Fixtures and Appliances

Removal companies are there to help pack and move the content of your home and garden; there are some restrictions on what we can do though. Insurance, quite sensibly, limits us to do what our skills and training prepare us for, lifting and carrying for example. We are able to dismantle and reassemble furniture, but we aren't qualified builders, plumbers, electricians and gas fitters, so there are a number of activities off limits.

This means you will need to arrange professional help (or where the law and your own skills allow, employ a bit of DIY) for a small number of activities we cannot offer.

Washing machines, for example, must be disconnected before we arrive. It is advisable to do so before removal day. This is because, in the event of a problem, you will have time to sort it out. Although this is not a difficult job in itself, if there is a problem with the plumbing system it can create significant problems and delay a move.

Cookers really do need a professional, unless it is a simple, low voltage, electric one that uses an ordinary plug socket that you simply switch off and pull out like any other appliance (lamp, TV, vacuum cleaner). Hard wired cookers, however, are more complex and needs a qualified electrician to ensure both your safety and the safety of the people who have bought your house. There is a lot of voltage going though these live wires and they need to be made safe.

Gas cookers, or fires also need a professional CORGI registered gas engineer.

There are strict legal requirements that you must meet when connecting and disconnecting gas and electrical appliances. It is likely that you will have been required to supply evidence of gas and electrical safety as part of your house sale. Your seller, in turn, is likely to have had that requirement placed on them, for your safety.

Remember, fitted, integral kitchen appliances are part of the fixtures and fittings, so you will need to make it clear from the start of the sales process, if you are intending to take any with you.

As well as preparing appliances for moving, you are likely to require the use of professionals for several activities to ensure you can enjoy your new home. If you have needed an electrician and gas fitter to disconnect appliances, you will also need them to reconnect.

You may also need an engineer to connect your internet and tune your TV. It can take a while to get an engineer out to connect to the internet, so organise this before you move.

Another important job that needs additional planning, is for furniture that needs securing to the wall for safety; this is usually a wardrobe. We and most removal companies are not insured to connect anything to a wall, this is because there could be pipes, or electricity cables behind the wall that a nail or screw could penetrate causing serious and expensive damage. Also, if there is a problem with the integrity of the wall, including the plaster, the wall could be damaged. Free standing wardrobes pose a risk of tipping, so need to be accessed with caution until a professional has secured them to a wall. Purchasing your own wardrobe boxes could be a solution, if you must wait for a fitter, and don't want clothes left on a bed.