south_bound

I have just posted on finding accomodation, and the other big thing is getting all the household contents moved down to SE France. Interested in hearing how you all arranged this - full pack and move service, self-pack and drive or something in between? What about storage in case we don't have something suitable to move into - at this end or down there? Any recommendations or advice welcome.

Ka Ora!

We moved ourselves, We sold most of the furniture in our house to the person that bought the house. Saved no end of agro replaced everything in France. I will answer the other thread here as well, We had purchased our house here before we moved but six years ago the market was still moving fast in the UK which meant our timing worked out really well between sale and purchase in France and day in taking ownership of the house in France which was spent driving. Biggest issue was the OH and I driving out with a rented lorry unloading driving back to the UK getting our car and the little boy (At the Time) then driving back to France long week that one.

G-J-B

I didn't have nearly as far to drive, although the midlands to Paris was still a full day job. I managed to get everything out of the truck into the French apartment before midnight. Grab a cheap eTap hotel and split your journey up, and it's possible to save yourself a small fortune, but you will need friends to help you pack and unload.
I did get some quotes before, but save about a thousand pounds doing it myself (including van hire, hotel, flights back to the country etc).

cmread

We had quite a bit of stuff to move and very little time in which to move it so we used a removal company, Nightingale. They packed it, unpacked it, and even delivered on a Saturday. The way we worked it, I stayed in England on the Friday to be on hand for removing the stuff there, and my husband took delivery in Lille on the Saturday.

They did a very good job, and they were cheaper than any other company from which I had a quote. It is still an expensive way to move, though, but it depends on how much you want to do yourself.

One thing you should keep in mind when you move is insurance. If you move yourself, you should make certain that any expensive goods, in particular, are covered.

If you use a removals company, you should make certain they have proper insurance. That's one of the other reasons I chose Nightingale; they had real insurance cover from actual insurance companies while all the other companies were self-insured. What this means is that if you can't prove to their satisfaction how much an item costs, they will give you 20 pounds for it if something happens and even if you can prove the cost, they won't replace old with new, so if the price of whatever has been damaged has gone up, tough. Also, some companies give a cheap quote and then, after you accept, tell you that you need to pay for things like marine liability insurance, or other extra insurance.

Oh, and if a company tells you to self-assess the volume of what you have to move, go to another company. This, apparently, is a typical trick. The customer assesses, to the best of his limited knowledge, how much space what he has to move will take and the company gives a quote based on that. On the day of the move, the company turns up and says that the stuff will take up more space and they want more money before they will move it. The customer, being short of time, finds he has to agree.

By the way, we moved from a village near Reading to Lille.

Mitzyboy

Self insured normally means not insured.
Insist on sight of a schedule and check it. Some companies dont cover you fully if you pack yourself.

south_bound

Thanks for all your comments - thats exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. The long drive wouldn't put me off and sounds as if it could save a lot of money, as long as I can find the time to do it! Was it easy enough to find rental companies that allowed for taking their trucks over the channel - I would guess they would be a bit more expensive than normal to rent, plus the ferry wouldn't be cheap? I have quite a lot to take (we filled a 20' shipping container on the last move), but the idea of leaving the bulkier items behind to save space and buy new at that end does appeal to my wife!

Thanks

G-J-B

For me the Euro Tunnel was much cheaper and more efficient than a ferry, and didn't set me back that much (50 or 60 quid there and back). I used the biggest long-wheel based van I could find and again the additional amount for bringing it to Europe + insurance was really very small. All in all with van hire for two full days (borrowed Friday night, returned first thing Monday morning) + eTap hotel on the way home near Calais, Euro Tunnel costs and flight back to Paris it set me back just a tiny fraction over £300, which was peanuts under the circumstances.

south_bound

I've just had quotes from truck hire companies and thay are not too bad - about 500-600 pounds for a 7.5t truck for a week, all inclusive. Does anyone know how much extra the ferry/Eurotunnel and motorway tolls might be for this kind of vehicle? I'm getting quotes for full removal service as well, and will post on here in case anyone else is interested in getting ball-park figures.

Ka Ora!

You can just go to Euro tunnel dot com when it starts working again Vech length etc and get cost for transit, then go to Autoroutes dot fr enter your start point which is Calais and then end point it will tell you the charges en route. Google is your friend.

south_bound

The obvious things are ususally the best - thanks

south_bound

I'm guessing the removals companies are desperate for work right now, as the quotes I have been getting are not much more than doing it myself - by the time we add up truck hire, Channel crossing, return fuel and motorway tolls, never mind a week of my time. Nightingales (mentioned in a previous response) were on the expensive side, but other smaller outfits seem competitive. We would pack and unpack, and they would load, drive and unload. Apparently insurance is not a problem, but would not cover breakages due to non-professional packing, but would include damage from dropping boxes or scratching furniture or ferry sinking! Now all we need is to find an address in France to get things delivered to...

fesuvious

Yes, it is the case right now that many removal firms will either want the work because it gives them something to do. Or, won't want it because the financial risk if something went wrong is too much to take on as funds are depleted.

The way things are right now theres a good chance that firms will quite simply charge for say 3 days instead of 4, 5, instead of 6 etc. Hence the costs being competitive.

Its always worth asking any firm you talk to;

Do you have European Breakdown cover?
Do the staff stay with the vehicle all the time? i.e sleep in it, or hotels?
Total value of the goods in transit cover? i.e if the vehicle went down with the boat!
They should also be in a position to talk you through exactly what is planned and when, i.e boat times, driving times, where the vehicle should be and when.

Finally get a proper idea of the day and time they'll be with you and ask if the same staff that loaded will be there to unload?

Good Luck
matt

arubus

Hi, just to give you a guide on price, I did a self move of a 4 bedroom house in London to Bordeaux (where I'm storing my stuff at present whilst living in Paris) last year. The move took me a week in total... had to make 3 trips - 2 for furniture and one to return the hire vehicle and fly back.

Including the cost of van hire, overnight stay in a roadside hotel x 2 (plus one night in the van 'cos all the hotels were full) ferry crossings, petrol, tolls, food and flight the total cost was £3200.

At the time this was the cheapest way to do it - but hard work. The tolls through French roads are more expensive for a van than a car - about 2/3 times as much if I remember right. The only thing I would say is if you are planning to do it yourself make sure you don't get a vehicle that will be classed as frieght on the crossing as this adds even more to the journey.

fesuvious

Well done for doing it yourself, especially given that you made three trips.

However, if you had to do it all again, would you?

Given that London to Bordeaux is circa £4000>£4500 with a reputable firm if you had the choice to make again would you save a thousand or have the work effected (in one) for you?

arubus

Hmm... I think the hardest part for me was that I did the move alone (hubby somehow managed to get out of it... well work and all that!).

Would I do it again? probably to be honest, the saved £1k buys me a new patio, or patio furniture, or something... so yes.

Also the experience of driving across France in a huge vehicle that you have never driven before is one not to be missed - the real fun part was the tolls - where being a right hand drive vehicle I had to climb across the seat to get the ticket or pay - should have seen the looks I got