
Consider asking more questions if a removalist:
Refuses to provide written details
Avoids explaining charges
Gives a quote without asking about the move
Requests payment without booking documentation
Cannot explain its insurance arrangements
Ignores heavy items or access conditions
Pressures you to decide immediately
Uses vague terms about additional fees
Has contact details that cannot be verified
Makes unrealistic guarantees
One issue does not automatically prove a company is unreliable, but several warning signs together deserve closer attention.
A professional removalist should be willing to explain the service, identify possible complications, and ensure both parties understand the booking.
The right removalist is not simply the company with the lowest hourly rate. It is the team that understands your inventory, access, timing, and handling requirements and can explain how the move will be completed.
Speedy Move has 16 years of experience providing:
Local and regional removals
Interstate moves
Home and office relocations
Packing and unpacking assistance
Furniture dismantling and reassembly
Piano and heavy-item moving
Backloading
Short- and long-term storage
We service Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Sydney, Wollongong, Melbourne, and Adelaide.
When requesting a quote, provide your addresses, preferred moving date, complete inventory, box estimate, access details, and photographs of anything large, fragile, or unusually heavy.
Ready to plan your move? Contact Speedy Move for a personalized quote based on the actual work involved.
Check the company’s services, business details, quote, minimum booking, additional charges, insurance arrangements, terms, customer reviews, and experience with your type of move.
There is no required number, but comparing several detailed quotes can help you understand the available services. Give every company the same inventory and access information.
No. A low hourly rate may exclude travel, call-out charges, packing materials, additional movers, difficult access, or heavy-item handling. Compare the complete service and likely final cost.
It should explain the pricing method, crew, vehicle or service scope, minimum booking, call-out charge, additional fees, deposit, exclusions, and relevant conditions.
Yes. Provide stairs, floor levels, lift dimensions, building time slots, loading-dock arrangements, parking, and carrying distances for both properties.
Not necessarily. Ask what cover is included, who provides it, what exclusions apply, and whether the removalist is qualified to offer insurance advice or products.
Book once your moving date is reasonably certain. Weekends, month-end dates, school holidays, and popular interstate routes may fill earlier.
Keep medication, identification, keys, jewellery, important documents, chargers, valuable items, and first-night essentials securely with you.
